I read with sadness the article about a motorist caught speeding in the temporary 50mph speed area along the A13.

It seems he was returning from a night shift and was caught near Pitsea by officers with a mobile camera.

He was fined £275, ordered to pay £60 costs, plus the usual £15 victim surcharge, and given six penalty points.

Just who was the victim?

The report says he was not prosecuted for dangerous or careless driving.

Given the time of day and knowing the road, one can safely presume no other cars or people were at risk. He was simply the victim of being an easy target.

But shouldn’t we pause a moment and reflect? We have taken a no-doubt hardworking man, someone actually earning a living and paying taxes to help support this country, and made his life many times worse.

He will have to pay the £350 total out of his taxed income. His insurance premiums will be adversely affected.

The police won’t get the money. It goes to central government. I’ve no idea which victim gets the surcharge.

Frankly, what was the point? That stretch of road to anyone familiar with it is ordinarily suited for national speed limits, and even though there is a temporary speed limit while work is going on, the road is capable of being used at such speeds.

There might be road crews there at night, but that wasn’t mentioned in the report. Had there been any danger to others, a careless driving offence might have been pursued.

This seems another example of wrongly skewed priorities when it comes to the police. Targeting easy pickings among motorists for speeding offences is safer than tangling with career criminals.

I’d rather our police force occupy itself with real crime and make the streets and our houses safer.

Kevin Leigh
The Broadway
Thorpe Bay