Speed cameras

Look out, drivers... here comes the world’s toughest speed camera! This new device, which towers four metres above the road, is vandal proof thanks to strengthened glass, a fire-resistant body and a stiffened steel base.

It’s also fitted with smoke and vibration sensors which can detect an attack. If someone tries to damage the camera, it triggers an alarm at the nearest police station and automatically downloads all its vital digital photographic data back to base so that no evidence is lost.

Called Innovative Digital Enforce-ment Environment (IDEE), the system has been created in response to the increasing number of cases of sabotaged speed traps.

It’s produced by Dutch firm Peek Traffic, and the first models have gone live in Holland. It’s expected they will come here soon. A spokesman said: “We’re looking at selling the unit elsewhere in Europe, including Britain.”

This would be done via Peek Traffic’s UK operation, although the IDEE would have to go through Home Office type approval before it could be put to work in Britain. But the camera should appeal to the Government thanks to the hi-tech enforcement system plus its world-leading anti-vandal measures.

The most significant of these are its fire-resistant properties. The IDEE’s enclosed electronics are insulated against extreme heat, allowing them to survive most fires unharmed.

The camera, which costs between £30,000 and £50,000 depending on model, is mounted in a thick steel base that is driven direct into the ground without the need for concrete foundations. This provides added strength against being rammed or pulled out, while the cameras and flash equipment are protected behind impact-resistant polycarbonate glass.

Induction loops in the road detect speeders – although the IDEE can operate with radar technology, too – while four high-resolution digital cameras monitor four lanes of traffic at once. These use infra-red technology, which means the IDEE can take front and rear-facing images and patrol both sides of the road simultaneously. As there’s no visible flash, drivers won’t know they’ve been snapped until they receive a fine through the post.