PC Stephen Akrill has been cleared of speeding in a marked police car while on theway to collect a Chinese take away.

After being snapped at 48mph in a 40mph zone, it seems that PC Akrill was ableto convince the court that he was entitled to use the exemption from speedlimit laws intended for urgent Police business.

Paul Smith, founder of the Safe Speed road safety campaign(www.safespeed.org.uk) said: "The Police clearly don't believe that it isdangerous to exceed the speed limit so why are they lying to us?"

"The hypocrisy is absolutely breathtaking. It's clearly one law for them andanother for the rest of us. Cases like this do immeasurable damage to thePolice / public relationship."

"When the speed limit laws were enforced with intelligence and discretion therewas no reason to be angry with the Police. Now it's blanket enforcement byspeed cameras most speeding cases are of a purely technical nature. Members ofthe public are increasingly resentful because they know full well that theywere driving at a safe and appropriate speed at the time of the so-calledoffence."

"It's quite right that the law should be enforced with intelligence anddiscretion. The real problem here is that the speed camera programme isbuilding enormous resentment by penalising safe driving. Seeing the Police 'getaway with it' is just rubbing salt in the wound."

"Damage to the Police/public relationship is just one serious negative sideeffect resulting from the speed camera programme. We won't get road safety backon track until Department for Transport recognises the huge damage done to roadsafety by the minefield of speed camera side effects and scraps the failedspeed camera programme."