Camera Vans

[Jarv]

Does anyone know what the law is relating to police camera vans. There were (are) two at lunchtime on the A1, one northbound just before the M25 and one southbound sitting on bridge just south of Hatfield.

Going north, I spotted this Transit on the bridge above the other carriageway and it had two flaps up at the rear with speed camera's sticking out. I took is easy, obviously, when I passed it coming south about 40 minutes later, but then I noticed the one on the northbound side that I hadn't spotted earlier.

These vans were unmarked. I thought that speed cameras had to be visible, is that right?

[neily]

Fraid not. My wife was snapped by a unmarked blue tranist van parked in a residents parking bay on the side of a B road. No "safety camera" type markings on the van, and camera was operating via a blacked out rear windown with a small square cut out of it.....

She was snapped doing 36 in a 30 on a sunday afternoon with nowt else on the road - 3 points and £60 fine... Not exactly booting it !!!

[S4TAN]

She was snapped doing 36 in a 30 on a sunday afternoon with nowt else on the road - 3 points and £60 fine

Sickening - coppers like this should either go and catch some real criminals, or just go and get a proper job (road-sweeping would be more useful than this kind of snide "work")

Crap like this makes me very angry - totally counter-productive, and nothing more than a thinly disguised way of generating revenue .... f*ck all to do with "safety". One can only hope that the copper sat in that van will one day get snapped doing 36 in a 30 zone in his own car on an empty road by another equally snide and over-zealous prick.

[Doug_S2]

I got pulled doing 36 in a 30 by a real life policeman at the side of the road! He gave me a leaflet and let me go. I was prepared to take the points - but the telling off and the releif is more of a deterant than being pi55ed off when a letter comes through the door.

[JohnRet.]

I agree, that's the problem with cameras. It takes away discretion.

[S4TAN]

He gave me a leaflet and let me go.

Exactly! When sensible coppers use discretion then you don't mind getting the bollocking from them, and, as you say, you appreciate the way they handled it (so you drive more carefully) which is more effective than getting fined/points (which just causes resentment and you're less likely to pay heed to it)

[confusionhunter]

Ive had many Grand theft auto type thoughts when seeing Camera vans...... you think I could cycle up to it steal all the tyre valves from all the tyres and then bolt before they got out the van??? Actually, I despise vandalism but could "almost" be ok with it if it was to a camera van! They'd then be too worried about how to get home than snap the otherwise law abiding people.....

[s4woody]

they prob got run-flat tyres..paid for by all the poor sods that they keep snapping...

[mikeyquattro]

The last van I saw was driving along, and it was being driven by a woman.........

Bloody typical, especially when she's on rag week!!!!

[Jarv]

So, I think it's safe to assume that camera vans are unilaterally despised by my fellow forum members then. I guess there's no surprise there.

I've seen camera vans up in Cumbria located on the A Roads, but they have an incredible amount of fatacs up there and the location of the vans are actually listed in the previous week's News & Star.

I cannot believe that where these vans were located today were accident black-spots, they were just there as cash-cows. The one on the road-bridge stood out like a sore thumb as to get their cameras to stick out the flaps at the back they had to park it at right-angles to the bridge. But the one on the northbound carriageway was just an unmarked white van parked next to the road (albeit facing the wrong way!), with a plod car hiding behind hit. I wonder how many unfortunates were stung today. Sometimes it’s hard to believe that these people are public servents.

[FishFace1234]

SCPs and vans have very little to do with the Police i.e. they are not Police officers sitting in the back of them. It's nearly all civilian. The only connection the Police usually have is having their force on the NIP and S172 as they are both Police powers.

[S4TAN]

SCPs and vans have very little to do with the Police i.e. they are not Police officers sitting in the back of them. It's nearly all civilian.

Is that true?!?! Jeeeez - that makes it worse then....
Bloody everything is getting "outsourced" nowadays.

They'll be privatising the Police force next.

Much better to have a decent cop pull you and have a sensible word in your ear than civvies on performance-related targets notching up even the most minor transgression. I know plenty of decent cops from motorbiking - none of those guys would book you for this type of thing.

[FishFace1234]

Much better to have a decent cop pull you and have a sensible word in your ear than civvies on performance-related targets notching up even the most minor transgression. I know plenty of decent cops from motorbiking - none of those guys would book you for this type of thing.

Very true.

Why have a 33k a year Police officer sat in the back when you can have someone on pennies do it?

For example, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cumbria/3938723.stm

The problem is that as I've mentioned the NIP / S172 has the relevant force's name on it, so who gets the backlash? The mass majority of Police officers think cameras are Dogshit simply because they are trained to a higher standard of driving and are well aware of 'driving to the circumstances'.

[S4TAN]

FishFace - do the civvies use vans with police markings? Or are they restricted to unmarked vans etc?

[JonnyX]

I thought the law on placement was pretty tight now and that there MUST be camera signs before the
camera is encountered? Or is that for fixed sites only?