FOI 15414 - Speeding Fines
Request:
Total number (and monetary amount) of fines issued for speeding, over a 12 month period [between June 2024 - June 2025].
Broken down by age of driver if possible (ignore this part of the request if not).
Response:
All monies for speeding penalties are paid to HM Treasury rather than individual police forces. We are unable to provide information on the amount paid to HM Treasury as a percentage of cases are referred for prosecution through the courts system. This may be because the fine was not paid or because the driver elected to have a court hearing. Details of any fines issued following the defendants being found guilty in these cases is held by His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS).
My colleagues have advised me that a Fixed Penalty Notice, if accepted, carries a fine of £100.
Section 17 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 requires Northamptonshire Police, when refusing to provide such information (because the information is exempt within the provisions of the Act) to provide you, the applicant, with a Notice which:
a) states the fact that an exemption has been applied
b) specifies the exemption in question, and
c) states why the exemption applies (if that would not otherwise be apparent)
The statutory exemption applicable to the information not disclosed is as follows:
Section 21 - Information reasonably accessible by other means
Section 22 - Information intended for future publication
Section 21 is an Absolute Class Based Exemption and is therefore not subject to a harm or public interest test.
The information you require is readily available from the Northamptonshire Police Website – About Us – On the Roads – Safer Roads Public Access System
Please select the Freedom of Information tab on the left side of the web page. The “Concluded Offences” spreadsheets contain the information requested for the stated dates. Where a Concluded Offences spreadsheet is not uploaded for a particular date, this is because that data is not yet available, and the information will be published in due course.
Section 22 is a qualified exemption, and as such is subject to a public interest test. I have considered the public interest in disclosing the information.
Public interest considerations favouring disclosure
Disclosure would enhance public awareness.
Public interest considerations favouring withholding the information
The information is not yet complete as not all speeding offences have reached their final outcome. Disclosing such information would not be in the public interest as it may be misleading.
We expect all of the data requested to be available within less than 6 months. The closer to the date of publication, the more reasonable it is likely to be for a public authority to withhold the information until publication has taken place.
On the basis of the above, please take this letter as a refusal notice for your request.