He has called them pointless and unhelpful in the past. Now, in the latest part of The Journal's Safety First investigation into speed cameras, Durham Police Chief Constable Paul Garvin tells Daniel Cochlin why speed cameras are not the answer.

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Chief Constable Paul Garvin has attracted national attention because of his controversial stance that speed cameras are not the easy solution to road deaths claimed by the Government.

The police chief has attracted strong criticism for his views, but he claims Durham's improved road safety record backs up the way his force operates.

At his headquarters in Aykley Heads, Mr Garvin said: "You have to be very clear of your objective - if it is to reduce casualties then everybody knows that 3pc to 6pc of road collisions causing death or serious injury involve vehicles exceeding the speed limit.

"So if you follow the camera logic, they are putting 100pc of effort and resources into 4pc of the problem.

"We have mobile speed cameras and issue about 7,000 tickets a year for speeding - we're not soft on speed.

"But so many accidents are caused by drink-drivers, people without insurance and disqualified drivers - a lot involve people turning right and misjudging it.

"If your objective is to have zero tolerance to breaking the speed limit then cameras work.

"But I'm not in the business of doing that - casualty avoidance is much more important.

"Sure, the faster the vehicle is going the greater the damage is likely to be. But we need to try to ensure we don't have the collisions in the first place.

"I believe in problem solving but the camera doesn't stop the problem - and they can cause more problems than they are there to solve.

"The vast majority of people who exceed the speed limit do so by momentary inattention - creeping over the limit.

"You find people don't concentrate because they are watching the speedometer, or they see the camera and brake sharply before speeding up again afterwards.

"What we find works really well is the speed information devices which flash up your speed as you go by.

"We double up these sites with a patrol car further along - if you are still speeding then you deserve to be done.

"We try to work with the Highways Agency to find out where the problem spots are - simply dishing out tickets isn't the answer.

"In some circumstances a fixed camera does work - for example on a dual carriageway with a 90 degree bend - so I'm not saying they never work.

"But it's not tackling the problem. I don't believe Alastair Darling when he says the best speed camera is the one that doesn't make any money.

"The fact is they have to go from 6,000 to 36,000 prosecutions just to break even.

"That doesn't lend itself to the idea that they don't want any tickets to be given."

Durham Police force, like every other one in the country, has been set a target of a 40pc reduction in deaths and serious injuries by 2010 - and is likely to reach that target by 2006, according to the chief constable. "There are at least 20 areas in the country which are getting worse - many of which have cameras.

"Education is the most important thing. Not just about speed but about responsible driving.

"We are currently running a campaign about people using mobile phones when driving - a hugely dangerous thing to do.

"In September we will be bringing several hundred 16-year-olds through this centre to teach them about safe driving.

"There are some new schemes now where people over the speed limit are offered an alternative to getting points on their licence by signing up to better driving courses.

"They are really productive and it is just a pity that the Department for Transport don't plough more money into that rather than cameras." Mr Garvin believes it is double standards that people hate about mobile cameras - when they are parked on yellow lines or behind a tree.

He said: "Some police officers operate in a sneaky way and just say people shouldn't be speeding full stop. We don't operate like that.

"We have one mobile camera at the moment but that is enough because it is deployed in the best and fairest places.

"Our accident rate has steadily gone down in the last few years.

"There was a blip in 2001/2 the year after foot-and-mouth as there was much less traffic on the roads.

"We are going the right way and unless something drastic happens we will be hitting the target in a couple of years and carrying on. This shows our methods are working very well - and not a speed camera in sight."