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5 February 2010
Your Ref:
Our Ref:
0002/2010
Mr Brian Ovens
Force Disclosure Unit
Email:
Police Headquarters
[email address]
173 Pitt Street
GLASGOW
G2 4JS
Tel: 0141 435 1217
Fax: 0141 435 1218
Dear Mr Ovens
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REFERENCE NUMBER 0002/2010
I refer to your request for information dated 5 January 2010, which was received by
Strathclyde Police on that date.
Your request for information has now been considered and on 5 February 2010, a decision
was made to provide some of the information requested by you. Some of the information
requested by you is, however, considered to be exempt in terms of the Freedom of
Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (the Act). Section 16 of the Act requires Strathclyde Police
to provide you with a notice which: (a) states that it holds the information, (b) states that it is
claiming an exemption, (c) specifies the exemption in question and (d) states, if that would
not be otherwise apparent, why the exemption applies. Where information is considered to be
exempt, this letter serves as a Refusal Notice and an explanation of the appropriate exemption
is provided.
I would like to know through the Freedom of Information Act
1. How much money Strathclyde Police have taken in from parking fines
2. and speeding camera fines. Be it hand held cameras or otherwise.
3. also, where does this money go?
Section 17 – Information not held
By way of explanation, the Road Traffic Act 1991 introduced provisions enabling the
decriminalisation of most non-endorsable parking offences. The relevant provisions of the
1991 Act were introduced in Scotland in June 1997. In the Strathclyde policing area Glasgow
City Council and South Lanarkshire Council have introduced decriminalised parking
enforcement (DPE).
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The enforcement of parking within a DPE area is no longer the responsibility of the Police of
Traffic Wardens but is implemented by employees of the local authority, either directly or
under contract. Under the scheme, 3.35% of all monies collected is retained by the Fixed
Penalty Clerk, John Street, Glasgow, the remaining 96.65% goes to the participating local
authorities who administer their own parking penalty schemes and retain the penalties to fund
the operation of the scheme. Any surplus is first used to improve off-street parking facilities
and second for general traffic management purposes within the area of the authority.
Therefore, the revenue is effectively ring-faced for traffic management measures and cannot
be used by an authority for other purposes. Under existing arrangements after the 3.35% is
retained by the Fixed Penalty Clerk, 6.65% goes to the Local Authority where the ticket was
issued and the remaining 90% going to the Treasury.
Section 25(1) – Information otherwise accessible
Information in relation to the amount of money generated through paid fines resulting from
speed camera detections is already available on the Strathclyde Camera Safety Partnership
website at http://strathclydecameras.com/about_finance.asp
Strathclyde Safety Camera Partnership is a joint-working initiative to help reduce the number
of road crash casualties at recognised accident locations in the West of Scotland. The
Partnership operates a combination of fixed, mobile and red light camera sites across the
Strathclyde Police area plus the SPECS average speed camera system which was installed on
the A77 in July 2005.
Prior to April 2007 the Partnership costs were recovered from fines paid and the surplus
returned to the (then) Scottish Executive. Since April 2007, the Partnership has been funded
by means of grant from the Scottish Government, payable through the Scottish Safety
Programme, a personal injury crash/casualty reduction initiative sponsored by the Justice
Department. The grant aid covers the budgeted costs incurred in operating the safety camera
service.
I hope this information is helpful, however, if you are not satisfied with the way in which
your request has been dealt with, you are entitled in the first instance to request a review of
the decision made by the Force. Should you wish to request such a review, please write to
Mrs Sheena Brennan, Disclosure Manager at the above address within 40 working days of
receiving this letter. Once informed of the Review Panel’s decision, if you are still not
satisfied, then you are entitled to apply to the Scottish Information Commissioner within six
months for a decision. Contact details are; Office of the Scottish Information Commissioner,
Kinburn Castle, Doubledykes Road, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9DS, telephone 01334 464610.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your interest in Strathclyde Police.
Should you require any further assistance concerning this matter please contact me directly on
0141 435 1217 quoting the reference number given.
Yours sincerely
Susan McGinlay
Sergeant
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