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4 October 2011
Your Ref:
Our Ref:
0706/2011
Mr Dennis Fallon
Email:
request-84054-
Force Disclosure Unit
xxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
Police Headquarters
173 Pitt Street
GLASGOW
G2 4JS
Tel: 0141 435 1217
Fax: 0141 435 1218
Dear Mr Fallon
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REFERENCE NUMBER 0706/2011
I refer to your original request for information dated 25 August 2011, our response on 20
September 2011, and subsequent correspondence seeking clarification dated 23 September
2011; then additional clarification received 29 September 2011, which requested:
Just reference one Gatso Speed Camera charge,2010-2011: Speed £658 + Courier, please
confirm if the £658 is inclusive of VAT AT 20% which is reclaimed, or exclusive, and
please confirm if the Courier cost is from Strathclyde police to Serco,who then forward the
cameraas to Gatso B.V.
Further, on 1 October the following clarification request was received:
Sorry to bother you after I thought the FOI was complete, but after reviewing your helpful
information there is some confusion regarding answer to Q2, the annual amounts paid to
Serco for calibration.
Considering just the FPG costs alone at approximately 67 calibrations per year,costing
approximately £600 each, the total would be about £40,000 minimum, but your answer
toQ2 gives figures well short of £20,000.
Please excuse my ignorance but I would appreciate knowing why the answer to Q2 seems to
be greatly understated, and are not in the region of £50,000. I do not want anyone to waste
time recalculating all the costs, because you have been very helpful and it was the unit cost
and price trend that were most important.
To clarify, our response in respect of the initial request and question 1, we stated that
Strathclyde Safety Camera Partnership operated 67 fixed Gatso sites i.e.
installations/housings from which speed detection is carried out by Gatso cameras.
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That is not the same as the number of ‘cameras’ i.e. actual photographic cameras. A lesser
number of Gatso 35mm film camera units are routinely rotated around Gatso camera housings
so that all camera sites are ‘live’, however not all at the same time.
Moreover, there is no way of identifying from the exterior whether a camera housing is active
at a particular time, as such, all drivers must assume that any camera housing they pass is then
‘live’. All sites have continuously working radar and will flash whether or not a ‘camera’ is
loaded.
It should be borne in mind that the purpose of safety cameras is visible deterrence to speeding
in the interests of road safety, not simply catching offenders after they have risked public
safety. All housings are clearly marked with yellow and red markings and have associated
camera information signage and speed limit reminders on approach.
The finance costs answers provided in Q2 were in respect of the actual number of cameras
held by the Partnership.
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
Andrew McCulloch
Freedom of Information Officer