FAQs

If the vehicle that you were driving activated an LSCP speed or red light camera the registered keeper of the vehicle will be served with a Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) from the Police within 14 days of the offence. The NIP must be completed by the person it is addressed to, providing details confirming the identity of the driver at the time of the offence. The NIP form must be sent back to the Police within 28 days of the requirement (to the Police address given).

Once the driver has confirmed they were the driver at the time the Police may, in some circumstances offer the driver the opportunity to attend a Safety Awareness Workshop if the speed of the vehicle exceeded the speed limit by a narrow margin as an alternative to fixed penalty or prosecution. The workshop costs £97.02 but there are no penalty points.

Otherwise the normal procedure is that the driver will be sent a Conditional Offer of Fixed Penalty (COFP). The COFP is valid for 28 days and offers the driver the choice of paying a fixed penalty notice of £60 and accepting 3 points on their licence. Alternatively the driver may choose not to accept the COFP and may contest the allegation at court if they wish. If, however found guilty by a magistrate, the driver may have to pay court costs, plus up to the maximum penalty of £1000 and receive 6 points on their licence.

If at the time of committing an offence, a driver has a licence which already has 9 points on it, and/or the speed was excessive, the driver will be dealt with by a Magistrates' Court and will not receive a COFP.

If you fail to complete or sign a NIP, you will be sent a summons for the secondary offence of Failing to Furnish Information.

Any enquires relating to a NIP or COFP must be communicated to the Police address found on your correspondence.

You have been sent a legal document that requires a written response. If you wish to make representations, you may send these to Police but they will be filed pending any court hearing.

Please note that, police are not empowered to consider mitigation. If you intend to contest anything relating to the offence you are still bound by law to return and complete the NIP to police within the 28 day period given. You should not delay in sending the form back to police. Any mitigation you wish to submit or challenge to the evidence can then be considered at court.

All enquiries regarding NIP’s are dealt with by Police and should not be directed to the enquiries email address given on this website. If you do contact the enquiries email given on this website regarding a NIP you will be advised that you must write to the Police Office address on your NIP form.

Under Section 172 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, the registered keeper of a vehicle is required to identify the driver at the time the alleged offence was committed. It is an offence not to provide this information unless the keeper can show that he/she did not know and could not, with reasonable diligence, have found out. These provisions are used for road traffic offences including those detected by safety cameras.

The situation has not changed since the introduction of the Human Rights Act, which came into force on 2nd October 2000. The registered keeper of a vehicle is still legally obliged to declare who was driving it at the time of an alleged offence.

To request photographic evidence write to: Traffic Criminal Justice Operational Command Unit, P.O. Box 510, DA15 0BQ.

Please remember that a response to the NIP is required within 28 days and you should not wait to receive the photographs before providing details of the driver.

Yes, if you write to: Traffic Criminal Justice Operational Command Unit, P.O. Box 510, DA15 0BQ requesting a copy of this evidence, this will be sent to you. The purpose of the photographs is to identify the vehicle, not the driver.

Please remember: that a response to the Notice is required within 28 days and you should not wait to receive the photographs before providing details of the driver.

No. Both your driving licence and payment must be sent in together to HMCS, Central Accounting Office. If you have lost your driving licence then you must obtain a new one from the DVLA immediately. For more information about driving licences contact the DVLA by visiting

The Conditional Offer of Fixed Penalty Notice is only valid for 28 days and we suggest that you write to the Police address given on your COFPN to notify them of your situation and they will advise you of the options available.

This is not true. Driving even a few miles an hour over the speed limit can make a real difference. For example, at 35mph it will take a car a further 21 feet (6 metres) to stop than at 30mph. By reducing your speed you can help us to save lives and make our roads safer.

At the scene collision studies have shown that 85% of pedestrian and cyclist fatal collisions occurred at impact speeds below 40mph.