Gatso Calibration and Training

dennis fallon made this Freedom of Information request to Kent Police This request has been closed to new correspondence. Contact us if you think it should be reopened.

The request was successful.

Dear Kent Police,
I would like to request a FOI disclosure which is basically to understand the annual money payments to Serco and Gatso for the calibration and maintenance of cameras, staff training, and how the speed is calculated as part of the secondary check.
Q1. How many fixed post Gatso (FPG) and Gatso Red Light(GRL) cameras were in use, on an annual basis, by your partnership in the past three financial years?
Q2.For these cameras, for the past three financial years, what were the total cost amounts paid(TCAP) for the annual calibration of these cameras, identifying the TCAP to intermediate agents such as Serco and the company Gatsometer B.V, and the additional amounts of V.A.T added ?
Q3.Please confirm if the partnership have ownership of these cameras, paid in full, or any other arrangement.
Q4.Please confirm if the calibration contracts (CC) have been agreed for a fixed term with break penalty clauses or negotiated annually, if the CC are inclusive of a greater contract regarding maintenance, and who signed the contracts on behalf of the partnership.
Q5.After the cameras have been returned following calibration please confirm if, apart from the calibration certificate, Gatsometer B.V provide a report on any faults detected and items replaced and, if so, please identify the items, including batteries, that have required replacement.
Q6 After calibration, please confirm if the cameras are returned with a shutter speed of two photographs at intervals of 0.5 seconds, and if your Camera Enforcement Officers make any adjustments to the shutter speed or flash setting prior to reinstallation and, if so, what are the setting adjustments?.
Q7.Regarding the secondary check viewing, please advise how the viewing staff are trained for their task, who does the training, are certificates of completion provided, and are the staff given post training assessments or hard copy reference documentation. Is the work of the viewing staff audited or reviewed at intervals?
Q8.For FPG please confirm the distance between the calibration lines on the road which are part of the secondary check, so that one can calculate the speed if five lines are passed.

Yours faithfully,

Dennis Fallon

Freedom of Information Freedom of Information,

2 Attachments

Dear Mr. Fallon,

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST 11/08/61

Thank you for your request received by Kent Police on the 24
August 2011, I note you seek access, in summary, to the following
information:

Information regarding payments to Serco and Gatso.

As stated within the Freedom of Information Act 2000 we will endeavour to
provide a response promptly and in any event within the statutory
twenty day deadline, the twentieth working day being the 22
September 2011.

Your interest in Kent Police is appreciated and pending a specific
response to your request, I enclose a sheet, which summarises your
rights. Should you have any further inquiries concerning this matter,
please write or contact me on telephone number 01622 654429 quoting the
reference number above.

Yours sincerely,

Freedom of Information Team
Legal Services Department
Kent Police
Force HQ
Sutton Road
Maidstone
Kent ME15 9BZ

E-mail: [Kent Police request email]
Tel: +44 (0)1622 654429/654413
Fax: +44 (0)1622 652029
Internal: 19-4429/4413

Dear FOI,

The purpose behind Q2 of my recent FOI is to calculate the unit cost of calibrating one Gatso Speed and one Gatso Red light camera.
If it is troublesome for you to add up the individual payments to Serco for calibration it will be acceptable to simply know the agreed calibration payment for each camera type over the three year period to assess the trend.

Yours sincerely,

dennis fallon

Freedom of Information Freedom of Information,

2 Attachments

Dear Mr Fallon,
 
Please find attached our response to your request.
 
Kind regards,
 
 
Freedom of Information Team
Legal Services Department
Kent Police
Force HQ
Sutton Road
Maidstone
Kent ME15 9BZ

E-mail: [Kent Police request email]
Tel: +44 (0)1622 654429/654413
Fax: +44 (0)1622 652029
Internal: 19-4429/4413

Dear Freedom of Information,

Thank you for your helpful reply, but I still have confusion, partially my fault,on two issues.

Unfortunately I made an error in part of my original request because I was hoping to calculate the annual costs for calibrating each camera, but forgot to allow for the fact that each camera type has a different calibration cost and, in some circumstances calibration may be additionally required at different times.

I am sorry about this oversight on my part,because it is now
necessary to request the information more directly.
You may wish to treat as a new request or simply as further
clarification.

CLARIFICATION POINT ONE.
Please confirm the cost of single calibration of one Gatso Speed
Camera for each of the past three years, with the same data for one
Gatso Red Light Camera, so that comparisons and trends may be
appreciated.

CLARIFICATION POINT TWO.

I have read the Gatsometer handbook and have some photographic knowledge and I appreciate that officers may not have detailed technical training.

I would appreciate clarification of the response to Q6, QUOTE "The shutter speed is variable by light conditions, automatically adjusted by the camera. The
interval between the photographs is set at 0.5 seconds and this is verified by the camera operators
when conducting the test shots at the beginning and end of each film..."

The camera diaphragm may be variable by light conditions, but the shutter speed should be constant, as preset between 0.5 and 1 second,by the calibrator or operator.
I may be wrong so I would appreciate clarification, and although you confirm the interval between photographs is 0.5 seconds you have not confirmed that the cameras are returned after calibration with 0.5 as the setting, thus requiring no alterations.

Sorry about bothering you for these details.

Yours sincerely,

dennis fallon

Freedom of Information Freedom of Information,

2 Attachments

Dear Mr. Fallon,
 
Thank you for your email in which you requested clarification of some of
the information provided in our response letter dated 22 September 2011.
We have logged this as a new request and the new reference number is
11/09/127.
 
As stated within the Freedom of Information Act 2000 we will endeavour to
provide a response promptly and in any event within the statutory
twenty day deadline, the twentieth working day being the 21 October 2011.
 
Your interest in Kent Police is appreciated and pending a specific
response to your request, I enclose a sheet, which summarises your
rights. Should you have any further inquiries concerning this matter,
please write or contact me on telephone number 01622 654429 quoting the
reference number above.
 
Kind Regards
 
Laura Birchley
 
Freedom of Information Team
Legal Services Department
Kent Police
Force HQ
Sutton Road
Maidstone
Kent ME15 9BZ

E-mail: [Kent Police request email]
Tel: +44 (0)1622 654429/654413
Fax: +44 (0)1622 652029
Internal: 19-4429/4413
 

 

Freedom of Information Freedom of Information,

2 Attachments

Dear Mr. Fallon,
 
Please find attached the Kent Police response to your request reference
11/09/127.
 
Kind Regards
 
Laura Birchley
 
Freedom of Information Team
Legal Services Department
Kent Police
Force HQ
Sutton Road
Maidstone
Kent ME15 9BZ

E-mail: [Kent Police request email]
Tel: +44 (0)1622 654429/654413
Fax: +44 (0)1622 652029
Internal: 19-4429/4413

Dear Ms Birchley,

I consider this FOI completed and would like to thank you, and your colleagues,for your excellent help and information.

Yours sincerely,

dennis fallon