of nearly half of all speed cameras are switched off, admit police

Nearly half of all speed cameras are switched off, admit police: Nearly half of all speed cameras are switched off, police admitted today.

The cameras, which were put out of action when new guidelines were issued in 2001, have been left in place to deter motorists from speeding. They are there but there is no camera inside, or they are turned off. The Metropolitan Police confirmed that 323 Gatsos - named after their inventor Maurice Gatsonides - were inactive but remained in place. About 40 per cent of the Gatsos installed in the Nineties failed to meet Department for Transport criteria about where they could be put and were therefore decommissioned. They are there but there is no camera inside, or they are turned off.

A spokesman for the Met said,

In 2007-08, 323 speed safety camera housings were not subject to enforcement deployment. However inactive sites continue to play a role in deterring speeding.