Footage and prosecution
Can police prosecute with dash cam footage?
Yes. UK police forces do take dash cam footage from members of the public and use it to prosecute drivers, through schemes commonly called Operation Snap and through manufacturer built portals such as Nextbase's National Dash Cam Safety Portal.
This is not legal advice. This page reports what the sources below say. We are not solicitors, and we do not fit or test dash cams. If you need advice on your own situation, speak to a solicitor.
Where footage actually goes
Police can usually only continue with submissions that are received within 10 days of the incident.
The same page states a 6 month prosecution time limit and the 14 day obligation to notify the driver.
Covers Dyfed-Powys, Gwent, North Wales and South Wales. Confirms submitters may be required to attend court.
Wales runs its own equivalent, Operation SNAP through GoSafe, covering Dyfed-Powys, Gwent, North Wales and South Wales. GoSafe confirms that a person who submits footage may be required to attend court.
any type of footage, whether it is filmed on a Dash Cam, mobile phone or any other device
Run by a dash cam manufacturer, routing to forces via police.uk. Outcomes listed: No Further Action, Driver Education Course, Fixed Penalty Notice, Summons to Court. The page does not state how many forces take part.
The National Dash Cam Safety Portal is run by Nextbase, a dash cam manufacturer, not by a police force. It routes submissions to forces through police.uk. Worth knowing before you treat it as a neutral government service.
The three deadlines everyone conflates
Three different numbers get flattened into "you have 14 days" online. They are not the same deadline, and they do not apply to the same person.
| Deadline | What it actually is | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 10 days | The submission window some forces apply. Devon & Cornwall Police state that submissions are usually only actioned if received within 10 days of the incident. | See source below |
| 14 days | The statutory deadline for the police to serve a Notice of Intended Prosecution on the driver, under section 1 of the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988. This is not a deadline for you to submit anything. | See source below |
| 6 months | The statutory time limit to start a prosecution for a summary motoring offence. Devon & Cornwall Police state this limit on the same page that covers the 10 day submission window. | See source below |
within fourteen days of the commission of the offence a notice of the intended prosecution specifying the nature of the alleged offence and the time and place where it is alleged to have been committed
The 14 day Notice of Intended Prosecution deadline. Applies to Schedule 1 offences. Section 1(2): a notice sent by registered post counts as served even if it is returned undelivered.
What happens after you submit footage
Nextbase's National Dash Cam Safety Portal lists four possible outcomes once footage has been reviewed:
- No Further Action
- Driver Education Course
- Fixed Penalty Notice
- Summons to Court
We could not verify how many police forces actually take part in these schemes. A figure of "28 of 39 forces" circulates on other sites. We could not fetch a source for it, so we are not repeating it here.
Questions
Can the police prosecute someone using dash cam footage?
Yes. Forces across the UK run public footage submission schemes, commonly called Operation Snap, that route dash cam and helmet cam footage to officers for review, and Nextbase runs a National Dash Cam Safety Portal that does the same, linking through to police.uk.
How long do I have to submit dash cam footage to the police?
It depends on the force. Devon & Cornwall Police state that submissions are usually only actioned if received within 10 days of the incident. That 10 day figure is a submission window, not a legal deadline set in statute.
What is the 14 day rule for dash cam footage?
The 14 days is not a submission deadline. It is the statutory deadline, under section 1 of the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988, for the police to serve a Notice of Intended Prosecution on the driver once an offence has been identified.
How long can the police take to prosecute using dash cam footage?
Six months. That is the statutory time limit to start a prosecution for a summary motoring offence, stated by Devon & Cornwall Police alongside their 10 day submission window and the 14 day notice requirement.
What happens after I submit dash cam footage to the police?
Nextbase's National Dash Cam Safety Portal lists four outcomes: No Further Action, a Driver Education Course, a Fixed Penalty Notice, or a Summons to Court. The portal is run by a dash cam manufacturer and routes submissions to forces via police.uk.
Last reviewed 10 July 2026