A SENIOR police chief is urging the Government to stop 'pussy-footing' around and hide speed cameras in a bid to trap more speeding motorists.

Inspector Malcolm Collis, of Thames Valley Police, condemned the idea of 'fair play' that gave drivers a 'sporting chance'. At present, cameras are made visible by painting them yellow and positioning them in clear view of the road.

Collis said: 'If motorists see a brightly painted camera they slow down for it and then speed up after it. It is much better to have hidden cameras and a sign informing motorists that there are hidden cameras on that particular stretch of road. It could slow them down and save lives. With fleet drivers, there is obviously the need to get from A to B quickly but companies will find their insurance premiums could be better, as will their downtime, if their drivers travel more safely.'

Collis recently spoke at a conference organised by the Thames Valley Safer Roads Partnership on the subject of speed cameras. He told delegates: 'This is not a game. A sense of fair play should not play a part in this. Let's get serious and stop pussyfooting around.

'There are estimated to be 10 million speeding offences a day yet the public are getting exercised about a mere one million speeding fines a year.'

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