Author Topic: Have the police taken over where the $camera cars left off?  (Read 3967 times)

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Offline Overlord

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Have the police taken over where the $camera cars left off?
« on: 22 October, 2015, 12:55:07 AM »
 :idea: While on my way to Sutton town centre on Wednesday around 3:15 pm I noticed a police CCTV van parked a short way away from the entrance to a school in All Saints Road off Angel Hill at the north end of the town centre. I didn't have a camera with me at the time, but it occurred to me that they were looking for drivers committing parking misdemeanours. Has anyone else seen similar goings on and would it be illegal to point this out to drivers?
« Last Edit: 22 October, 2015, 12:56:49 AM by Overlord »

Offline DastardlyDick

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Re: Have the police taken over where the $camera cars left off?
« Reply #1 on: 22 October, 2015, 10:26:19 AM »
Parking is de-criminalised, so not enforced by Police.
I believe that someone was prosecuted for perverting the course of justice for warning people about a speed camera van a few years ago.

Offline The Bald Eagle

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Re: Have the police taken over where the $camera cars left off?
« Reply #2 on: 23 October, 2015, 10:54:16 AM »
Parking is de-criminalised, so not enforced by Police.
I believe that someone was prosecuted for perverting the course of justice for warning people about a speed camera van a few years ago.


Yep. He got lippy and paid the price.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1343959/Driver-flashed-headlights-warn-motorists-speed-trap-fined.html

@Overlord

I am interested to know what the cops were doing too. If you see them again perhaps you should ask them. <_> I know I would.
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Offline Overlord

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Re: Have the police taken over where the $camera cars left off?
« Reply #3 on: 23 October, 2015, 01:01:45 PM »
 :idea: I would have thought that warning motorists to slow down because of a speed trap would be in the interests of safety and to help prevent a crime being committed, which I thought was part of the what the police were about. Static speed cameras are painted yellow in order to be highly visible and deter motorists from speeding, so why should police speed traps not be highly visible by the use of suitable signs. Fining drivers possibly only deters the one that gets caught, the ones that get missed get away with it, so how does that encourage other people to drive more slowly? Or are the police now being used to treat motorists as a cash cow for the treasury?
« Last Edit: 23 October, 2015, 01:03:44 PM by Overlord »

Offline DastardlyDick

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Re: Have the police taken over where the $camera cars left off?
« Reply #4 on: 24 October, 2015, 12:26:37 AM »
Did the vehicle you saw have yellow 'CCTV fitted' signs on the back and sides? Or was it a big long wheelbase Mercedes with both Police and Sutton Council logo's on it?

Offline Overlord

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Re: Have the police taken over where the $camera cars left off?
« Reply #5 on: 24 October, 2015, 01:40:52 PM »
I only got a quick glimpse as I was passing, but yes it was a large Mercedes van with Police markings and what looked like cameras on the roof, but I didn't notice any Sutton markings.

Offline DastardlyDick

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Re: Have the police taken over where the $camera cars left off?
« Reply #6 on: 24 October, 2015, 04:47:37 PM »
Yep, that'll be the local CCTV van - usually used at events (it has cameras on a telescopic mast as well as the ones you can see), where residents have complained about ASB, or for Op. Cuba, for which it has ANPR capability, but on a CD not live.