Crackdown on hi-tech laser jammers

Norfolk Constabulary’s crackdown on motorists using laser jammers has resulted in a 58-year-old man being convicted of obstructing police for using the hi-tech gadget while road policing officers were carrying out a speed check.

In December, five people were successfully prosecuted in Norfolk for obstructing police after being convicted of using the devices.

Sergeant Geoff Bowers, from the Acle Road Policing unit, said: “About a dozen drivers have now been convicted of offences after using one of these laser jammers.”

The electronic gadget works by alerting the driver to laser speed detectors and temporarily prevents it from taking a reading. The devices are different to global positioning system (GPS) systems, which alert drivers to the position of fixed speed cameras and which are legal.

They can be purchased and fitted to a vehicle for around £355 and while it is not illegal to own or install such a device in a vehicle, it is an offence to block police speed guns.

The use of a device which stops a speed camera from performing its functions, such as a radar and laser jammer, is illegal under the Road Safety Act 2006. According to legal resource ‘In Brief’, even if this Act were not in place, the police would be able to prosecute on the grounds of obstruction and perversion of the course of justice.