Portsmouth police speed camera operative vows not to be 'bullied' away after increase in abuse

Many drivers with a heavy foot on the accelerator may think mobile speed enforcement vans are the scourge of the roads.

But people flouting the limits on Portsmouth road’s are the ones putting others at risk.

Yet some passers-by and drivers’ righteous and self-indignant anger has been so over the top that they’ve taken to obstructing and intimidating police staff operating the cameras.

People have been pretending to break down, parking in front of the van and lifting up their own vehicle’s bonnet to block the camera.

In one incident elsewhere in the county, a person got inside the van and took the keys.

One staff member who has done the job for seven years covers the wider Portsmouth area told The News she would never be bullied away from doing her job.

One morning alone she caught more than 140 drivers speeding on Eastern Road using her van’s high-tech kit.

The staff member, who asked not to be named, said: ‘There’s not one occasion that a person I’ve caught has come up to the van and given verbal abuse – it’s people who want to vent.

‘They just want to bully and abuse you and it can be very frightening.’

Just recently an irate driver – a BMW driver – gave the staff member abuse on Copnor Bridge.

But the incident was filmed by another member of the public and posted on Facebook – where people quickly took the police’s side.

‘In the seven years I’ve had some nasty incidents,’ she said.

‘What we don’t do is back down. We’re here to do a role and it’s a risk assessed site, and I won’t be bullied off site.’

Some drivers and passers-by have also been shouting abuse through the hatches in the van.

READ NEXT: Police catch 140 speeding drivers in Portsmouth in just an hour as officers warn of dangers

PC Dave Hazlett said: ‘Drivers and members of the public who feel that it’s okay to abuse people going about their lawful roles will be dealt with robustly.’

Road safety Sgt Scott Kerr said vans are only deployed where there is a need after verified complaints of speeding and data showing speed-related crashes have taken place.

‘They’re not just turning up to frustrate members of the public,’ he said.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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