POLICE officers have been clocked speeding almost 9,000 times in a year on the streets of Greater Manchester.

During the last 12 months, 8,994 officers have been caught by speed cameras in marked and unmarked cars.

Of these, 112 were snapped speeding while they were not attending incidents.

But not a single officer has been disciplined at work as a result.

The information came to light under the Freedom of Information Act.

The report says a total of 8,720 tickets were issued to officers in marked vehicles - with blue lights flashing - between December, 2004, and December, 2005.

During the same period, 274 officers in unmarked vehicles - with no blue lights flashing - were caught, and of these only 162 were attending incidents. Of the 112, 31 officers have paid their tickets, two were issued with summons and 79 are still outstanding.

David Jones, a campaigner for road safety group RoadPeace, said: "I know the police have a job to do, but there is no need to speed if they are not on their way to an emergency."

Mr Jones, whose daughter Natalie Pickwick-Jones was killed by a speeding driver in February, 2004, in Radcliffe, added: "It is wrong. The police have a hard job to do, but there is no need to make it harder by driving at speed. The roads are dangerous enough without our police officers adding to the problem. Speed has ruined our lives and the life of our daughter Natalie."

A GMP spokesman said: "The nature of the role of a police officer means it is sometimes necessary to exceed the national speed limit in order to uphold the law.

"Because of this, police vehicles can be exempt from speed limits when they are responding to emergency incidents and can provide justification for their contravention of the speed limit."

He said the cameras did not always pick up when a flashing light was on, and that it was not always necessary to activate emergency equipment when responding to emergency incidents.

But he added: "If the car is not found to have been speeding for a justifiable reason, the officer, like a member of the public, is subject to a fine and penalty points on their licence."