Police chief in pledge on speed cameras

Speed cameras are "here to stay" in the West Midlands despite funding cuts that will slash the number of traps, the region's most senior police officer said today.

Chief Constable Chris Sims said it would be "unwise" to take down all of the region's 304 cameras, but admitted some were kept in place for too long.

He spoke exclusively to the Express & Star about the "radical" changes to the force he is planning, which includes the use of private firms to help run departments, sharing units such as traffic with Staffordshire Police, while ending the force's role in dealing with lost property.

Mr Sims' comments come after it emerged speed cameras will remain switched on at high-risk areas after West Midlands Police agreed to pay more than £1 million to keep them operational.

The force will pay for fixed, mobile and traffic light cameras in 2011-12 after councils scrapped £750,000 of funding to pay for older cameras when it was ruled their wet film technology was outdated.

Of the 304 cameras across the region, 86 are dummies. Only 37 regionally are frequently used, with operation limited to 15 days a month.