Is catching people who speed more important, in terms of what the public wants, than the cry from the public for more police walking a beat? I'm serious. Which do the public consider a larger threat? Speeders or guns on the street?

Could they divert monies and people from catching speeders and have a couple of bobbies walking patrol in a neighborhood? (I've read the presence of bobbies walking a beat is something many communities want *right now*.)

d'ya got red light cameras too? The evil Bastards over here have been installing them then ruducing yellow light times to insure they pop a whole lot of people for $150 per red light run. It's supposed to be for safey - forget that reducing yellow light time + hefty tickets = a lot more jamming on brakes resulting in rear end collisions.

cameras to watch the cameras probably won't do much good. If it does not result in double camera destruction, it'll make good theater. Maybe the state can defer some of the cost by selling the footage to the networks for their "caught on tape" shows.

This can only be for suburban and rural cameras. You can't go anywhere in a British city without being under surveiilance.

... And one presumes the camera-guarding cameras will be concealed.

One aspect of this story that isn't immediately obvious (but which is maybe even more revealing) is that it has only just surfaced.

If 700 speed cameras have been destroyed, why hasn't this, really rather serious, outbreak of public rebellion been more widely reported?

Could it be that many media commentators are cowed into submission by political correctness? After all, opposing speed cameras? It'll be eating babies, next.

Even worse - reminding the British public that it can, in extremis, simply refuse to obey laws imposed by those who conspire to limit personal freedom sets a very, very dangerous precedent.

But only if you happen to be a Guardian or Independent reader, of course...

How about having policemen guard the cameras.
That'd work surely.

"Which do the public consider a larger threat? Speeders or guns on the street?"

....so again public perceptions take precedence over facts? I'll tell you which is definitely the larger threat, & it's the speeders. They may be armed with far less evil intentions than the armed crims, but if the end result's a dead person, that's kinda splitting hairs. If you're scared to walk down the street in the UK because you think there's a realistic possibility you'll get shot, unless you're involved in heavy drug dealing, or have had specific threats against your life, you're a fool.

& G Cooper, are you implying that Independent/Guardian readers are all authoritarian "must obey the rules" types? Really? I'd hazard a guess that for instance on the 'drug laws are ridiculous, so disobey them' front, you'd find a much more supportive constituency amongst these so-called stalinists than anywhere in the right-wing media. Life ain't black & white; sorry! The only difference would be the *type* of disobedience they'd find acceptable.

I don't know whether this is frowned on here, but a couple of links to some interesting speed camera sites which I found while generally browsing are below;

Speedcam.co.uk has some pics of neutralised cameras. I think there's something beautiful about them ;)

Arrive Deprived is a spoof of a scheme called "Arrive Alive" set up by local government somewhere. Very funny.

The Speed Trap Bible has lots of general info about speed cameras, advice and some good links.

A_t writes:

"& G Cooper, are you implying that Independent/Guardian readers are all authoritarian "must obey the rules" types?"

No, I'm suggesting they are mostly anti-private, pro-public transport boobies who are responsible for most of the obsessive and misplaced 'safety' culture which dogs modern life in the UK.

Hadn't thought of burning them, seeing as they are metal and all, but it seems to work. Any thoughts about how this is accomplished? Molotov cocktail, perhaps?

Paintball guns would also be a very efficient way to disable the damn things, especially if you could get paintballs, or reengineer them, with permanent paint.

At least in the US, we are at least a generation away from seeing these things in any kind of rural setting. The rustics in the US delight in perforating road signs with high-powered rifles; one shudders to imagine the barrage that would greet one of these cameras.

A_t: "...I'll tell you which is definitely the larger threat, & it's the speeders."

Absolutely correct. But unfortunately it's not the big killers, who are doing 45 in narrow streets, or keeping a 10ft gap at 65 on motorways, who get readily GATSO-ed. Sad to say the cameras are always going to be most productive where more people feel safe speeding; where there are nice clear lines of sight; where, in fact, speeding is safer.

So the anti-Gatso's will adapt and modify their tactics. They'll run SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defence) missions prior to or in tandem with taking out the primary target. More power to the Iron Hand and Wild Weasel battallions of the anti-Gatso's!

R.C.Dean: "Hadn't thought of burning them, seeing as they are metal and all, but it seems to work. Any thoughts about how this is accomplished? Molotov cocktail, perhaps?"

I think it involves tyres, from the pictures on that site. However I have no idea how they get the tyres easily up to the level of the actual camera, and then set them alight. If I were inclined to damage these things, I think I would prefer the paintball method - after all it's quicker, less chance of detection and easy to repeat.

lets be honest gatsos are sited to make money to pay 4 police retirement funds.by the amount of police u c on the streets they are obviously working .OR AM I JUST BEING CYNICAL?????

Well, I'm one of the 75% of people who would not report vandalism to one of these abuses of technology, burning them is dangerous to others, I would suggest to those who would wish ill on these things to seek out the websites concerned with the'Electromagnetic Pulse' as used in warfare. A good place to look for bits for your device would be inside a microwave oven, but you'll need a generator to power it. It's a close range job, shield yourself from the high power radio waves. Good luck, I don't have the balls to do it. Merry undetected Christmas DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE, that is dangerous.

On another site some joker called Mark saw a speed camera burning so immediately called the Fire Brigade. Fortunately they arrived too late to save it, but no doubt benefited from the "call out" money.
Beats me why guys like Mark can't say to themselves: "My word! Some cheeky fellows have set fire to that speed camera. I must remember to report it as soon as get home and finish my leisurely breakfast."
Seriously Mark baby, you are lucky the Old Bill didn't arrest you for criminal damage, perverting the course of justice and cruelty to animals. The cops couldn't give a toss whether they convict the guilty, just as long as they convict somebody. That's why there are some 3,000 innocent people in UK jails. Destruction of speed cameras is one way to let the bastards running this sorry-assed country know that they can't get it all their own way. Problem with authority: You'd better believe it.