Almost 12,000 fixed penalty notices issued by cameras, concerning Turkish Cypriot vehicles that it has so far not been possible to serve on their drivers, are to be registered on the Photo Radar List, through which Police will be able to identify them at checkpoints. The same application will also be used to identify drivers with pending fixed penalties at police stations, as well as when issuing a certificate of clean criminal record.
For the technical implementation of the application, the Traffic Department of Police Headquarters expects the release, next Monday, of funding amounting to €146,640 plus VAT, by the House Finance Committee (see document). The application will be integrated into Police's existing information systems and will include the details of drivers against whom fixed penalty notices from the photo-detection system are pending.
The Photo Radar List will register the details of vehicle owners to whom it has not been possible to serve notice of the offence, whether this concerns the fixed penalty sent by registered post, or the letter concerning criminal prosecution sent by the process server of the contracted company.
Identification at checkpoints
The application will also include the registration numbers of Turkish Cypriot vehicles recorded as violating the Road Traffic Code at photo-monitored junctions. Registering their details will allow Police to identify the drivers as they pass through checkpoints, which currently constitute essentially the only point at which this particular check can be carried out.
Checks via the Photo Radar List will also be carried out at police stations and at Police offices where citizens apply for a certificate of clean criminal record.
If a pending fixed penalty is identified, it will be served on the driver immediately. If the fine is not paid, the prescribed procedure will be followed, with the possibility of referring the case to court. The repayment period begins once the notice is served, and the citizen may leave the checkpoint without further obligations.
At a later stage, the serving of camera fixed penalties will also take place during traffic police checks, using tablets carried by Police members.
Excluding airports and ports
Initially, the Photo Radar List application had been designed to also include airports and ports as points for serving camera fixed penalties. However, it was ultimately decided to exclude them, given the prospect of the Republic of Cyprus joining the Schengen Information System.
Reducing bureaucracy
According to the written briefing from Police Headquarters to the MPs of the Finance Committee, ahead of the examination of the request for the release of the funding, the operation of the Photo Radar List will make the serving of camera fixed penalties that could not be served by the contracted company managing the photo-detection system more effective.
At the same time, according to Police, the application will reduce the bureaucracy and the working hours currently required of its members for identifying and serving fixed penalties.
The note to Parliament states, finally, that all prescribed procedures concerning the protection of personal data have been followed in the operation of the Photo Radar List.
