Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP)

I was not the driver at the time of the offence

Provide details of the driver by visiting the online portal at https://nscp.nottinghamshire.police.uk

My vehicle had been stolen at the time of the offence

Please see the ‘Contacting NSCP?’ question lower down the page and provide us with details of your NIP reference, when and where you reported the theft and the crime number.

I had sold the vehicle at the time of the offence

The registered keeper details for this vehicle have been obtained from the DVLA so it maybe they have not received or yet processed the notification of the transfer/sale.

On the online portal, you can nominate and provide all details of the person who took the car from your possession. You can add any notes at the end and add invoices, DVLA notification slips and any other supporting documentation. It may also be advisable for you to contact DVLA to ensure their records are updated.

I don’t know who the driver was at the time of the offence

If you are the person who keeps this vehicle on a day-to-day basis and has control of the keys, then you are expected to tell us who you believe was driving. If you are only able to say that one of a number of  people could have been driving, then you should provide all their details to nscp@notts.police.uk and explain what enquiries  you have made with each of them.

If you fail to provide any details of possible drivers, then you may have to justify that failure to a court, by showing  you acted responsibly, made all reasonable enquiries to find out who it could have been and told us all you knew this may be used in your evidence.

Failure to provide any information you could and should have provided can result in a prosecution for “Fail to Furnish Information”, which typically results in a higher penalty than for the driving offence.

What happens if I don’t provide any information of the driver at the time of the offence?

Failure to provide any information you could and should have provided can result in a prosecution for “Fail to Furnish  Information”, which typically results in a higher penalty than for the driving offence.

I completed the online admission over 28 days ago and haven’t received any further documentation, what do I do?

Please see the ‘Contacting NSCP?’ question further down this page.

I didn’t receive my NIP within 14 days of the offence – do I still need to reply?

The first NIP will have been issued to the registered keeper of the vehicle (obtained from DVLA records) so as to arrive within 14 days of the alleged offence. If you have received a NIP outside the 14-day period it is likely you have been nominated as the driver by someone else, e.g. a hire or lease company.

You still have a responsibility to respond to the S172 requirement for information within the time specified on the Notice regardless of when your NIP arrived, regardless of why it arrived after 14 days.

I received a reminder but have already responded to the initial request for information. What should I do?

Reminders are automatically generated after 28 days for offences whose replies have not been received; If you have recently submitted a response and admit being the driver you will shortly receive advice on what happens next.

If you recently submitted a response nominating another driver, they will hear something shortly. If you responded more than 10 days ago, please contact us (see the question further down the page – ‘Contacting NSCP?’)

I do not believe I committed the offence, what should I do?

You must still complete an admission (‘Yes, I was the driver’) on the online portal. You are only admitting to being the driver, not to the offence.

We will not enter into any correspondence or conversation about the offence until we know we are dealing with the driver.

If you wish to challenge the allegation, you will have the opportunity to do so by refusing  any offer of a Course or Fixed Penalty and asking for a court hearing. We strongly recommend you take legal advice before doing so.

Where can I seek legal advice?

You should seek legal advice from a reputable and qualified legal advisor. There is a great deal of advice on the internet regarding safety camera speed enforcement, much of which is incorrect, and most sites carry a disclaimer to  absolve them of any responsibility for actions you take as a result of their advice.

What will you do with the information I provide?

If you have named yourself as a driver you will hear from us.

If you have said someone else was driving, we will write to them, but we may contact you again if there are any issues with the person you have nominated.

Contacting NSCP?

Please read the FAQs and if the answer to your question is not there, please contact us via email at NSCP@notts.police.uk

Please include the following details in your request:

1. Vehicle Registration Number
2. Reference Number
3. Your full name and date of birth

Education Courses

Course eligibility criteria speed offence

To be eligible to attend an education course as an alternative to a Fixed Penalty, you must not have attended an education force for an offence within the last 3 years.

To attend the National Speed Awareness Course, the speed you were travelling at the time of the offence must fall within an acceptable speed range criteria; 10% + 9mph. As per the following:

Course eligibility criteria red light offence

To be eligible to attend an education course the time into red must not exceed 3 seconds.

Can I attend an education course?

Yes, if eligible (see above).

The course follows the national model and courses in Nottinghamshire are run by Safer Roads Nottinghamshire. By successful completion of the course, you will not incur any penalty points or be fined in relation to this offence. To be considered, you must be the named driver and fully complete an admission response on the online portal.

If you are eligible (see course eligibility criteria), you will receive an offer letter with further details regarding the course and other options available to you. As Nottinghamshire Police are part of the national scheme you may be able to take up the course in a different force area (who participate in the National Scheme). If you require further information please log on to https://ndors.org.uk Course costs vary so please check with your chosen provider.

For most education courses there is an option to complete an in person or online course.

If offered a course and you are unable to complete it online, please contact us urgently, when you will be offered a conditional offer or court disposal.

Types of courses on offer

Please go to the following The Courses | National Driver Offender Retraining Scheme (ukroed.org.uk)

Education Course FAQs

Please go to the following FAQs | UKROEd

How long do I have to book my education course?

The course must be booked with 28 days of receiving the course offer letter.

What if I want a conditional offer or a court hearing?

Contact us via email at NSCP@notts.police.uk

Please include the following details in your request:

1. Vehicle Registration Number
2. Reference Number
3. Your full name and date of birth

How long do I have to take my course?

Once booked you will have 4.5 months from the date of the offence to complete the course.

What if I don’t book my course within 28 days?

You will automatically be referred to the Summary Process Unit and a court file raised. If you know you will not be able to book the course within this timescale email NSCP@notts.police.uk

What if I do not attend my course?

You will automatically be referred to the Summary Process Unit and a court file raised. If you know you will not be able to attend the course, please contact your course provider.

Conditional Offer

Will I be eligible for a Conditional Offer?

If you have 8 or less penalty points endorsed on your licence within the last 3 years and not disqualified from driving, you should be eligible (pending any other offences that incur penalty points occurring or being in process).

If your licence has been endorsed with 9 or more penalty points within the last 3 years you may be liable to disqualification from driving in the UK and the Conditional Offer of a fixed penalty procedure may not be available.

 How long do I have to comply with the Conditional Offer?

You have a strict 28 days to comply with your offer, failure to do so will see your file being referred to the Magistrates Court.

What if I want to appeal the conditional offer/offence

You have the right to have your case heard at Court. If you wish to take up this option, you will be summonsed to Court at a later date. If found guilty by the courts, it is possible you will have court costs and victim surcharge added to the fine. To request a court hearing please contact us via email within 28 days of the date of this offer, quoting the reference number. However, we suggest that you seek legal advice before taking this course of action. 

Terms and Conditions of the Conditional Offer of a Fixed Penalty

Please read the following terms and conditions carefully:

In order to take up the offer of a Fixed Penalty you must be able to comply with ALL of the following conditions, which require you to submit your licence details and make a valid payment within the time limits specified in this notice.  Failure to do so could see the offence pursued by way of Court prosecution, which is likely to incur a higher financial penalty.

Payment

• Your payment must be for the full fixed penalty amount, part payment or payment by instalments will not be accepted
• Your full payment must be made within the time limits outlined within your fixed penalty notice, an extension in the time allowed cannot be given
• The payment options available to you are outlined on the previous page, which include a quick and easy online payment service
• If you are paying by cheque or postal order, please make these payable to ‘HMCTS’
• Reminder, if you are paying by cheque, please ensure it is signed, not post-dated, the amount is equal to the penalty amount and that the words and numbers match. Please write your fixed penalty notice number on the back of your cheque
• Reminder, please do not send cash through the post

Driving licence

PLEASE NOTE: There is no need to send your physical licence to the Fixed Penalty Office in order to comply with the terms of this conditional offer. However, you will have to supply certain driving licence details within the time limits provided within your fixed penalty notice in order to comply with these terms. Your Driving Licence details must reflect your correct name and address.  If there is a difference in any of the data, then you must apply to the DVLA for a replacement / new driving licence and submit these details for licence endorsement.  This will delay matters and may lead to you expiring the time limit leading to court action.

If, on submission of your driving licence details the additional penalty points for this offence results in your total current points being 12 or more then the fixed penalty procedure will not be available to you. You will be notified if this is the case, your payment will be refunded, and you will receive notification of the Court process in due course.

New Drivers – The Road Traffic (New Drivers) Act 1995

(PLEASE NOTE: The Act will only affect you if you first passed a test on or after the 1^st June 2007)

If you reach 6 or more penalty points within two years of passing your driving test (the probationary period) the Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency (DVLA) will revoke your licence on being notified of the endorsement. On being notified, the DVLA will write to you to confirm your licence is being revoked (cancelled) and they will provide a date from when the revocation is to take effect. Penalty points counting towards the total of 6 include any you incurred before passing the test, as long as the offence(s) took place not more than 3 years before the fixed penalty offence.

If it is the case that your licence is revoked under the provisions of The Road Traffic (New Drivers) Act 1995 then you will have to obtain a provisional licence, drive as a learner and pass the theory and practical test again in order to regain your full driving licence. Note: Passing the retest will not remove the penalty points from your driving licence, and if the total reaches 12, you are liable to be disqualified.

Non-GB Licence Holders Only

PLEASE NOTE: On submitting your licence details and making payment, notification of the driving licence endorsement will be sent to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DLVA).

If you have previously committed an endorsable offence in Great Britain and received penalty points as a consequence it is likely that the DVLA will already hold a driver record containing your details. If this is the case and it is found that the additional penalty points for this offence results in your total current points being 12 or more on your driver record then you are unsuitable to be dealt with by way of fixed penalty and therefore your payment will be refunded, and you will receive notification of the Court process in due course.

How To Apply For A Replacement GB Driving Licence

If you need to apply for a replacement GB driving licence in order to provide your licence details within the time limit specified and take up this offer of a fixed penalty, then you can do so via one of the following options:

• Online - By visiting the following GOV.UK link - gov.uk/apply-online-to-replace-a-driving-licence#other-ways-to-apply
• Post - By completing a form D1 ’Application for a Driving Licence’ available from most Post Offices
• Phone – By ringing 0300 790 6801 (Mon – Fri: 8am to 7pm, Sat: 8am – 2pm / subject to change). This option is only available if your licence details have not changed. It should also be noted that you cannot apply by phone if your licence is damaged, or if it expires in less than 56 days (90 days if it is expiring for medical reasons)

Note: The DVLA charge a fee to replace a lost, stolen, damaged or incomplete driving licence.

More information about driving licences can be found by visiting:

www.gov.uk/browse/driving/driving-licences

Got a query and need to contact someone?

Please read the terms and conditions of the conditional offer above carefully before contacting one of the relevant agencies listed below.

Court Hearing

I would like to request a court hearing how would I do that?

Contact us via email at NSCP@notts.police.uk

Please include the following details in your request:

1. Vehicle Registration Number
2. Reference Number
3. Your full name and date of birth

I have received paperwork from the Magistrates Court but I haven’t requested a court hearing?

There are several reasons why you have received this as below:

• You have not booked/completed an educational course within the date criteria.
• You have not complied with both parts of the conditional offer within 28 days.
• You have been referred under the totting up process as you have too many penalty points on your licence.
• You have failed to furnish the drivers details.

I have received court paperwork do I need to attend court?

If you plead not guilty, you will need to state your reasons why and you will need to attend court.

If you plead guilty, then you will not be required to attend court but you will be able to state any mitigating circumstances on the documentation.

Can I appeal against the court hearing?

No once a file has been passed to the Summary Process Unit and prepared for court there are no alternative options left for you other than to provide any evidence to the court.