A CANDIDATE for the Dyfed-Powys Police and Crime Commissioner has claimed speed cameras are used for ’revenue raising’.

Ukip’s candidate for the May election, former police chief superintendent Des Parkinson, has said drivers who are marginally over the speed limit shouldn’t be prosecuted.

Mr Parkinson, who served in Dyfed-Powys Police for 29 years, claimed a woman he knows has been threatened with prosecution for driving just two miles per hour over the speed limit.

He said: "I think mobile cameras and speed cameras are fine if they are there to deter people from speeding.

"They should not be used as a revenue raising system and I have little doubt at present in some cases that is exactly what is happening."

The 68-year-old former police officer, who is originally from Pontfaen, near Brecon, but who now lives in Arddlen, near Welshpool, said: "There’s an old lady in the village I live in who received a summons the other day for doing 32mph in a 30 limit. To me that is not an offence that’s revenue raising.

"If a driver exceeds the speed limit by a substantial amount, particularly near a school, I support it 100%. When it is used to raise revenue the police lose public support."

Mr Parkinson, who joined the police as a 22-year-old and rose through the ranks to be a superintendent in Newtown, said he has been caught speeding three times in 40 years and said his stance isn’t a case of sour grapes.

"This is what people tell me. If someone is doing 38 in a 30 that (a prosecution) is fine, but 32 is just raising money. The vans are often just placed somewhere a van can be hidden easily."

Mr Parkinson is also standing as Ukip’s candidate in the Welsh Assembly election in the Montgomeryshire seat. Should he win both elections he will have to chose between a seat in the Assembly or being the local police watchdog who sets a strategic direction for the force and holds the chief constable to account.

"If I was to win both elections I would have to make a decision and I will make it on the day," said Mr Parkinson.

He also said his past as a high ranking police officer who had also been the national and assistant secretary of the Police Superintendents’ Association of England and Wales, wouldn’t deter him from holding the force to account.

"I left the police quite a few years ago and I’ve had experience of civilian life and ex police officers are also police and crime commissioners a number of places across the country.

"If a police officer does something wrong that needs to be dealt with, if necessarily severely if on the other hand they are doing their duty under difficult circumstances they need to be supported."

While working for the police superintends’ association Mr Parkinson lobbied then Home Secretary Michael Howard for the introduction the sex offenders’ register.

"Michael Howard talked to us and asked what changes could be made to law and we suggested there needed to be a register of sex offenders, as once a pedophile always a pedophile.

"He was totally against the idea, he said it wouldn’t work and the public wouldn’t accept it. We said the police needed to know where these people are and eventually he came round and brought in the legislation."

Current Police and Crime Commissioner, Conservative Christopher Salmon will be seeking re-election while Plaid Cymru, Labour and the Liberal Democrats have also announced candidates for the May 5 election.