New guidelines on the use of laser guns for detecting speed will come into effect as of March 1, police announced on Friday, but on-site testing would not be included in the guidelines.

Legislator James To Kun-sun urged the police to include on-site testing of laser guns in the guidelines in case of any discrepancy in speed-detection.

The police have been criticized over the past two months of reducing speeding fines on Peter Lam Kin-ngok, chairman of Lai Sun Development.

Lam was caught speeding at 114km/h on the North Lantau Highway on April 5 last year and he pleaded not guilty.

During a cross-examination, the police officer that used the laser gun on the day of the incident admitted that he did not follow the standard guidelines when using the gun.

On Jan 10, the speed of Lam's vehicle was revised from 114km/h to 79 km/h. He was fined HK$450 and three penalty points were added to his license.

Police Traffic Branch Senior Superintendent Shirley Chu said new guidelines in Chinese have been prepared after the current guidelines were reviewed.

The guidelines have incorporated the manufacturer's user manual, notes for frontline officers and current standard procedures, she explained.

The new guidelines will require frontline officers to conduct tests of laser guns before and after operation, she said.

The police will introduce the new set of guidelines in March after they are reviewed by local laser gun distributors and independent experts, she said.

Following Lam's case, the police have received 334 written requests for speeding case review, she noted.

Anthony Lam, New Territories South Senior Superintendent, said conducting on-site tests is sometimes impossible because of circumstantial constraints. However, he maintained that accuracy of the guns will not be compromised.

He added that a comprehensive review of the procedures has been conducted but he did not reveal whether the concerned officer will face disciplinary action.

James To Kun-sun, deputy chairman of the Legislative Council's security panel, said the guidelines should include on-site testing, as required by the manufacturer's guidelines.

The accuracy of the laser guns can be affected by various elements on the site, he said.

To also questioned the revision of speed in Lam's case.

"Did the laser gun not work properly that it failed to detect the correct speed?" he asked.

John Reading, deputy director of public prosecutions at the Department of Justice said the department had to lessen the charge in Lam's case because of a mistake that the officer made about the offence location, which Reading said was the "fatal aspect" of the case.

He said the officer made two other mistakes in the case: he recorded the wrong distance in his statement for a laser gun test and he failed to test the gun on the site before and after the case.

(HK Edition 02/16/2008 page1)