British cops invite vigilante dash cam use

Four police forces in Wales in the UK have announced they will begin prosecuting drivers based on footage recorded by members of the public using dash cams.

Following a successful four-month pilot scheme of 'Operation Snap’, North Wales Police claims it has gathered sufficient evidence for 129 cases of driving offences.

The footage, submitted from motorists and other roads users like cyclists and horse riders, will now be passed to the courts for prosecution.

To help process the dash cam vids, those who think they’ve recorded cases of careless or dangerous driving are invited to upload their footage to the police force's own website.

Police officers will then review the films and decide whether there is a case to answer.

In the UK, until recently, aggrieved drivers have used 'trial by social media' as a tool to shame dangerous drivers - but a condition of the Welsh police force investigation is any footage posted on Youtube, Twitter or Facebook is removed.

British police forces have in the past been wary of encouraging so-called 'vigilante' dash cam use but, according to Inspector Dave Cust of North Wales Police speaking to the BBC, Operation Snap saves up to 12 hours' work per case.

Inspector Cust also said, as well as convicting other motorists, dash cam footage is already being used to prove innocence.

"There was a woman who went through a green light and hit a car. Two members of the public said she went through a red light and she was going too fast. The camera proved differently," he revealed.

Describing the dash cam footage as "proper, reliable evidence", Inspector Cust says police forces from other parts of the UK, Hong Kong - and even Australia - have already been in touch with plans to introduce similar schemes.

Currently, the North Wales Police receives three to four submissions on week days, and up to 10 videos at weekends.

Heralded by advocates of the scheme as the future of road policing in the UK, Operation Snap has been criticised by civil liberties groups who are worried about how the footage could be abused and lead to wrongful convictions.

Other legal experts are concerned about how the footage only focuses on a moment in time and does not show the events that led up to the incident.

In response, the Welsh Police force has asked users to include footage covering a minute before and after the incident.

In the UK, dash cams are becoming increasingly popular for those worried about disputes with insurance companies. So called 'cash for crash scams' – where other road users deliberately involve themselves in an accident to claim for fictitious injuries - are becoming a growth industry and insurance companies have already signalled a possible rise in premiums could result from the extra claims being paid.