Helen Wells is a senior lecturer in Criminology at the University of Keele, and a former community safety officer.

Her interest in automated enforcement experiences stemmed from her time working in a magistrates’ court during the hypothecation phase of the National Safety Camera Programme, where she spent a good deal of time talking with disgruntled motorists who felt that their experience of being snapped by a speed cameras was unfair, unjust, and unjustifiable.

She has gone on to write extensively on topics including speed cameras, ANPR and Community Speedwatch, and is currently working on research projects for the NPCC, Highways England and the Road Safety Trust.

Presentation: The pros and cons of the ‘techno-fix
This quick-fire presentation will look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of relying on technology to detect offences and instigate prosecution processes.

The presentation will consider what we can, can’t (and shouldn’t) rely on technology to do, encouraging us to think about the way in which ‘techno-fixes’ change the situations and scenarios that they are designed to impact upon, and whether or not we are happy with those re-representations of the problem we were trying to solve.

After all, our experience shows us that inanimate objects are still capable of getting people very animated!