GENEVA, Sunday 1 August 2010 (AFP) - Swiss police are testing a new generation of super cameras that are able to detect up to 10 kinds of traffic offences, local newspaper Le Matin Dimanche reported Sunday.

The new camera to be put into service at the end of August in the western Swiss city of Geneva will first take on the regular job of catching speeding and red light offences.

But it will soon also be configured to pick out motorists who tailgate, fail to give way to pedestrians or to traffic on the right, as well as those who overtake in a dangerous manner, said Swiss newspaper Le Matin Dimanche.

Motorists who wander onto the cyclist and bus lanes, who fail to halt at a stop sign, who make an unauthorised turn or who trespass a dividing line can also be caught by the camera.

According to the newspaper, these additional functions would be in place by 2011.

While the current generation of cameras can monitor only two lanes, the new super camera can keep an eye across four lanes at a time, following up to 22 vehicles simultaneously over a distance of 500 metres.

Jean-Marc Pecorini, head of Geneva canton's traffic police, told the newspaper after obtaining initial results of a test: "We are very satisfied with the equipment."