Camera Equipment

Safecam operate fixed speed and redlight cameras, mobile enforcement cameras (speed only), and fixed average speed cameras. A total of six different devices are used:

• Fixed Gatso Speed (wet-film auto detection)
• Fixed Gatso Redlight (wet-film auto detection)
• Fixed RedSpeed Speed (digital auto detection)
• Fixed RedSpeed Redlight (digital auto detection)
• Mobile Speed LTI 20.20 UltraLyte 1000 (manual detection DVD)
• Fixed SPECS Average Speed (digital auto detection)

Home Office Type Approval: All of these devices are Type-Approved by the Home Office as being accurate, reliable, and able to provide admissible evidence for prosecution. Home Office Type Approval is granted only for enforcement devices that have been manufactured or supplied to the strict criteria laid down by the Home Office Police Scientific Development Branch (PSDB) and are intended for police use. Copies of Type Approval documentation for each of the above devices can be viewed on the documents to download page.

Fixed Gatso Speed (visit www.gatso.nl)

The device used is the Radar Type 24 with Camera Type AUS manufactured by Gatsometer BV. This device received Home Office Type Approval in June 1992.

When a car passes the camera in excess of the speed limit, the camera takes two photographs of the rear of vehicle at an interval of 0.6 seconds.

It uses cassettes of 35mm film to record images of the vehicle. The camera is loaded and unloaded in to the housing by trained officers who deliver the film to the Camera Processing Unit for developing, viewing, and processing.

Each camera is calibrated annually at the Gatsometer BV factory in Holland. Calibration Certificates are supplied and published on the documents to download page.

Secondary Check Marks: A series of short white lines are painted on the road surface at Gatso Speed sites. These are secondary check marks used to confirm the accuracy of the speed recorded by the camera, and are laid out using a specially calibrated template to ensure exact measurements. It is possible to compare the two photographs and work out how far the vehicle has travelled during the interval against the check marks on the road. Using a simple formula the viewer can confirm the speed-reading given by the camera. It must be stressed that secondary checks marks are there to safeguard the motorist against a faulty or false camera reading.

Fixed Gatso Redlight (visit www.gatso.nl)

The device used is the Red Light Camera Type 36 manufactured by Gatsometer BV. This device received Home Office Type Approval in December 1992.

Loops that detect vehicle movement are embedded in the road surface at the junction. These are attached directly to the camera, so if a vehicle crosses the solid white line when the traffic lights are at red it will automatically take two photographs one second apart (using cassettes of 35mm film.)

Two photographs are taken to prove that the vehicle has continued through the junction and therefore not just crossed the line and stopped.

The photographs will show the time, date, speed (not for enforcement), amber time and the time that the traffic lights were on red. It will also show the traffic lights and all the vehicle details.

The camera is loaded and unloaded in to the housing by trained officers who deliver the film to the Camera Processing Unit for developing, viewing, and processing.

Each camera is calibrated annually at the Gatsometer BV factory in Holland. Calibration Certificates are supplied and published on the documents to download page.

Fixed RedSpeed Speed and Redlight (visit www.redspeed-int.com)

The devices used are SpeedCurb (speed), RedGuard (redlight), and RedSpeed (combined speed and redlight) manufactured by RedSpeed International Ltd. These devices received Home Office Type Approval in November 2004.

The cameras - both speed and red light - are activated by a loop embedded in the road surface and will take three photographs.

The first and second photographs will show the movement of the vehicle, either for speed or red light offences, and the third is a close up of the vehicle to determine the make/model, colour and registration number. The time and date, and speed or red light time, will all be recorded with each image.

Images are downloaded via a standard broadband ADSL line at the Camera Processing Unit for viewing and processing.

Some redlight cameras are fitted with the RedSpeed device (rather than RedGuard), which means they have the ability to operate speed enforcement at traffic light junctions when the lights are green (referred to as ‘speed on green’.) However, Safecam do not operate this facility.

Cameras are calibrated annually by the manufacturer. Calibration Certificates are made available when requesting them in connection with a prosecution.

Secondary Check Marks: As in the case of fixed Gatso speed cameras, there is a requirement to have secondary check marks painted on stretches of road covered by fixed RedSpeed speed cameras. The marks are placed exactly one metre apart, so the distance travelled by the speeding vehicle between the two photographs can be calculated. This is done purely as a safeguard for the driver to ensure the speed registered by the camera is accurate.

Mobile Speed LTI 20.20 UltraLyte 1000 (visit www.teletrafficuk.com)

The LTI 20.20 UltraLyte 1000 received Home Office Type Approval in November 2007 and is operated in conjunction with the Lastec Concept DVD System which received Type Approval in April 2007. Safecam has operated this equipment since October 2009, prior to which the following equipment was used: the LTI 20.20 UltraLyte 100 in conjunction with the Lastec Concept DVD System, and the LTI 20.20 TS/M SpeedScope in conjunction with the Lastec Local Video System.

The devices are manually operated from within specified enforcement vehicles that are clearly livered as shown. There are 6 vehicles operated in the Safecam area; 3 are the Renault Trafic and 3 are the Ford Galaxy.

The laser device is linked directly to a DVD system that will run constantly during the whole period of operation.

The device can be trained on vehicles up to 1,000 metres away and will record the time/date, speed, distance, site coding and whether the vehicle is travelling towards or away from the checkpoint.

Each camera is calibrated annually by Tele-Traffic. Calibration Certificates are supplied and published on the documents to download page.

Fixed SPECS Average Speed (visit www.speedcheck.co.uk)

Safecam do not operate this system at standard camera sites, however the Highways Agency may install SPECS on motorways at locations where temporary roadworks are in progress. When this occurs in the Avon and Somerset area, Safecam, if requested, will carry out the processing of offences on behalf of the Highways Agency. This device received Home Office Type Approval in April 1999.

Linked cameras are installed along a length of road. The cameras can monitor any lane, therefore they are able to detect vehicles that enter and exit the camera zone in different lanes.

The cameras continuously record images of vehicles passing through them, and read vehicle registration plates using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR.) The average speed of the vehicle is calculated over the distance travelled.

Data is stored on a digital device, which is removed and delivered to the Camera Processing Unit for viewing and processing.

As with all camera devices, SPECS is calibrated annually. Calibration Certificates are available on request.

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