A SPATE of vigilante attacks on speed cameras has forced a UK neighbourhood to erect all new armoured versions to keep the vandals at bay.
The specialist tech is now up and running in Longdowns, Cornwall, and are protected inside steel-boxes and covered in anti-climb spikes.
The towering cameras have had to be put up by the council because of a series of attacks on the less protected versions across Cornwall in 2023.
The new armoured camera stands as tall as the street lights and is bright yellow in colour.
The base of it is now shielded in a solid steel case and just above the casing there are anti-climb spikes, so vandals can not tackle them from above or below.
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Police have already rounded up three people who were cuffed on suspicion of causing criminal damage to speed cameras, and they're all still under investigation.
The update came as the three men answered police bail on Monday, after incidents of speed camera damage.
The three men, one in his sixties and two in their thirties, were arrested on suspicion of causing damage to speed cameras in Truro and Perranarworthal in January.
A police spokesperson said on Tuesday: “A 62-year-old man from Porthleven, a 32-year-old man from Porthleven and a 31-year-old man from Falmouth have all been released from police bail.
"But all three remain under investigation in relation to these incidents.”
The arrests came after two cameras were cut down in the early hours of January 2 - one on Tregolls Road in Truro and another on the A39 at Perranarworthal, which had already been cut down once before.
And now, the cameras have been put back up with all new protective gear.
Previously to this there had been separate incidents involving speed cameras cut down in Longdowns, Trewennack and Drakewalls near Gunnislake.
Cornwall Council and Devon and Cornwall Police, both of which are members of the Vision Zero Road Safety Partnership, issued a joint statement at the time saying: “We are really disappointed to see yet more mindless vandalism targeted at safety cameras in Cornwall.
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“These devices were installed at the wishes of the community to improve road safety in areas which had previously experienced high speeds and several serious and fatal collisions.
“While these cameras are inactive, these communities no longer have the protection they were once afforded, which is really saddening.
“The cost of replacing these cameras is also a burden which has to be footed by the taxpayer, making these attacks all the more bizarre.”
NEW AI SPEED CAMERAS
Drivers have been warned they could be hit with a £1,000 fine and six penalty points as AI cameras are installed out across ten UK neighbourhoods.
Although a trial for the futuristic cams have been on-going since 2021, National Highways are now expanding their network to clamp down harder on dangerous drivers.
The cameras work by automatically detecting people behind the wheel who are in breach of the law by flouting seat belt regulations or being on their mobile while driving.
Fixed to vehicles or trailers, the advanced recorders boast multiple lenses which can snap multiple angles of both the driver and their occupants.
Any information recorded undergoes scrupulous processing before being forwarded to police.
Drivers found to be on the wrong side of the law are notified through warning letters.
The expanded trial will run until March 2025 and will see esteemed police forces take part.
Durham, Greater Manchester Police, Humberside, Staffordshire, West Mercia, Northamptonshire, Wiltshire, Norfolk, Thames Valley Police, and Sussex are all trialing the new technology.
