DORSET’S Police and Crime Commissioner has welcomed an investigation triggered by a long-running saga over speed cameras.

Martyn Underhill has had a complaint about him by anti-speed camera campaigner Ian Belchamber, from Poole, referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

Mr Underhill said that he hoped the referral to the IPCC would mean that the matter was “resolved transparently once and for all”.

Mr Belchamber has been challenging Dorset Police’s use of speed cameras for a decade, in particular the ‘speed on green’ camera at Holes Bay, which acts as a speed camera when the traffic lights are on green.

The campaigner says that Dorset Police has “obstructed” his moves “at every opportunity”.

He said: “In April 2011 I asked a simple question about the finances, ‘what the costs of provision of the driver awareness courses were and what makes this up’ and even to this day Dorset Police have failed to properly answer it.”

Mr Belchamber raised a complaint against Dorset Police in early 2012 about “the general misuse of speed cameras and the dishonesty and the poor road safety performance that was resulting”, as well as questioning the costings he had been given.

That was upheld by the IPCC, but Mr Belchamber said it was “vastly narrowed”.

He said that the ‘speed on green’ camera was a money-making exercise and not a casualty-reduction effort.

Mr Belchamber has now accused Mr Underhill of “covering up fraudulent activities in Dorset Police”.

In a statement, Mr Underhill said: “I can confirm that I have been informed of the Dorset Police and Crime Panel’s automatic referral to the Independent Police Complaints Commission of a complaint. The complaint relates to an individual that I have been corresponding with since my arrival as the Police and Crime Commissioner for Dorset. I welcome the referral to the IPCC as I hope that this matter is resolved transparently once and for all. Myself, my office and Dorset Police will cooperate fully with the IPCC during this process.”

In July this year, Mr Underhill confirmed that driver awareness courses for those who had already attended one in the past three years were being suspended.

It was the only change made as a result of an investigation triggered by a complaint by Mr Belchamber.