safety camera van side of road

About Us

Police Scotland Safety Cameras is the collective name for the three Safety Camera Units that operate across Scotland - North, East and West - which manage the administration for speed and red-light cameras. The Units operate within Police Scotland funded via a grant from the Scottish Safety Camera Programme

Through targeted camera enforcement and improving driver behaviour the aim of Police Scotland Safety Cameras is to reduce the number of casualties on Scotland's roads. This means our cameras are sited in the areas most in need in terms of road casualty reduction, and deployed primarily where they will have the greatest casualty and collision reduction potential.

When selecting sites to enforce, the safety camera units follow a site selection process (shown opposite) where strict criteria are applied. These criteria are set out in the Scottish Safety Camera Programme Handbook and include:

  • a history of injury collisions - have people been injured on this road and how severely?
  • speed profile - is there a problem with speed on this road?
  • agreement from partners - do Police Scotland and the Roads Authority agree that a safety camera is the right solution?
  • enforcement strategy - what will be the best type of camera for this location?
  • site review - an annual review - is this camera reducing injury collisions?

Police Scotland Safety Camera must also meet operational requirements in terms of conspicuity, visibility and signage at our camera sites. As you'll see from the above, Police Scotland Safety Cameras is not driven by revenue generation but operate to make our roads safer. All monies generated by fines are paid to the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service direct to the Scottish Government.