Met Police say they want cyclists to wear cameras and report traffic offences

And I thought the Old Bill didn't have a sense of humour......

GMP have 'operation considerate' which allows you to report and upload footage. I had a close call with a driver back in March and after sending them the gopro footage he was sent on a driver improvement course to avoid points. 

Police are stretched. They don't respond to shoplifting unless it's over £200 that's nicked. They cannot enforce every traffic misdemeanour.

But they need to enforce some, so that drivers think there is at least a possibility of them being caught. It is this perception of the risk getting caught that acts as a deterrent.

So be selective in submitting footage that shows clear endangerment and with a good chance of providing the required level of evidence for a conviction. Then be prepared to engage with the process fully, learning the steps the police should be taking and making sure they have done so. If they don't follow their own process, then put in a complaint.

The Met Police don't always act (or even reply) to the footage I've submitted. I get a reference number and then nothing - despite repeated emails for updates. 

i hate going anywhere without a camera running. I've even worn my drift into a shop whilst out walking. I've got a dashcam from wilko, 30 quid, all i do is charge the usb power bank sellotaped to it, plug it in, cam comes on and records for 5/6 hours. No buttons to push. Its a dashcam so records automaticlally as soon as power goes to it. I've also got a kaiser bass on my backpack, used for motorbike rides and cycle rides. Ive got a drift ghost on my baseball cap for cycling, a kaiser bass x2 on my motorbike helmet and another kaiser bass x2 spare. I woulnt call cameras expensive. 50 quid for the camera, micro sd and a powerbank all in. so my ride to work today, kaiser bass on the helmet, and the chest cam on my back pack. If one fails youve got the chance of the second. Best thing with a dashcam is they come with the chunk usb cable type, not the micro, so its less likely to bend or break when you plug cables in and out of it a lot.

I've found that pointing to my lid and saying "camera" has a surprising effect. Whether or not there's a camera there. 

We also shouldn't underestimate the deterrent effect.

Some days I'm out cycling and I think, "oh this is lovely, everyone coming up behind me is driving calmly and is giving me a wide overtake today"

And then I realise it's because I have my GoPros on. I mount them very visibly to the sides of my helmet ( yep I know not good in an impact to the head )

So sitting at home this evening I'm wondering why I don't wear them every day. TBH it's the faff of constantly charging them, or running them on usb cable. And the keeping on top of the admin of clearing space.  
Maybe first base is to make a self-commitment to always wear them even if battery is flat. Perhaps the benefit comes from helping to keep nearby traffic calm. I wonder if every cyclist and motorist did have visible cameras, whether the roads would suddenly become so much calmer that we wouldn't have anything much to actually record or submit. And perhaps in that situation the cases that do get submitted would be followed through because they would be a lot rarer.

I have no problem with Essex Police. It takes around 10 minutes to report a potential issue and then you're invited a day or two later to submit the footage. Every one I've reported has led to a driver awareness course for the culprit although sometimes I've thought the driver has got off lightly.

I've used the Nextbase portal https://www.nextbase.com/en-gb/national-dash-cam-safety-portal/ to submit footage from my commute to both TVP and The Met with mixed results.  TVP have never sent a NIP all they ever send is a letter to the registered keeper reminding them of their responsibilities when over taking a cyclist, although I've had a few NIPs sent by The Met 

Whilst I totally welcome safer roads, I guess the cynic in me laments the fact that due to human nature it is "the deterent effect" of not wanting to be prosecuted/get points/fines/lose their licence that would motivate people to be safer drivers. Rather than doing it because it should be the norm.

It's good that some police forces are starting to take road safety more seriously - however camera's aren't cheap, so expecting those more likely to be victims to pay up to be protected just doesn't seem right.

Ho!Ho! to the tips about 'submitting good quality images to the police'. That's the last thing they want! I have been sending in Grade A indisputable stuff to them, so the response is almost invariably to not respond at all. When I film red-light crashing, they get the highly reliable 50 FPS timing displayed on the images, time and date, amber on time, red on time, vehicle stop line crossing time, crystal clear number plate- the lot, the day after the offence. The rather pathetic trick then is to ignore it for 2+ weeks and then say 'too late to process'.

In Sussex we have 'Operation Crackdown' where you send in your video evidence and then they decide whether this should be handed on to the police for follow up. 

However in most cases it would appear they NFA or do no more than send a letter and that's it. Nothing happens. 

If you look at their follow up figures no more than about 1 or 2 percent have any further action taken. Not fit for purpose.

First and foremost, a camera could provide vital evidence if you are ever involved in an accident.  I know my brother wished he'd had a camera after a driver who left him with a fractured spine (and admitted it was his fault) was subsequently trying to get out of paying for the damages.

I've submitted a few videos to the police over the years.  Sometimes you hear something, sometimes you don't.  Last summer I submitted one of a taxi speeding through a red light.  Six months later I got a really badly written email, that I initially thought must be a scam, from a guy in the police asking if I'd be willing to go to court because the driver was contesting it.  I said yes and never heard anything again.  So bear in mind the fact that you might not hear anything or get mixed communication if you do your civic duty.

Meanwhile other forces are not giving a single poo about the reports.