Chief Superintendent Les Owen was reportedly running late for a meeting when the marked car he was travelling in drove at 82mph in a 40mph zone.

The vehicle's driver, Pc Mark Bradley, was fined �250 by Redbridge magistrates in January and given licence points.

The car was caught on the A12 in Bow, east London, in February last year.

Pc Bradley successfully appealed the court's decision this week and the six points added to his licence were reduced to three.

Having witnessed first hand the suffering of families whose loved ones have been seriously injured or tragically killed, I would strongly urge all motorists not to speed Chief Superintendent Les Owen

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "The constable has already received words of advice and is to face no further action. The chief superintendent faces formal misconduct proceedings."

One of the issues to be considered by the disciplinary inquiry is whether Mr Owen, as a senior officer, should have intervened during the speeding offence.

Mr Owen has not been accused of a criminal offence and was expected to deny acting improperly.

His role includes working with London Safety Camera Partnership, a group which aims to reduce the number of speed and red light running accidents in London.

Following the instalment of five new cameras in east London in February 2003, Ch Supt Owen said: "The fact is that speeding kills.