Details of Speed Enforcement Job Roles

Freedom of information request reference no: 01.FOI.24.038145

I note you seek access to the following information:

2nd Clarification -
Please can you tell me what you mean by ‘Individual daily enforcement hours’
This is the amount of hours enforced each day by each operator.

1st Clarification -
This information would be for current civilian police staff role.

Original request:
Hello I would like to make a request in regards to Speed Enforcement job roles. I would like to know the following.

• The full current job description
• 4 week shift pattern
• Individual daily enforcement hours
• Are there any double crewing requirements
• Annual salary pay scales (bands)
• Individual performance requirements in relation to detections

Decision

I have today decided to disclose some of the requested information. Some data has been withheld as it is exempt from disclosure and therefore this response serves as a Refusal Notice under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act) by virtue of the following exemptions:

Section 31(1)(a)(b) - Law Enforcement

Reason for decision

You asked ‘Are there any double crewing requirement's'

Section 31(1)(a)(b) - Law Enforcement - Disclosure of ‘Are there any double crewing requirement's would cause operational harm to the MPS and affect our ability to fulfil our core function of law enforcement. The release of such information would reveal tactical operational information which would be to the detriment of providing an efficient policing service and a failure in providing a duty of care to all members of the public.

Further disclosure would hinder the ability of the MPS to police effectively in preventing and detecting crime if the public become aware of the tactics, resources and capabilities available to the MPS. This is particularly so if the public are aware of what type of tactics and resources the MPS is likely to have available and use, as it also indicates what capabilities and resources they do not have and decisions they may take in the prevention and detection of crime and apprehension of offenders.

It is not in the public interest to disclose any further information, as it would in effect, reveal law enforcement tactics and methodology used to respond to policing matters. Such a disclosure would also have an adverse effect, by assisting those planning to commit acts of crime.

Disclosure of the type of capabilities available to the police at a specific point in time would enable those individuals intent on committing criminal activity to circumvent methods used to prevent crime and apprehend offenders. This in turn hinders the ability of the MPS to carry out its core functions in law enforcement.

Further disclosure of the requested information would also place the public at greater risk of harm, if would-be criminals were provided with such information which is clearly related to policing capabilities.

Whilst there is a public interest in the transparency of policing resources and providing reassurance that the MPS is appropriately and effectively procuring equipment, there is also a strong public interest in knowing that policing activity with regard to the delivery of law enforcement is operationally effective.

Public safety is of paramount importance and any information which would
undermine policing tactics and place individuals at risk, no matter how
generic, is not in the public interest. The effective delivery of operational law enforcement is crucial and of paramount importance to the MPS. Any disclosure would have a negative impact on law enforcement and public safety.

Having considered this part of your request, and having examined the associated risk in release, we have found there is an overall risk to operational policing. Therefore, it is our opinion that for these reasons the balance test for disclosure is not made out.

Disclosure

• The full current job description

Mobile speed enforcement is currently conducted by Police Community Support Officers within the Roads and Transport Policing Command, MO8. This activity is undertaken as part of their existing roles on Roads Policing Teams or within Safer Transport Teams. There is therefore no job description for Speed Camera Operators.

• 4 week shift pattern

Officers work on their shift pattern within the command.

• Individual daily enforcement hours

Officers will be working shifts as per their shift pattern which may vary in length. There are no specific enforcement hours each day.

• Annual salary pay scales (bands)

Officers will be on their relevant pay scales based on their band. PCSO’s are band E pay grade. The starting salary is £33,348, which includes allowances totalling £2,841. The salary is broken down as £30,507 basic salary, which will increase annually until you reach the top of the scale - £32,639. Plus a location allowance of £1,841 and a non-pensionable allowance of £1,000. PCSOs work shifts. This will attract a shift disturbance allowance of between 12.5% and 20%.

• Individual performance requirements in relation to detections

(This simply means are safety camera operators required to achieve a specific number of detections (speeding offences) in any given time period ie. An hour, a day, a week, a month or a year. Or in other words safety camera operator are expected to obtain 10 offences an hour).
Safety camera operators are not required to achieve a specific number of detections in any given time period.