Metropolitan Police Traffic Criminal Justice Unit
Encyclopedia
The Traffic Criminal Justice Unit is a Operational Command Unit of the London
Metropolitan Police
, separate from the Traffic Operational Command Unit
. The unit deals with all Met traffic prosecutions involving summonses. It also processes all fixed-penalty notices and penalty notices for disorder and runs safety-camera enforcement with the London Safety Camera Partnership.
The unit’s current primary role is to provide a criminal justice function for all MPS (Metropolitan Police Service) traffic prosecutions involving summonses and investigating collisions, carrying out the work previously done by Borough traffic process units.
s for a broad range of traffic offences, such as obstruction, vehicle defects, speeding, no insurance
and using a mobile phone
whilst driving.
s from deployment to prosecution. About 360,00 offences are processed each year with most of those being dealt with by fixed penalties, although recently the LCSP has offered Safety Awareness Courses as an alternative to more minor offenders.
s at court, arrest warrant
s are sometimes issued for the defendant to be brought before the court. This information is circulated to all Met officers by the warrant team. They also maintain a database of all persons disqualified from driving by the courts.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
Metropolitan Police
Metropolitan police
Metropolitan Police is a generic title for the municipal police force for a major metropolitan area, and it may be part of the official title of the force...
, separate from the Traffic Operational Command Unit
Traffic Operational Command Unit
The Traffic Operational Command Unit is a Central Operations branch of the London Metropolitan Police Service. The unit is responsible for policing of the roads, such as the London road network. It has been in existence since 1930, when motor traffic patrols were set up at police stations...
. The unit deals with all Met traffic prosecutions involving summonses. It also processes all fixed-penalty notices and penalty notices for disorder and runs safety-camera enforcement with the London Safety Camera Partnership.
History
In 2002 the Traffic Criminal Justice Unit was created. Primarily dealing with the processing of fixed penalties at that time, it has since developed into a fully functioning traffic prosecutions and collision investigation unit.The unit’s current primary role is to provide a criminal justice function for all MPS (Metropolitan Police Service) traffic prosecutions involving summonses and investigating collisions, carrying out the work previously done by Borough traffic process units.
Traffic criminal justice
Provides a Criminal Justice Unit function, which is the investigation of traffic collisions, helping victims of Road Collisions and supporting any witnesses for all Met traffic prosecutions. When the evidence is collected and reviewed they then arrange for the summons to be issued.Regional Criminal Justice Units and Serious Casework Unit
Responsible for over 100,000 traffic prosecutions each year and the investigation of fatal and serious personal injury collisions. The Serious Casework Unit also investigates police collisions.Parking and driver liability fixed penalty notices
Process all MPS fixed penalty noticeFixed Penalty Notice
Fixed penalty notices were introduced in Britain in the 1950s to deal with minor parking offences. Originally used by police and traffic wardens, their use has extended to other public officials and authorities, as has the range of offences for which they can be used.In recent years, this has...
s for a broad range of traffic offences, such as obstruction, vehicle defects, speeding, no insurance
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
and using a mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
whilst driving.
Penalty Notices for Disorder
Process all MPS penalty notices for disorder; these cover offences such as ‘drunk and disorderly’, minor criminal damage and more serious offences such as ‘causing harassment, alarm or distress’.Safety Camera enforcement
Responsible for all stages of the operation of speed cameras and red light cameraRed light camera
A red light camera is a traffic enforcement camera that captures an image of a vehicle which has entered an intersection against a red traffic light. By automatically photographing vehicles that run red lights, the camera produces evidence that assists authorities in their enforcement of traffic laws...
s from deployment to prosecution. About 360,00 offences are processed each year with most of those being dealt with by fixed penalties, although recently the LCSP has offered Safety Awareness Courses as an alternative to more minor offenders.
Warrant Unit
Following the non-appearance of defendantDefendant
A defendant or defender is any party who is required to answer the complaint of a plaintiff or pursuer in a civil lawsuit before a court, or any party who has been formally charged or accused of violating a criminal statute...
s at court, arrest warrant
Arrest warrant
An arrest warrant is a warrant issued by and on behalf of the state, which authorizes the arrest and detention of an individual.-Canada:Arrest warrants are issued by a judge or justice of the peace under the Criminal Code of Canada....
s are sometimes issued for the defendant to be brought before the court. This information is circulated to all Met officers by the warrant team. They also maintain a database of all persons disqualified from driving by the courts.