| Figures obtained under Freedom of Information legislation show the incident was just one of 250 when police vehicles were caught breaking the limit on Tayside’s roads last year — none of which led to prosecution.
In fact, no driver of a Tayside Police vehicle has been penalised for speeding within the force area since 2006.
The news comes after it emerged the force’s Chief Constable Kevin Mathieson was caught driving at 72mph in a 60mph zone on the A9 near Kingussie.
He was fined £60 and his licence endorsed with three points, but the incident is not recorded in Tayside Police’s own figures as it happened outwith their area.
In that region last year, 210 vehicles registered to Tayside Police and a further 44 vehicles belonging to other forces were caught by speed cameras.
But none of the drivers was penalised as the prosecutions were exempted under road traffic legislation, which allows fire and rescue vehicles, ambulances and police cars to break limits in the event of an emergency call.
The vehicle caught driving at 144mph was detected by a safety camera on the A90 Dundee to Aberdeen road on an unspecified date last year.
The force says the vehicle was travelling to the scene of a reported “serious road traffic collision” which was subsequently discovered to have occurred in the Grampian force area.
Tayside Police said, “Procedures are in place to identify such occasions where a statutory exemption may be claimed. Such claims are considered by a chief inspector, who will, following due consideration of the circumstances, decide to authorise such an exemption or otherwise.
“Each case must be assessed on its own merit.
“Factors taken into consideration are the nature of use of the vehicle and the driver, the nature of the incident involved, the location, type of road and speed recorded, time of day, traffic and weather conditions, and use of emergency lighting equipment.”
The figures also revealed that since the beginning of 2005, 1070 police vehicles have been caught speeding by safety cameras, with only 12 leading to a penalty. Of these vehicles, 876 were registered to Tayside Police.
Of the 12 penalties dished out, four were related to a Tayside vehicle. The force have stressed the drivers of the vehicles could be police officers or support staff and the figures only relate to speeding detected by safety cameras.
* A councillor today said the speeding offence committed by Tayside Police Chief Constable Kevin Mathieson proves he is a “human being” (writes Graham Huband).
Perth and Kinross councillor Peter Mulheron made the comment a meeting of Tayside Joint Police Board personnel sub-committee in Dundee.
Members had been asked to note Mr Mathieson’s offence — which occurred on the notorious A9 as he drove to a conference in Inverness in September — after the issue was made public in January following a Freedom of Information request to the force.
Mr Mathieson was clocked doing 72mph in a 60mph zone in Kingussie. The Chief Constable accepted a conditional offer of a £60 fixed penalty at the first opportunity and had his licence endorsed with three points. The committee were made aware of the offence as regulations require.
A report on the incident before today’s committee stated the offence did not constitute a conviction in terms of the regulations.
Cllr Mulheron said, “It proves one thing, he is a human being” while committee vice-chairman, Cllr Archie Maclellan added, “The important thing is he held his hand up.”
Members agreed to note the matter. |
