Uniform Policy Sought for Summonses
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THE Home Office and the Ministry of Transport are considering the way in which driving charges are issued by the police.
Announcing this in the Commons, Mr. Henry Brooke, the Home Secretary, commented: "It involves rather intractable procedural and legal difficulties."
Earlier, Mr. Roger Gresham Cooke (Tory, Twickenham) had complained that some counties issued summonses for dangerous and careless driving when they meant to prosecute only in respect of careless driving, while some areas allowed persons to plead guilty by post for minor offences and others did not.
With 900,000 prosecutions for motoring offences all over the country there was a lack of uniformity, said Mr. Cooke.
Mr. Brooke told him there was general agreement among chief constables that it was most desirable there should be uniform policies and views of the law as far as was possible. The Police Research and Planning Branch in the Home Office was at present carrying out a review which should provide a basis for further discussion with chief constables.