OSU convoy M5 southbound PM 22/05

[Rich G]

Intrigued by what appeared to be a mixed Police / military convoy heading south on the M5 this afternoon. Passed them between J29 and J28 (I was going north) at around 16:30. Convoy seemed to consist of several Police vans with OSU on the sides, a similar number of what I can only describe as NATO green painted security Mercedes vans (the types banks use for collecting cash) and three civilian low-loader tractor-trailer units carrying large loads covered in blue tarpaulins.

Any idea what it might have been?

Afterthought - could have been co-incidence with the trucks but the only thing in between all three were the military / Police vehicles...

[curdman]

Bullion transfer!

[streaky]

curdman said:

Bullion transfer!

Gordon Brown sold it all ... at a rock-bottom price!

Streaky

[highflyer]

MP's new pay rise, that they awarded themselves this week.

[Nickyboy]

This?

[Tomo1971]

I saw somthing similar a couple of weeks ago.

Police (MOD Police I think) Disco 3 at the rear, then a MOD police truck then a couple of huge wagons, another MOD Police truck and then a police bike at the front.

I assumed it was going to be weapons/nuclear material etc

[PugwasHDJ80]

A34 nr oxford a few days ago a split convoy of nine armoured landcruisers driven by army types- all blacked out windows.

All very interesting

[Sortie 10]

Saw an unmarked red car heading south with blues & twos on just south of J20 at about 1930 this evening. Was not hanging around! Could this be connected with what the OP saw? ("Apparently" it used to be possible to do J20 (Clevedon) to J30 (Exeter) in under 50 minutes - "if that was possible" it may have been 15+ years ago, "possibly" in a basic BX; modern machinery particularly protected by blues should be able to knock a few minutes off this)

[AngryPartsBloke]

OSU Is the Operational support unit for the MOD police.

[thescamper]

Civil Servants Pay Run!.

In the really bad old days it would have nuclear stuff, now its moved slightly more icognito.

[Fane]

Nickyboy said:

This?

I saw them too, but they were much smaller than these. They were 6 or 7 tonne rigids - as the OP says, very similar to Security vans that collect from Banks, Supermarkets etc.

ETA I saw them Southbound on the M1 at about 11am yesterday.

[mph1977]

with respect to the original post

sure it was MOD Plod and not CNC

also the fact the 'security vans' were painted green doesn't necessarily mean anything - did they have military VRNs ?

colour has little to do with mil or not , while there;'s 'green fleet' and 'white' fleets in military parlance - the green fleet isn;t necessarily always green/ camo/ desert pink

also some vehicles have a dual identity with both civvie and Mil VRNs as needed ( staff cars for example)

[Prizam]

Saw this too recently... wonder what it is.

[PugwasHDJ80]

mph1977 said:

with respect to the original post

sure it was MOD Plod and not CNC

also the fact the 'security vans' were painted green doesn't necessarily mean anything - did they have military VRNs ?

colour has little to do with mil or not , while there;'s 'green fleet' and 'white' fleets in military parlance - the green fleet isn;t necessarily always green/ camo/ desert pink

also some vehicles have a dual identity with both civvie and Mil VRNs as needed ( staff cars for example)

There's a few very interesting mercy veto vans that live near reading somewhere.

Extremely discrete blues and twos (ie hidden when off) very plain, but two small additional whip antennas and a lot of improved locks discretely installed along with unrated hinges, and I'm fairly surer enforced glas of some sort . They are always accompanied by equally discrete cars which don't look anything special until you look very closely, but they are always two up, alway men, always very fit looking and look significantly more than police fit.

I've always been tempted to follow them but I'm fairly sure they'd spot me pdq and they'd probably get out to have "words"

[shakindog]

Completely unrelated but saw a military helicopter flying very low this afternoon. Heading east toward Manchester flying over m1 Woolley edge services.
I say low as in I was sat at the view point at Woolley edge at one point it was below the trees.

[ben_h100]

On the subject of random police vehicles, anyone know what this is?

[Frazzly]

ben_h100 said:

On the subject of random police vehicles, anyone know what this is?

You have flashy lights too?

[E30Addict]

ben_h100 said:

On the subject of random police vehicles, anyone know what this is?

Looks like the water cannons used in NI:

[Nickyboy]

mph1977 said:

with respect to the original post

sure it was MOD Plod and not CNC

also the fact the 'security vans' were painted green doesn't necessarily mean anything - did they have military VRNs ?

colour has little to do with mil or not , while there;'s 'green fleet' and 'white' fleets in military parlance - the green fleet isn;t necessarily always green/ camo/ desert pink

also some vehicles have a dual identity with both civvie and Mil VRNs as needed ( staff cars for example)

The green painted Merc vans sound like the ones that escort the Nuke convoys and the Radioactive material convoys, they usually contain Marines.

[Bigyoke]

It is a PSNI watercannon.