Author Topic: Hackney Surveillance..  (Read 21256 times)

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Offline BailiffHunter

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Re: Hackney Surveillance..
« Reply #15 on: 19 April, 2011, 06:05:19 PM »
Pat, I agree. So next are my friends over the park in Hackney.........................................


"Dear Hackney Borough Council,

Please supply me with the following details

Please provide evidence of parking dispensation that allows you to
park a Hackney CCTV enforcement vehicle on the west side of Boleyn
Road. This is a boundary road and your CCTV vehicle regularly parks
within the jurisdiction of Islington Borough Council.

As this CCTV vehicle is located outside of the Borough`s
jurisdiction whilst filming at this location, under what
legislation does it operate under?

How long has CCTV vehicle enforcement taken place at this location?

How many PCNs have been issued at this location during this period?

Please provide the Traffic Management Order for this location.

Yours faithfully,"

Let`s see what they say :-ev-:
« Last Edit: 01 January, 1970, 01:00:00 AM by Guest »
\"When the facts change, I change my mind\"

Offline The Bald Eagle

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Re: Hackney Surveillance..
« Reply #16 on: 26 April, 2011, 12:49:01 PM »
I await their reply with baited breath dr00L
« Last Edit: 01 January, 1970, 01:00:00 AM by Guest »
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Offline Boyo

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Re: Hackney Surveillance..
« Reply #17 on: 04 May, 2011, 11:19:55 PM »
Passed the Boleyn Rd/Kingsland Rd honeypot today and was surprised to see a white Mercedes Vito van (completely unmarked bar a $camera sticker on it's bonnet :bashy: ) in the usual Renault van scamming space. I managed to get some photos (see below) and to my double surprise discovered that it's tax disc was out of date! W:T:F: I had a lovely chat with a resident, who claims that the van's are regularly there, taking up valuable parking space -limited space for which you have to pay approx. £200 per year for a resident's permit to be in with a chance of parking there. Bearing in mind that this lady has to apply to Islington for her resident's permit, she's pretty aggrieved that Hackney are using the space to enforce revenue collection in Hackney. Add in to the mix, that she's disabled and lives with her elderly mother and the need to be able to park close to where she lives becomes even more pressing. Whilst chatting to her about this, an Islington NSL patrol pulled up and she informed them that the van was illegally parked and also had an expired tax disc. The two occupants of the Islington car said that they regularly used to give the van a ticket, but latterly they've been told not to as there's been some agreement between the councils obviously. W:T:F: . Hackney employ APCOA whilst Islington use NSL, so I can't imagine there'd be any love lost between them. Before the Islington car pulled up, the operator of the van appeared and wanted to know what I was doing. Bearing in mind that the only identifying mark that the van was displaying was an A4 sheet on the windscreen, I made my points to him. He at first told me to go on my way, aying haven't you anything better to do but then played the "my English is not very good" card and actually said "I've only been in the country a few months". Worryingly, when I pointed out to him that the tax disc had expired, he didn't seem to know what the tax disc was! Now, I don't know whether he was just playing dumb, but it does raise the question about who exactly Hackney are employing and of what standard is there training/selection criteria. I'd hazard a guess that this bloke was Eastern European (he had a very strong accent) but given what he told me, I genuinely wonder if his driving/training credentials are up to spec. Soon after he left and I was left chatting with the lady who struggles to find a space to park even tho she has an Islington permit. I promised her I'd send her my pictures too, as I think she wants to send a very strong worded letter to both councils.  :-ev-:
« Last Edit: 01 January, 1970, 01:00:00 AM by Guest »
"To no man will we sell, or deny, or delay right or justice" - from the Magna Carta

Offline The Bald Eagle

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Re: Hackney Surveillance..
« Reply #18 on: 04 May, 2011, 11:30:50 PM »
Great work Boyo. :aplude: :aplude: :aplude:

And it seems that another member of the public is finding her voice thanks to the No To Mob.
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Offline Pat Pending

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Re: Hackney Surveillance..
« Reply #19 on: 04 May, 2011, 11:42:22 PM »
Its extremely well signed up in a non covert deterrent sort of way init?.............NOT!    W:T:F:
« Last Edit: 01 January, 1970, 01:00:00 AM by Guest »
Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Beer in one hand - chocolate in the other - body thoroughly used up,  totally worn out and screaming "WOO-HOO, what a  ride!!"

Offline BailiffHunter

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Re: Hackney Surveillance..
« Reply #20 on: 05 May, 2011, 07:22:48 AM »
I have sent in FOI`s to both LA`s and to date only Islington have replied with the normal blanket "Council vehicle Statutory powers" bullshit. I have YET AGAIN asked them to provide the TMO that allows ANOTHER Council to use this caveat in another Borough and as a football fan would chant "It`s all gone quiet over there!" I really don`t see how they can answer this one without admitting that they don`t have a TMO and there is no permission granted under the law.

I have asked Hackney the same and oddly they have yet to reply as they all scratch their heads at a member of the public having the cheek to question them :-ev-: Watch this space :-ev-:
« Last Edit: 01 January, 1970, 01:00:00 AM by Guest »
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Offline Boyo

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Re: Hackney Surveillance..
« Reply #21 on: 05 May, 2011, 09:22:51 AM »
Nice one BH and well done for putting in the FOIs/follow ups.  I'm not holding my breath on Hackney either mate, (they seem to have an almost Wastemonster arrogance about them) but today I reported the van to the DVLA as untaxed (according to DVLA website the vehicle is still awaiting renewal!) and also sent this email to Hackney with some photos:
Quote
Dear Sir/Madam,
Yesterday May 4th, I came across, what I later discovered to be, a Hackney Mobile CCTV enforcement vehicle at the southern end of Boleyn Road N16. It was completely anonymous and unmarked bar a camera pictogram on the vehicle's bonnet. At first, I was curious to know for which borough it was enforcing as it was parked on the Islington side of the street. It was parked rather inconsiderately with the front overhang of the van overlapping into the adjacent disabled bay. On further closer inspection I noticed a piece of A4 paper blu-tacked to the windscreen which solely identified the vehicle as a Hackney one. Next to this paper was the expired Road Fund Licence disc. I enclose photographs below.
As a matter of urgency, I would like to know the following:
1) Is the vehicle road taxed or is it just failing to display a valid tax disc?
2) Under what dispensation can a Hackney enforcement vehicle operate whilst ostensibly operating in Islington? There were plenty of unoccupied spaces on the Hackney side of Boleyn Road.
3) What training do the drivers/operators of these vehicles receive? The operator I spoke to yesterday claimed that his English was "not very good" and he'd only "been in the country a few months". Does the operator hold a valid UK driving licence?
4) In what way does the vehicle adhere to the Secretary for State's guidelines (February 2008) that states that CCTV vehicles should be a visible deterrent?  It's virtually unmarked and completely innocuous.

I hope you can agree with me that this really looks like "one rule for us and one rule for them" - something that surely Hackney Council will be keen to avoid. May I draw your attention to the following from page 24 of the below stated source:
 
“Adjudicators have noticed that in some of the correspondence the council has claimed that the TMA provides an exemption from parking restrictions for a CCTV vehicle. This is not the case - there are no provisions in the TMA or any of its regulations that create exemptions to parking restrictions in TROs for vehicles engaged in camera enforcement.”

Source: http://www.manchester.gov.uk/egov_downloads/200910_Parking_Report_to_the_Joint_Committee.pdf


 The fact that the vehicle should not be operating on the public highway without a valid tax disc only emphasises this "we can do what we like" premise and does nothing to allay the fears of tax paying residents that local authorities are putting profit before services. Indeed, the operator I spoke to yesterday seemed to be saying that he was allowed to park wherever, whenever he liked and I shouldn't really be bothered about such minor details as road tax - not that he knew what it was, I had to explain it to him.
 I hope you will give this matter the urgent attention it deserves and respond to my concerns forthwith. I await your reply with interest.
Yours faithfully,

S. Brown


Let's see what happens. . .
« Last Edit: 01 January, 1970, 01:00:00 AM by Guest »
"To no man will we sell, or deny, or delay right or justice" - from the Magna Carta

Offline chalky

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Re: Hackney Surveillance..
« Reply #22 on: 05 May, 2011, 10:00:31 AM »
Major respect Boyo, top top rib nudging. Lets hope now that the collective "borg" can nudge until those ribs bruise! :aplude: :aplude: :aplude: :aplude:
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Offline Pat Pending

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Re: Hackney Surveillance..
« Reply #23 on: 05 May, 2011, 02:03:09 PM »
Nice job Boyo :aplude: :aplude: :aplude:


It is the responsibility of the Driver to make sure his Vehicle is road worthy i.e. Tyres, Lights, etc. This also includes Tax, MOT, Insurance, ignorance is no excuse for any of the afore mentioned being incorrect.
You might want to point this out to the driver if you see him again and say as it has all ready been reported to him and the L.A. you are now going to report him immediately to the Police. See if that ruffles his feathers.
 
« Last Edit: 01 January, 1970, 01:00:00 AM by Guest »
Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Beer in one hand - chocolate in the other - body thoroughly used up,  totally worn out and screaming "WOO-HOO, what a  ride!!"

Offline The Bald Eagle

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Re: Hackney Surveillance..
« Reply #24 on: 05 May, 2011, 02:44:50 PM »
Nice one Boyo :aplude: :aplude: :aplude:
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Offline Boyo

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Re: Hackney Surveillance..
« Reply #25 on: 06 May, 2011, 09:21:43 PM »
Passed by Boleyn Rd again today and there seemed to be a Parking enforcers convention going on! W:T:F:
It must have been "shift change" as both Renault Hackney $camera vans were there swapping over. What I found most interesting tho, was that there was also a tow truck and "support" Transit Connect van from NSL's operated Islington Parking Services! (Hackney Parking Services are operated by APCOA). Needless to say, that after the automotive ballet of vans and trucks had taken place, both the Islington vehicles let the Hackney scamvan park illegally in an Islington space. I tried to get some photos on my phone which I've posted below.
Doesn't do much to dispel the myth of "one rule for them and one rule for us" really, does it?
And how lucrative a honeypot is this, if they actually take turns consecutively?
« Last Edit: 01 January, 1970, 01:00:00 AM by Guest »
"To no man will we sell, or deny, or delay right or justice" - from the Magna Carta

Offline BailiffHunter

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Re: Hackney Surveillance..
« Reply #26 on: 06 May, 2011, 09:26:53 PM »
@Boyo

Seems we may have to turn the screw on this lot a bit tighter mate. All still very quiet from both Councils re FOI`s which as we all know from the past is the first sign of under arm damp patches in Town Halls :-ev-: Normally when they are confident in their answers they reply quickly but not this time eh? Time will tell :-ev-:I smell a story for the local rags very soon :-ev-:
« Last Edit: 01 January, 1970, 01:00:00 AM by Guest »
\"When the facts change, I change my mind\"

Offline Boyo

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Re: Hackney Surveillance..
« Reply #27 on: 06 May, 2011, 09:49:58 PM »
Funny you should say that BH - :-ev-: I've been in contact with the Hackney Gazette and they are mulling things over at the mo. Hopefully they'll run something on it in the not too distant future, but can't say for sure.
Also, you're dead right about no answers being forthcoming - I've not received even an acknowledgement for my email yesterday - and I specifically asked for one. That's just poor customer service at best or bloody rude at worst. :bashy:
Definitely will be keeping the pressure on with this one :-ev-:
« Last Edit: 01 January, 1970, 01:00:00 AM by Guest »
"To no man will we sell, or deny, or delay right or justice" - from the Magna Carta

Offline Pat Pending

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Re: Hackney Surveillance..
« Reply #28 on: 06 May, 2011, 10:36:32 PM »
Feck me Boyo it looks like you have rounded them all up! are you part sheep dog?  :rotfl:


Me thinks they are taking the piss and need some good old fashion $chunt attention. :idea:
« Last Edit: 01 January, 1970, 01:00:00 AM by Guest »
Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Beer in one hand - chocolate in the other - body thoroughly used up,  totally worn out and screaming "WOO-HOO, what a  ride!!"

Offline BailiffHunter

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Re: Hackney Surveillance..
« Reply #29 on: 06 May, 2011, 10:42:05 PM »
@Pat

Agreed.Let`s wait for the replies (If they ever come) and we may have to "Assist" :-ev-:
« Last Edit: 01 January, 1970, 01:00:00 AM by Guest »
\"When the facts change, I change my mind\"

 


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