Police tell local groups to foot bill for new speed gun

CASH-STRAPPED community councils which asked police to deploy a speed gun to slow dangerous drivers have been told they can have one – but only if they pay for it themselves.

Seven groups were each asked to chip in £500 for the hand-held £3700 device, a move today described as “laughable”.

Lothian and Borders Police approached the community councils in the Pentland Hills and Colinton-Fairmilehead wards with the idea after concerns were raised about speeding in the area.

In a letter to the groups, Sergeant Mac Mackenzie admitted there were no spare devices within the force and that local community officers had no access to the speed guns.

He then added: “In these times of limited financial resources and competing demands on those resources, the force is not in a position to purchase additional equipment. With the financial assistance of your community council, I would propose to purchase a Pro-Laser III speed detection device for use within Ward 2 (Pentland Hills) and Ward 8 (Colinton-Fairmilehead).”

Police said that they made the suggestion after Balerno Community Council indicated it would be willing to pay towards a speed gun.

But Trudy Allan, secretary of Balerno Community Council, said she did not believe the community councils could afford to spend £500 each.

And Norman Tinlin, secretary of Fairmilehead Community Council, expressed his surprise at the request and said it would alienate members of the public “in one fell swoop”.

He added: “To suggest that the public should provide funds for the purchase of a device to be used against them is laughable. Community councils have very restricted funding and as it comes from public funds there are strict limits on how it can be spent.

“If we did have funds of the size suggested we could find a lot more worthwhile projects to spend them on. Fairmilehead Community Council would not wish themselves to be associated with such a scheme and all the attendant bad publicity that it would generate.”

Community councils in Balerno, Currie, Juniper Green, Ratho, Fairmilehead and Firrhill, as well as Colinton Amenity Association, were approached by the police. It is understood the city council would advise community groups that paying for speed guns would not be an appropriate use of its funding grants.

Councillor Steve Burgess, leader of the city’s Green Party group, said: “I’m surprised the police don’t have the resources themselves and are coming cap-in-hand to community councils.

“If the police need community councils to buy a speed gun for them it means areas that couldn’t have one would not have the enforcement of speed limits. It’s postcode policing and it’s not very fair.”

A Lothian and Borders Police spokesman said: “Police were made aware of concerns regarding speeding in the Balerno area through engagement with the local community council, who identified the issue as a priority for the area.

“Along with our partners and the community, we will be addressing these concerns. One of the solutions suggested was the use of a hand-held speed detection gun and the community council said that they would be willing to contribute funds towards buying such.

“We agreed to explore the suggestion and have now written to other community councils in the area in order to seek their views. In the meantime, we will ensure that resources are allocated to addressing the concerns and use a number of tactics, including hand-held speed detection guns.