Information on Notice of Intended Prosecution letters from April 2022 to March 2023
Freedom of information request reference no: 01.FOI.23.030308
I note you seek access to the following information:
For the time period between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023, please can you share the following information:
1. How many Notice of Intended Prosecution letters did you send relating to motorists speeding?
2. How many Notice of Intended Prosecution letters did you send (relating to motorists speeding) more than 14 days after the offence occurred?
3. In how many instances did you pass the 14-day deadline for Notice of Intended Prosecution letters (relating to motorists speeding) and decide not to send one altogether?
4. Which service do you use to send Notice of Intended Prosecution letters (relating to motorists speeding)? (include all that apply)
• Royal Mail Tracked 24
• Royal Mail Tracked 48
• Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed by 9am
• Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed by 1pm
• Royal Mail Signed for First Class
• Royal Mail Signed for Second Class
• Royal Mail First Class
• Royal Mail Second Class
• Royal Mail Sameday
• Other
5. For all the Notice of Intended Prosecution letters you sent (relating to motorists speeding), can you let us know:
• How many were contested (by responding ‘Not guilty’, or in any other way)?
• Of these, how many were contested specifically because the Notice of Intended Prosecution letter was received more than 14 days after the offence?
• How many of these contested cases went to a court trial?
• How many of the court trials ruled that the fine and driving licence points penalties were upheld/still applied?
6. Do you use technology to automate (machines carrying out tasks, instead of humans) the following processes when sending Notice of Intended Prosecution letters?
• Drafting letters
• Printing letters
• Putting letters into envelopes
• Franking and posting
Decision
I have today decided to disclose the located information to you in full.
Please find below information pursuant to your request above.
Q1 - How many Notice of Intended Prosecution letters did you send relating to motorists speeding?
There were 12,874 issued in relation to Traffic Offence Reports (TOR’s) and 606944 in relation to traffic cameras.
Q2 - How many Notice of Intended Prosecution letters did you send (relating to motorists speeding) more than 14 days after the offence occurred?
None - Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) are sent so that they are served within 14 days of the date of offence.
Q3 - In how many instances did you pass the 14-day deadline for Notice of Intended Prosecution letters (relating to motorists speeding) and decide not to send one altogether?
None for camera offences. For TORS this is not applicable as the driver is warned about the offence by an officer when stopped.
Q4 - Which service do you use to send Notice of Intended Prosecution letters (relating to motorists speeding)? (include all that apply)
• Royal Mail Tracked 24
• Royal Mail Tracked 48
• Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed by 9am
• Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed by 1pm
• Royal Mail Signed for First Class
• Royal Mail Signed for Second Class
• Royal Mail First Class
• Royal Mail Second Class
• Royal Mail Sameday
• Other
The MPS use Royal Mail first class.
Q5 - For all the Notice of Intended Prosecution letters you sent (relating to motorists speeding), can you let us know:
• How many were contested (by responding ‘Not guilty’, or in any other way)?
• Of these, how many were contested specifically because the Notice of Intended Prosecution letter was received more than 14 days after the offence?
• How many of these contested cases went to a court trial?
• How many of the court trials ruled that the fine and driving licence points penalties were upheld/still applied?
This information is not held.
Q6 - Do you use technology to automate (machines carrying out tasks, instead of humans) the following processes when sending Notice of Intended Prosecution letters?
• Drafting letters
• Printing letters
• Putting letters into envelopes
• Franking and posting
• Drafting letters - No
• Printing letters - No
• Putting letters into envelopes
- No - Bulk printing enveloper is used but individuals are still involved in the process and not fully automated, otherwise documents are manually placed in envelopes.
• Franking and posting
- No - Franking Machines are used however people still involved in the process and the same for posting purposes, people handle the envelopes and prepare them for collection by the Royal Mail.