SO police are now to monitor traffic speeds in villages before bringing local motorists to book. I say local, because TRL research shows that those who complain about localised speeding are usually the ones to blame and the first to complain when action is taken, but apparently this was the number one concern that was highlighted by the recent mobile community police patrols.

As a commuter from Manchester, and previous resident of a local village, could it be that not much happens in small villages and given the amount of biased information released by the authorities about this topic, it was inevitably going to come up?

This questionable public response gives the police a golden opportunity to introduce a new device; hence the preamble about conducting checks on drivers for a period before enforcement begins!

So then there is already a speeding problem? And if the police already conclude that there is a problem, then monitoring is just about maintaining public relations.

Is this policing for policing sake, to be seen to be doing something rather than actually adding to productivity where it counts? Punishing speeding drivers means little effort is required with no time consuming investigation as with detective work that can upset crime rate statistics.

Also, the preoccupation the authorities have with speed means minor infringements of limits appear to be placed above burglary, thieving, mugging, assault and vandalism.

If this policy of punishing otherwise law abiding people works, why does money collected from speeding fines continue to go up and why does the road death rate remain largely unchanged since 1995?

The current obsession with lowering speed limits incriminates more drivers but does nothing to increase the standard of driving throughout, hence a rise in speeding convictions.

Also look at the street furniture, road markings and traffic management schemes that clutter our environment. The assumption by the hierarchy is that as Joe public we have no common sense or forethought for ourselves and others and as such, roads have in built complacency, not safety.

Therefore, as drivers, do we switch off and follow the road markings, filter lanes, etc or do we have autonomous responsibility for the vehicles we drive? The system is a myriad of mixed messages.

Speeding has become a bureaucratic obsession, along with many other things that have little bearing on the wider and more important factors in society.

The lack of beat bobbies means mobile policing is one way of connecting with the public, but are the authorities losing the ability to focus from the outside in for the benefit of the majority?

IAN TALBOT, Radcliffe, Manchester.