Police switch off speed cameras... and admit it will lead to more breaking the law

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Published: 14:04 EDT, 5 September 2026 | Updated: 14:09 EDT, 5 September 2026 Police switched off speed cameras in Scotland – despite admitting it would lead to an increase in people breaking the law.Documents show officers concluded the only way to confirm if cameras were having an impact on road safety was by deactivating them.In March, the Scottish Mail on Sunday revealed that more than 100 roadside cameras had been turned off – even in areas where speeding offences were on the rise.The Scottish Government justified the move by claiming all the sites had recorded ‘no speed-related injury collisions and a consistent level of speed limit compliance for a number of years.’ However, the figures we obtained showed that speeding offences at multiple camera sites had increased.Shockingly, one camera caught more speeding drivers in a month just before it was ‘made dormant’ – switched off – than it had in the entire previous year. As part of our investigation, we then used Freedom of Information laws to ask Police Scotland for injury detail at more than 100 individual sites where cameras were disarmed.The force disclosed that, at those sites, there had been seven fatalities, 73 serious injuries and 162 slight injuries over a five-year period. More than 100 roadside cameras had been turned offDuring an assessment of the camera on the A89 Coatbridge Road at Bargeddie, North Lanarkshire, police acknowledged speeds would increase if they switched it off.The report said the camera had been installed in 1993 as a result of a fatal accident outside a school. It was ‘made dormant’ in 2018 but had to be reactivated a year later.Recommending a new switch-off, the report stated: ‘The outcome is very likely to be the same in that speeds will increase again.‘But as the purpose is to reduce injury collisions, despite likely objections from local residents again, dormancy is the only way to assess if collisions would occur if the camera was to be removed.’At a separate site – on Kingston Road in Neilston, East Renfrewshire – the camera was switched off despite the local council voicing ‘major reservations’.Police files reported that Neilston Primary School and Madras Nursery face onto the road, resulting in 550 children using the route each day. The local community council said it had ‘serious concerns’ for their safety as HGVs passed the spot on their way to a nearby quarry.The police report adds: ‘We have received several recent enquiries/ complaints regarding this volume in addition to alleged speeding.’ However, it concludes: ‘Despite the roads authority reservations and the increased risk associated with these changes, taking everything into account, it would still be prudent for this site to enter dormancy.’Ruth Billingham, head of campaigns and public affairs for the pedestrians’ charity Living Streets, said: ‘High speeds are a factor in nearly one in five fatal collisions annually in Scotland and speed cameras have been proven to reduce road incidents by up to 39 per cent.‘It’s puzzling, therefore, that Police Scotland has chosen to switch speed cameras off.’A spokesperson for the Police Scotland Safety Cameras Unit said: ‘The site selection process of safety cameras is evidence led and data driven, focused on areas that have the highest rate of serious collisions and casualties.‘This approach ensures safety cameras are used appropriately in the most effective locations.’