RADICAL proposals to bring together safety cameras, fixed penalty tickets and collision reports into one unit covering Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire could save hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Not only that but income could rise through a consistent approach across all three police forces, says a report to Thursday’s Cambridgeshire Police Authority finance committee.

On one area alone - that of collisions investigations- Cambridgeshire is expected to see 6,000 officer hours released.

Inspector Richard Johnson who drew up the report says the proposal itself “is fairly simple” in the way it will merge the work of all three forces.

It will mean 11 full time jobs going but will provide “a level of corporacy, consistency and best practice for the three forces in the affect and efficient delivery” of the unit.

Savings alone for staff could be as much as �400,000 and income could rise by �200,000 a rise “just through consistency of approach across the three forces.”

Safety camera units will be administered centrally with a combined enforcement office working alongside a combined inquiry and prosecution team.

Insp Johnson says a centralised and collaborative way of working “will create savings of some �200,000 and provide the ability to increase income by approximately �200,000.”

He points out that when it comes to collision reports each force does it differently, in Cambridgeshire investigations being carried out by officers but conducted by civilians elsewhere.

Moving to a centralised unit will use phone and post to deal with less complex cases and it will mean reducing police officers’ time. Fixed fines and other options will be used as an alternative to prosecution and “tighter management” will ensure collision reports getting out quicker to insurance companies, adding to the forces’ income.

“By moving to a back office investigation model, Cambridgeshire is expected to see 6,000 officer hours released,” he says.