POLICE have been accused of using speed cameras as a “cynical cash cow” after dropping the threshold where drivers receive a fine.

The East Anglian Daily Times can reveal the number of people caught speeding across Suffolk jumped by 10,000 in 2010 when the threshold was reduced.

Now former councillor Peter Monk - who pushed through 30mph speed limits in Suffolk villages and rolled out surveillance to enforce them - has performed a dramatic U-turn claiming mobile speed traps are being used to boost revenue rather than improve road safety.

Mr Monk, formerly portfolio holder for public protection at Suffolk County Council (SCC), said there was a greater sense of “entrapment” today than during his 12-year spell as a councillor, which ended in 2005. He said there was a feeling that more people were being fined, the threshold for fining motorists for speeding had been lowered and the colour of the mobile speed cameras had changed.

“I was adamant mobile cameras were not to be used as a cash generator, the idea was that we got people driving slowly through our villages,” said Mr Monk, a former chairman of SCC’s transport committee. “They do use it as a cash generator and it takes away the ethos of the scheme, which was to educate motorists.”

He added: “They’re maybe using them as a cynical cash cow.”

Suffolk police figures show the number of motoring offences caught on speed cameras had risen by 39% over the last five years, from 33,329 in 2007/08 to 46,308 in the last financial year. The force was unable to provide statistics on revenue from speed cameras, which goes directly to central Government.

Inspector David Hall, of the Norfolk and Suffolk Roads Policing Unit, admitted the threshold for prosecuting motorists had been lowered.

He added: “In April 2011, Suffolk Police took over the day-to-day running and responsibility for the mobile speed cameras and therefore the vans are now solely part of the Suffolk Constabulary fleet and as such have been decorated with the police livery design.

“The locations of these units are not published before their deployment as there is no requirement to do so, however Suffolk Police primarily concentrates speed enforcement at locations identified due to a history of collisions involving killed or seriously injured casualties, or at sites where there is a history of speeding and failure to reduce speeds could result in collisions. Regardless of where the units are deployed if you are not going over the designated speed limit and thus breaking the law then you will not be caught by any speed camera.

“The threshold for issuing a fixed penalty notice in Suffolk was reduced in 2010, which can account for the rise in the amount of camera offences in the last couple of years, however likewise the threshold for offering a place on a speed awareness course was also raised.

“Our role is simply to reduce the amount of casualties on Suffolk’s roads whether that is done through education or enforcement and speeding is one of the ‘fatal four’ driving offences.

“We would rather that no one was caught speeding in the county but it will remain one of our priorities while there are still people putting lives at risk.”

Motoring offences caught by speed cameras, 2007-2012 (source: Suffolk Constabulary)

2007/08: 33,329

2008/09: 36,173

2009/10: 37,194

2010/11: 47,009

2011/12: 46,308