The debate on speed cameras continues to divide, with the head of the Queensland Police Union publically acknowledging that covert and hidden speed cameras do not save lives and are indeed nothing more than revenue raisers for the state government.
“They are revenue raisers pure and simple, we all know it,” the president of the Queensland Police Union, Ian Leavers said.
“With any other organisation if you try something and it doesn’t work, you try something different. However, with these covert speed cameras, even though we know they don’t work, rather than try something different senior police simply roll out more? It doesn’t make sense.”
The public cynicism of the cameras comes two years after Queensland police removed the “speed camera in use” signs, effectively hiding the cameras from motorists until it was too late.
The incumbent Labor government has planned to increase speed camera revenue by almost 50 per cent within the next 3 years to around $190 million, according to deputy Liberal National Party leader Tim Mander.
“The [Queensland Premier Annastacia] Palaszczuk government is using Queenslanders as cash cows,” he said.
“They have budgeted an extra 46 per cent in speeding fines for the next three years.”
Contrastingly the LNP has committed to removing all covert speed cameras if it wins the next election, convinced that the hidden cameras do nothing to solve road trauma.
“These devices only serve to damage the reputation of the police. Only a highly visible policing presence and highly marked police speed camera vans with large police decals all over them staffed by police are the way to address the road toll.”
“Getting a ticket in the mail up to a month after speeding when you can barely remember even where you were back then, has no effect and is, quite rightly, cynically viewed as revenue raising. We need an immediate end to the use of these ‘sneaky’ devices and increase more visible policing so that we can regain public confidence.”
What are your feelings on road safety cameras? Do they reduce road trauma or simply raise money from the taxpayer? Leave a comment below to start the discussion.
