Spotting Unmarked Police Cars
Discussion
GTIR said:
MrRee145 said:
I believe that all Surrey Police vehicles with the new Reg Plates use the GX Prefex... or at least the ones at Dunsfold all had those letters and the ones I see on the road
My 13 plate Merc is a GX prefix and I'm not a cop. So that's that theory out the window.
http://www.direct.gov.uk/prod_consum_dg/groups/dg_...
- page 5
Landshark said:
GTIR said:
MrRee145 said:
I believe that all Surrey Police vehicles with the new Reg Plates use the GX Prefex... or at least the ones at Dunsfold all had those letters and the ones I see on the road
My 13 plate Merc is a GX prefix and I'm not a cop. So that's that theory out the window.
http://www.direct.gov.uk/prod_consum_dg/groups/dg_...
- page 5
Could someone please explain what the purpose of this proposed database of unmarked police cars was going to be? 
If it was to help people avoid being caught out by them whilst out driving then as I see it, it was a bit flawed because it requires you to either memorise all the plates in your area, have a list in the car with you to refer to just in case or, have a computer to refer to in your car. By the time you'd got it sorted in your head the police would have replaced the cars!
Frankly, there's more than enough to think about whilst driving without having to try and remember if a cars number plate is one you should be looking out for or not!
And if it was just to collect the number plates then I really don't get it!
If it was to help people avoid being caught out by them whilst out driving then as I see it, it was a bit flawed because it requires you to either memorise all the plates in your area, have a list in the car with you to refer to just in case or, have a computer to refer to in your car. By the time you'd got it sorted in your head the police would have replaced the cars!
Frankly, there's more than enough to think about whilst driving without having to try and remember if a cars number plate is one you should be looking out for or not!
And if it was just to collect the number plates then I really don't get it!
Munter said:
cerby4.5 said:
Kentish said:
I'm not so sure that'll go down too well with the folks in S,P & L 
IMHO.......Tough!! Serves them right for being sneaky.
Marked cars/cameras etc fair enough, but the unmarked cars / plod hiding round corners etc is a pain in the a**e!!
I'm all up for a list. But remember they move the cars around so it's hard to keep upto date info.
I do however support the use of unmarked traffic cars. Generally (yeah ok I know), they only go for people taking the piss. And they will be more likely to find people driving like a c*ck who would notice a marked car and behave.
To the best of my knowledge ,there are lists on various area sites. I often post up on the midlands site and I notice a thread on the Scotish forum. Most are fairly easy to spot. Registration local to common base for area, aerials looking suspicious to name a few . Driving technique - so well bred into a class1 driver it stands out a mile . It's the standard of driving that stands out - but then I've been on the roads from when it was harder to spot an unmarked by style - as it was the norn rather than the oputstanding. I note someone says they change every few weeks - not so in the Midlands. I see cars I've posted up a good few months ago showing up. But then West mids /Warks /Mercia are a bit short of funds. I wouldn't be surprised to see one BIB posting that fuel has to be as low grade as possible .
Whenever I'm driving at higher speeds on the motorways, I'm always on the lookout for potential unmarked cars, just in case I happen to (ahem!) stray above the limit.
It's worth bearing in mind that the police tend to make sensible choices of car, so it's going to be a practical medium-size or 4x4 vehicle from a not-too-expensive manufacturer (or at least something with very good residuals). They do like their BMWs, fast Fords and Volvos (e.g. Focus ST, V70 T5), Subaru Impreza, Mitsi Evo - anything along those lines, including high-power diesels (e.g. 535d). Since these cars will be doing intergalactic mileages, they're likely to be replaced frequently so anything older than about 3 or 4 years is probably not a plod car. The car will be clean, well looked after, and probably driven in a very professional manner - possibly in an inside lane well below the limit (unless it's in your rear-view mirror, in which case it might be too late).
That said, I consider it highly unlikely that I've never driven past one at a bookable speed - so I think there has to be something else about your driving in addition to speed to attract their attention and make it worthwhile stopping you. I suspect they've usually got much more important stuff to do.
It's worth bearing in mind that the police tend to make sensible choices of car, so it's going to be a practical medium-size or 4x4 vehicle from a not-too-expensive manufacturer (or at least something with very good residuals). They do like their BMWs, fast Fords and Volvos (e.g. Focus ST, V70 T5), Subaru Impreza, Mitsi Evo - anything along those lines, including high-power diesels (e.g. 535d). Since these cars will be doing intergalactic mileages, they're likely to be replaced frequently so anything older than about 3 or 4 years is probably not a plod car. The car will be clean, well looked after, and probably driven in a very professional manner - possibly in an inside lane well below the limit (unless it's in your rear-view mirror, in which case it might be too late).
That said, I consider it highly unlikely that I've never driven past one at a bookable speed - so I think there has to be something else about your driving in addition to speed to attract their attention and make it worthwhile stopping you. I suspect they've usually got much more important stuff to do.
Generally the easiest method I've used to spot an unmarked police car is keeping an eye out for driving that isn't typical for the type of car being driven. In Co. Durham the majority of unmarked police cars are 3 series while in Stockton there was an unmarked metallic orange Galaxy.
In one particular case I had one follow me from the bottom of my street and past the local hospital in Bishop Auckland (a distance of some five miles on winding road and passing through a village). I spotted the copper simply because they performed, as I pulled out the bottom of my street, a perfect 180 on a public road and then they proceeded to follow at a reasonable distance. Not the kind of behaviour I have come to expect from your typical 3 series driver around here who, for the most part, either sits on the rear bumper trying to bully you into going faster or overtaking at the slightest opportunity (don't have a problem with that but doing it on the roads I used to travel and the ones I travel on now borders on being suicidal due to crap line of sight with blind corners and hidden dips for the most part).
In one particular case I had one follow me from the bottom of my street and past the local hospital in Bishop Auckland (a distance of some five miles on winding road and passing through a village). I spotted the copper simply because they performed, as I pulled out the bottom of my street, a perfect 180 on a public road and then they proceeded to follow at a reasonable distance. Not the kind of behaviour I have come to expect from your typical 3 series driver around here who, for the most part, either sits on the rear bumper trying to bully you into going faster or overtaking at the slightest opportunity (don't have a problem with that but doing it on the roads I used to travel and the ones I travel on now borders on being suicidal due to crap line of sight with blind corners and hidden dips for the most part).
It used to be so easy to spot an unmarked car years ago in GMP, usually a white escort or sierra with missing wheel trims, and the reg always screamed copper at you, the ones that stick in my mind were E*** SNE and K*** VNA.
I always remember being with my mate and the VNA escort passed him in the opposite direction, he wasn't wearing his seatbelt. By the time the copper had done a U turn and caught up with us he was already at the side of the road and out of the car waiting for said copper.
Nowaday I haven't a clue.
I always remember being with my mate and the VNA escort passed him in the opposite direction, he wasn't wearing his seatbelt. By the time the copper had done a U turn and caught up with us he was already at the side of the road and out of the car waiting for said copper.
Nowaday I haven't a clue.
Furry Exocet said:
birdcage said:
The extra wing mirror on the left gives it away to me. I think they all have that so just keep your eyes peelede for that its served me well. Never had points.
Haven't had those on ours since the T5's and they were as much use as a chocolate teapot!mph1977 said:
Furry Exocet said:
birdcage said:
The extra wing mirror on the left gives it away to me. I think they all have that so just keep your eyes peelede for that its served me well. Never had points.
Haven't had those on ours since the T5's and they were as much use as a chocolate teapot!Due to cutbacks though we cannot afford the mirrors or the observers to go with them!!!
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