In a recent incident of deliberate obstruction, a 67-year-old man from Bradford faced the consequences of his actions as he received a conditional caution for blocking a safety camera van. The incident took place in the Thornton area of Bradford on Friday, 14 July.
The authorities involved in enforcing the law and maintaining road safety, known as the Safety Camera Partnership, were conducting routine enforcement work when the man parked his vehicle and intentionally raised the bed of his tipper truck to obstruct the camera operator’s view.
Following the incident, the man was interviewed under caution on Thursday, 20 July. During the interview, he admitted to willfully obstructing a policing support officer while the officer was dutifully executing their responsibilities.
As a result of his actions, the tipper truck driver received a conditional caution with specific conditions attached. The conditions prohibit him from parking within a 20-meter radius of any mobile speed enforcement vehicle in the future. Additionally, he is not allowed to engage in any activities that willingly obstruct the view of the camera operator. To further deter any potential misconduct, the man was instructed to remove all social media posts relating to his involvement in this incident or any other offences.
Paul Jeffrey, Head of the Prosecutions and Casualty Prevention Unit, said: “Dangerous and inappropriate speed continues to cause crashes that result in avoidable deaths and serious injury. We remain committed to promoting safe speeds across the road network.
“On this occasion, a driver chose to stop and attempt to obstruct the lawful enforcement of speed limits. It is a criminal offence to wilfully obstruct a safety camera operator in the execution of their duty and we will investigate all such incidents.
“Our staff are working to keep road users safe, and drivers who choose to speed run the risk of being the cause of a tragedy or being prosecuted for speeding. I would encourage all drivers to drive carefully, within the limit and at a speed appropriate to the road conditions.”
In addition to the conditional caution, the man was also issued with a Section 59 Notice under the Police Reform Act. This notice serves as a warning that if he repeats such behaviour in the future, there will be severe consequences. A repetition of obstructing law enforcement activities may lead to the authorities seizing his vehicle, as per the provisions of the notice.
The West Yorkshire Police take their role in enforcing speed limits across the region seriously. They employ both fixed and mobile cameras to ensure road safety and adherence to speed regulations.
