EXCLUSIVE: Less than ONE PER CENT of police officers caught speeding or going through red lights are prosecuted



Officers clocked speeding or going through red lights 27,875 times in London - but just 34 were prosecuted

In Leicestershire, 5,738 officers were caught but just THREE faced fines

Police can have tickets cancelled if they are responding to an emergency

But the figures have led to accusations that fines are cancelled automatically



Only a handful of police officers caught speeding or jumping red lights are prosecuted, it has been revealed.

Despite tens of thousands of officers being found breaking the rules of the road, only 753 were punished in the last two years.

Figures released under the Freedom of Information Act showed that 75,434 were caught speeding, meaning that less than one per cent were punished.

It has led to accusations that police officers are routinely let off without proper checks while ordinary drivers automatically face three penalty points and a £60 fine.

Speeding fines: This table shows how many police officers were caught speeding or going through red lights between 2011 and 2013 and how many were prosecuted

Road safety charities said the high number of fines cancelled was 'worrying' - and it is feared that senior officers are not carrying out proper checks before letting police off.

Julie Townsend, deputy chief executive of Brake, said: ‘These figures paint a worrying picture. We recognise that in emergency situations, especially where lives are at stake, police need to be able to respond rapidly, but this must be weighed up against the danger posed to the public - especially people on foot and bicycle - from speeding.

'We believe police and other emergency services should be doing everything possible to ensure their drivers are not putting people at risk of injury or death, and to help put a stop to the scores of serious casualties that involve emergency service vehicles each year.

'That includes having robust procedures to minimise the risks, especially around decisions around how fast drivers may go in different circumstances and environments.

'It also means ensuring that drivers are prosecuted if they have broken laws unnecessarily and endangered the public, and making sure that forces are held to account in upholding strict safety standards.'

In Leicestershire, police were clocked speeding 5,738 times over the two-and-a-half year period - but just three were prosecuted. This works out as one in every 1,912.

Overall, police have been caught by roadside cameras nationwide 75,434 times in the last two-and-a-half years, but just 753 were prosecuted.

Police forces are able to cancel tickets given to officers as long as speeding is necessary because they are responding to a 999 call or pursuing a suspect.

The figures were released to the MailOnline under the Freedom of Information Act.

The total number of officers caught speeding is likely to be far higher as just 19 out of 45 police forces provided a full response to the request.