Meredydd Hughes, ACPO lead on roads policing and Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police said: "ACPO is aware of the material presented by those who seek to cast doubt on the accuracy of the LTI 20:20.  This material is often scientifically unsound, and misrepresents the use to which the equipment is put. In a programme of this nature, purporting to be balanced, it is disappointing that the makers of it were unwilling to allow the ACPO spokesman to give a live interview, nor to allocate more time to the Authorities' position, but only to offer a heavily edited short response.

This is a pity, since the real losers in the debate will be the public who deserve the full and complete facts to allow them to judge accurately the issues raised.

The Roads Policing Enforcement Technology (RPET) Sub Committee works on behalf of ACPO in partnership with the Home Office, Department for Transport and the Home Office Scientific Development Branch (HOSDB) to oversee the type approval process for all enforcement equipment in England and Wales.  Equipment is rigorously tested by the manufacturer, the Home Office Scientific Development Branch and police forces on the complete range of vehicles -including motorcycles - before the equipment is approved for operational use. The Home Office and Police Service have no financial or vested interest in the equipment, and would not wish, for obvious reasons, for defective equipment to be used by them. The testing is therefore rigorous in the extreme.

Forces are responsible for ensuring their staff are trained to use the equipment in accordance with the guidance drafted as part of the testing process.  When the equipment is being used by police operators, it is used properly and again we reiterate that the training given to operators who use this device is the responsibility of forces.

It is also prudent to point out that United States equipment; its use and case law have no relevance in the UK.

Viewers should be made aware of the Court ruling on 26 January 2007 when Humberside police and ACPO won a case which conclusively proved the accuracy of the LTI 20:20 laser speed gun and the validity of the Type Approval process. The Court was aware of all the material and views of the so called "experts" used in this programme. Costs in excess of £9,000 were awarded against the defence. All technical arguments suggesting the equipment was inherently inaccurate were rejected.

 The LTI20:20 is a portable tripod mounted or hand held speed detection device. Fixed site speed cameras are fitted by local authorities in conjunction with their local police force in a safety camera partnership. The calibration of safety camera partnership equipment is a matter for them and seems irrelevant to this programme and the equipment under discussion."