Cyclists back Jersey's first mobile speed camera

Jersey Police said bad driving was an "enduring problem"

Cyclists in Jersey have welcomed the island's first mobile speed camera, saying it could help tackle dangerous driving.

Simon Finch, co-founder of Cycle 4 Jersey, said the camera would target "anti-social drivers that are speeding, often at night, in rural areas".

But he also insisted more needs to be done to protect riders and prosecute offenders.

The Law Officers' Department said every case must meet strict criteria before it can go to court.

'Inconsistent and soft'

Jersey Police unveiled the island's first mobile speed camera on Monday.

Chief Officer Robin Smith said it was designed to catch "people that are racing around our island, endangering other islanders", which he described as an "enduring and persistent problem".

Mr Finch said the courts "need to impose sentences and fines that influence better driver behaviours" and "inconsistent and soft" magistrates were "not helping to see better driver behaviour".

"They could and should do much better as they have the ability to really influence behaviours through tougher sentences, especially for drink or drug drivers, dangerous drivers, drivers without insurance or licences and drivers on mobile phones," he said.

Tom Brossman, a keen cyclist who has clocked up 11,000 miles on his electric bike, said most drivers are courteous, but "one bad driver is all you need to really ruin your day and hurt you badly". He supports the camera but wants it used to catch the worst offenders.

"Honestly, I would support putting it somewhere in hiding and capturing the worst of the worst," he said. "We do not want total enforcement, but the worst drivers deserve to be prosecuted."

Mr Brossman uses helmet cameras to report dangerous driving and said the police had been "excellent" and supportive when he had submitted footage, but he was frustrated by what happens after cases leave the police.

"Once the police deal with the matter and refer it to prosecution, it goes to the parish authorities or the Attorney General's office," he said. "At that point, I am not clear what happens with particularly bad drivers."

A Law Officers' Department spokesperson said: "Every case considered by the Criminal Division of the Law Officers' Department must satisfy the code on the decision to prosecute before it can be prosecuted.

"Whilst we cannot comment on individual cases, whenever the evidence provided to the Law Officers' Department satisfies the two limbs of the code, for any criminal offence, then a prosecution will result."