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West Yorkshire Police FAQs

Please read these frequently asked questions before submitting your footage.

  • What are Safer Roads Media Submissions?

    Safer Roads Media Submissions is a police response to the ever increasing submissions of video evidence from members of the public in relation to witnessed driving offences.

  • What offences are included?

    An assessment will be made of the submission and any offences identified will be considered for further action and/or prosecution based on the available evidence.

  • I cannot read the number plate of the offending vehicle, can you enhance it?

    No. The Police cannot enhance recorded footage. If the Police cannot read the number plate further action will not be possible

  • I have captured footage of an alleged road traffic offence in the West Yorkshire area. How do I report it?

    If the offence occurred in West Yorkshire please follow this link here. If it was elsewhere in the UK visit the relevant Police Force website.

  • Will my mobile phone or recording device be taken from me?

    No, the device used to record the incident will not be taken from you.

  • What do I need to do with the original recording?

    It will be your responsibility to ensure that the original footage is preserved in its original format dependent on how it is stored on the device. This could be for example on the internal memory of the device or perhaps on an external storage medium such as an SD card.

  • If I have to keep the memory card or device to one side will police give me a new one?

    No. The police do not replace memory cards or devices in any circumstances.

  • Can I put or leave the footage on Social media?

    If you have uploaded the footage to social media, please remove it. Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) advice is that your footage should not be in the public domain as this may adversely affect any subsequent proceedings. Please fill in the Safer Roads Media Submissions web form and start the process with us.

  • Will I have to make a statement?

    Yes, as part of the Criminal Justice process, and in order to allow the Police to deal with the offender in an appropriate manner, you will be required to provide a statement. However, this can be completed online and the majority of the statement will be populated as a result of you answering some simple pre-formatted questions.

  • Why do I have to be willing to go to court to give evidence?

    The police may not be able to prosecute the offence without you being willing to attend court.

  • Will my own driving or the way in which I captured the footage be scrutinised?

    You must be aware that when the Police review the footage which you submit that they are duty bound to also review the manner of your driving and also the manner in which the footage was obtained.

  • What will happen to the driver?

    There are a number of disposal methods available dependent on the nature of the offence. The driver may receive an offer of a Driver Education Course, a Fixed Penalty Notice, a summons to attend Court or we may decide we are unable to take any further action. The footage and statement will have been reviewed by an experienced officer who will take all factors into consideration, including current CPS charging standards.

  • What forms of evidence will be acceptable

    Evidence will be accepted in the form of video footage. Still photographs will not be accepted.

  • DO I Need to have a date/time stamp on my video footage? If so, must this be exactly the right time?

    Ideally the date and time should be correct. The video footage is used to support your written witness testimony. You must account for any discrepancies in date/time within your witness evidence presented to us. Your witness statement must clearly state what time/date the incident occurred.

  • I want you to see the footage but don't want to go to court. Can't you just deal with it?

    No. We need your statement; we need to fully understand the situation and people have a right to have matters heard in a court of law. Please fill in the web form. We will be in touch if you are required to attend court and support you through the process.

  • How will the evidence I provide be used?

    The evidence you provide to the police through Safer Roads Media Submissions (including video footage and statement) will be reviewed by an experienced officer to firstly establish if an offence has been committed and to identify the specific offence. If an offence is detected, it will then be dealt with accordingly. The assessment of the evidence must meet the required evidential and public interest test in order to justify a prosecution.

  • Will the offending driver know who I am?

    The offending driver will not be provided with your details. However, on the rare occasion which you have reported results in a Court appearance, then at this stage the offending driver will become aware of your name and occupation. Your address and other personal details will remain confidential.

  • Are there any time limits which I must adhere to?

    Your report must be submitted to us as soon as possible after the alleged incident to allow us time to investigate. By law we can only serve a notice of intended prosecution to a registered keeper or owner of a motor vehicle within 14 days of an alleged offence.

  • What if I have footage of other offences not covered by Safer Roads Media Submissions?

    At the moment this facility is for submitting evidence regarding road traffic offences only. If your footage relates to any other offences please refer to West Yorkshire Police's website.

  • How will my footage be stored?

    Footage will be stored securely in accordance with the Management of Police information (MoPI)

  • How long should my video footage be?

    The footage should include the whole incident and wherever possible, should include 1 minute prior and 1 minute after the commission of the offence. The footage should not be any longer than 10 minutes in duration.

  • Will my footage be used for any other purposes?

    Footage submitted to West Yorkshire Police may be used for media/training/publication purposes

  • Can I report multiple vehicles on one submission?

    No, unfortunately a separate submission will need to be completed for each vehicle. This is to ensure we have a relevant statement in regards to each vehicle to enable us to meet evidential standards for prosecution.