Article on spotting unmarked Police cars

[PompeyPaul]

I think most of us know what we are looking out for with regard to unmarked Police cars, but worth a share just for a quick read to see one of them and the VRM in the flesh for Hampshire if nothing else

Article on unmarked Police cars here

[speedking31]

article said:

Police unmarked cars are getting harder to spot – but they’re not impossible ...

policeman said:

“These new cars are impossible to spot,” he says.

[TheEnd]

Hmmm, if there's infrared illumination coming out of one of the letters on the rear numberplate, that'll screw up any gatsos trying to photograph it.

[MitchT]

Will a car with a loaded boot really sit low at the back in this day and age?

[trashbat]

MitchT said:

Will a car with a loaded boot really sit low at the back in this day and age?

Do we still have headlight beam adjusters?

[Moonhawk]

"Is it driving like a BMW?"

[alpha channel]

Number six has always been a good indicator of a copper behind the wheel for me. If a BMW (though in Stockton-on-Tees you've got to look out for Ford people carriers in some remarkably garish colours) isn't parked just off my rear bumper, regardless of what speed I'm doing, the first thing that goes through my thoughts - police (it helped when I was followed by an unmarked car for six miles that I saw them pull a perfect 180 in one go in my rear view mirror when I pulled out the bottom of my street).

[photosnob]

I just go by the uniform of the person driving it much easier to spot.

[7Mc]

Another interesting article by the same guy...

http://cars.aol.co.uk/2015/03/27/how-the-police-de...

[DickP]

I've seen in Yorkshire that they like to use common rep-spec looking cars as well now - namely the VX Insignia, although not many.

[Medic-one]

Our unmarked cars sit lower at the back due to the equipment and kitt in the boot, our dashboards have a a lot of buttons and screens, and we've got cleverly hidden led blue lights everywhere.

So when you finally recognise that unmarked car, it doesn't even have to be a police car

[FurtiveFreddy]

TheEnd said:

Hmmm, if there's infrared illumination coming out of one of the letters on the rear numberplate, that'll screw up any gatsos trying to photograph it.

Er why? A Gatso's strobe is far brighter than a few IR LEDs which won't be pointing up where the Gatso is. The Gatso's camera probably has an IR cut filter on it anyway.

[Mr GrimNasty]

It's easy, the deeper the Tory non-cuts, the more high end the police cars get. Mostly silver high spec Mercs and BMWs around my way.

[All that jazz]

Here in W Yorks the general rule of thumb is if it's a dark coloured 3/5-series BMW estate younger than 2010 then it's likely to be plod, especially if it's grey. Tons of them round Leeds and Bradford. Spending 15 mins either side of shift change at Carr Gate off J41 usually spots most of the unmarked motorway fleet too.

[Martin_M]

If I suspect an unmarked car is behind me I generally look for cameras/lights mounted on the windscreen, lights behind the grills and/or additional lights attached to the bumpers.

[justanother5tar]

All that jazz said:

Here in W Yorks the general rule of thumb is if it's a dark coloured 3/5-series BMW estate younger than 2010 then it's likely to be plod, especially if it's grey. Tons of them round Leeds and Bradford. Spending 15 mins either side of shift change at Carr Gate off J41 usually spots most of the unmarked motorway fleet too.

Quite right.

Passed a dark grey one on the M62 at 85ish a few months back. Didn't even realise it was TrafPol until it overtook me, lit up, following the guy that just flew past me.

If you don't look directly at the cars they're very hard to spot amongst the other rep mobiles now.

[stuart313]

USed to be easy in Greater Manchester years ago, they all had the same reg suffix, E***SNE, K***VNA are the two that I can remember.

[Tom1312]

To be fair they arent meant to be invisible, so out doesn't really matter if there are a few tell tale signs.

The real covert cars are the ones you'd never even think to be a job car but have all the above attached but its truly hidden. Very cool bits of kit.

[Dr Jekyll]

Tom1312 said:

The real covert cars are the ones you'd never even think to be a job car but have all the above attached but its truly hidden. Very cool bits of kit.

There's one I saw in central London a couple of times. Tatty old white van with ladders on the roof blasting along with concealed (if they hadn't been flashing) blue lights and a siren. It looked like an unmarked fire engine.

[marcgti6]

All that jazz said:

Here in W Yorks the general rule of thumb is if it's a dark coloured 3/5-series BMW estate younger than 2010 then it's likely to be plod, especially if it's grey. Tons of them round Leeds and Bradford. Spending 15 mins either side of shift change at Carr Gate off J41 usually spots most of the unmarked motorway fleet too.

The vast majority of them in West Yorkshire are YJ plates too - easy to spot.