How to spot an unmarked Bib
Discussion
I've cut/pasted this list from a website:
The Unmarked Police Vehicle
If you are on the ball an unmarked police car will stand out like a sore thumb, if you are not then here are some things to look out for, (however an e-mail from a Traffic officer pointed out to me that most drivers can't even see a fully liveried up Police Car if it jumped out in front of them, so if you are one of those drivers you got no chance !)
Police Cars
No hubcaps. To reduce the risk of third-party damage during high speed pursuits. Mainly CID cars, most of the pursuit cars now have alloy wheels.
Odd lumps. The video camera if used is usually suspended under the inside rear-view mirror, and sometime also in the rear of the car by the side pillar.
Two people. Most unmarked cars seem to be staffed by pairs of policemen and women. In today's environment of single-occupant cars, this can be quite noticeable. They also have to be in uniform, and quite often wear fluorescent clothing.
Extra lights on the tailgate, behind the radiator or on the parcel shelf.
Two rear-view mirrors. They often have a second inside rear-view mirror for the second officer.
A large illuminated sign in the rear window, sometimes with lights at each end. This is the not quite the width of the parcel shelf and its about 200mm tall (i.e. a long, flat box). This is used to pass on messages to drivers like "POLICE STOP", "SLOW DOWN", "DO NOT PASS" etc...
Other things that stand out. Very clean and well kept, quite often seen sitting at 60mph in the inside lane looking for it's next target, No dealer stickers, in fact a total lack of stickers in most cases. Single whip Aerial on the roof or rear wing.
Tricks they try. Some have been known to use hanging objects to hide the video camera, using the "Boy Racer style of car". Placing stickers on the cars to try to blend in.
Typical vehicles they use. Ford Mondeo 24v, Volvo estates T5, Vectra V6, Citroen AX (Laser Car, Kent police), Ford Galaxy, Sabb 95, Vauxhall Omega V6, Motorbikes are also being used and these are very hard to spot, but one give-away is that they stand out as being better bikers on new clean machines with add ons such as heavy side panniers to protect the video and radio equipment.
Police Motorbikes
Wearing a white helmet
Always wearing full black leathers
Always a hi-vizability belt or waist coat ( normally the belt with single diagonal across one shoulder front and back ).
therefore if you see a large capacity motorcycle, white helmet, black jacket and hi-viz belt slow down.
Dead givaway from rear is panniers or boxes and three arials that look like black felt pens, these bikes are given the very latest in technology and will have you without stopping you if they feel inclined to do so, be aware, be very aware!
If you see the above combination on a new big sports bike he won't have boxes just a little tail pack
The Unmarked Police Vehicle
If you are on the ball an unmarked police car will stand out like a sore thumb, if you are not then here are some things to look out for, (however an e-mail from a Traffic officer pointed out to me that most drivers can't even see a fully liveried up Police Car if it jumped out in front of them, so if you are one of those drivers you got no chance !)
Police Cars
No hubcaps. To reduce the risk of third-party damage during high speed pursuits. Mainly CID cars, most of the pursuit cars now have alloy wheels.
Odd lumps. The video camera if used is usually suspended under the inside rear-view mirror, and sometime also in the rear of the car by the side pillar.
Two people. Most unmarked cars seem to be staffed by pairs of policemen and women. In today's environment of single-occupant cars, this can be quite noticeable. They also have to be in uniform, and quite often wear fluorescent clothing.
Extra lights on the tailgate, behind the radiator or on the parcel shelf.
Two rear-view mirrors. They often have a second inside rear-view mirror for the second officer.
A large illuminated sign in the rear window, sometimes with lights at each end. This is the not quite the width of the parcel shelf and its about 200mm tall (i.e. a long, flat box). This is used to pass on messages to drivers like "POLICE STOP", "SLOW DOWN", "DO NOT PASS" etc...
Other things that stand out. Very clean and well kept, quite often seen sitting at 60mph in the inside lane looking for it's next target, No dealer stickers, in fact a total lack of stickers in most cases. Single whip Aerial on the roof or rear wing.
Tricks they try. Some have been known to use hanging objects to hide the video camera, using the "Boy Racer style of car". Placing stickers on the cars to try to blend in.
Typical vehicles they use. Ford Mondeo 24v, Volvo estates T5, Vectra V6, Citroen AX (Laser Car, Kent police), Ford Galaxy, Sabb 95, Vauxhall Omega V6, Motorbikes are also being used and these are very hard to spot, but one give-away is that they stand out as being better bikers on new clean machines with add ons such as heavy side panniers to protect the video and radio equipment.
Police Motorbikes
Wearing a white helmet
Always wearing full black leathers
Always a hi-vizability belt or waist coat ( normally the belt with single diagonal across one shoulder front and back ).
therefore if you see a large capacity motorcycle, white helmet, black jacket and hi-viz belt slow down.
Dead givaway from rear is panniers or boxes and three arials that look like black felt pens, these bikes are given the very latest in technology and will have you without stopping you if they feel inclined to do so, be aware, be very aware!
If you see the above combination on a new big sports bike he won't have boxes just a little tail pack
forever_driving said:
Is every single BiB car unmarked these days? I certainly haven't seen a stickered up vehicle (apart from town centres) for about 2 months.
I know what you mean mate....
No, in fairness, there are loads still about..depending on where you are...there are just more Pandas and such like and less Trafpol. (but the numbers of trafpol are increasing slowly..
) Street
My guide to spotting an unmarked police car is not all that different:
Look for the dark colour Omega / Volvo keeping pace with you but not following closely.
They are usually quite clean cars and from your rear view mirror look for:
Uniforms
Twin Mirrors
4inch by 4 inch black box next to mirror (camera)
Xenon lights
Twin wing mirrors
Strobes in the grill (on a sunny day you can usually see them)
"alley lights" (small strobes fitted to the side of the bumper - hard to see though)
From the rear look for:
Antennas - lots of them (normally 2 or 3 on the boot and maybe as many as 6 on the roof!)
LED matrix sign on the parcel shelf
A second LED brake light - usually looks clear but is blue.
Strobes flush mounted in the rear bumper (quite rare on unmarked)
No badges to denote model or engine size etc
Behaviour:
If you are pushing along in lane 3 on an M way overtaking lots of cars and you spot a dark Omega/Volvo doing 55mph in lane 1 its a good sign of BiB.
Again similar cars who are following you at about 4 or 5 second gap but not gaining.
Not always in uniform...
The current fave seems to be the Subaru WRX or even STi, but on motorways its almost always an Omega or Volvo. Also people carriers like Galaxy or Zafira.
Look for the dark colour Omega / Volvo keeping pace with you but not following closely.
They are usually quite clean cars and from your rear view mirror look for:
Uniforms
Twin Mirrors
4inch by 4 inch black box next to mirror (camera)
Xenon lights
Twin wing mirrors
Strobes in the grill (on a sunny day you can usually see them)
"alley lights" (small strobes fitted to the side of the bumper - hard to see though)
From the rear look for:
Antennas - lots of them (normally 2 or 3 on the boot and maybe as many as 6 on the roof!)
LED matrix sign on the parcel shelf
A second LED brake light - usually looks clear but is blue.
Strobes flush mounted in the rear bumper (quite rare on unmarked)
No badges to denote model or engine size etc
Behaviour:
If you are pushing along in lane 3 on an M way overtaking lots of cars and you spot a dark Omega/Volvo doing 55mph in lane 1 its a good sign of BiB.
Again similar cars who are following you at about 4 or 5 second gap but not gaining.
Not always in uniform...
The current fave seems to be the Subaru WRX or even STi, but on motorways its almost always an Omega or Volvo. Also people carriers like Galaxy or Zafira.
Good stuff. I've seen several similar lists and have my own like many PH-ers. Like to think I can spot an unmarked car as easily as a marked one. Driving interesting cars means they are always wandering up behind for a good looksee and probably pnc check, wish I had one of those rear parcel shelf boxes myself so I could push a button and light up 'GOOD DAY OFFICER'. Maybe with a smiley to put them in the right mood for the inevitable stop that would follow...
Hi turbobloke...
If a decent car isn't speeding and the driver/occupants look 'OK', I wont stop it.
I'm looking for the vehicle and occupants who arouse my 'bobbying' nerve...the little thing which twitches in my temple when I see such a target and I mutter to myself.."Ey up..Spam for tea!"..
Street
If a decent car isn't speeding and the driver/occupants look 'OK', I wont stop it.
I'm looking for the vehicle and occupants who arouse my 'bobbying' nerve...the little thing which twitches in my temple when I see such a target and I mutter to myself.."Ey up..Spam for tea!"..
Street
I'll vouch for the T5, have seen a couple of these and got nabbed about 3 years ago by one.
I've seen several liveried vehicles as well. Every Monday morning and Friday afternoon I encounter between 2 and 10 marked cars on a 80 mile stretch of the M5 so there are pleanty of trafpol out there but they like to stay together. Safety in numbers and all that!
I've seen several liveried vehicles as well. Every Monday morning and Friday afternoon I encounter between 2 and 10 marked cars on a 80 mile stretch of the M5 so there are pleanty of trafpol out there but they like to stay together. Safety in numbers and all that!
I no longer do a lot of motorway driving, the miles that I do do are limited in the main to the M23, M25, M26 and M2.
I know there are unmarked Subarus around, particularly in green and silver, occasionally wonder if thats why people get out my way as theu think I am an unmarked car! :-D Also see unmarked volvos on the M23, Kent police have an Octiva I believe.
When making progress I tend to check the vehicles I pass, for the indications mentioned above, and check in my rear view mirror that no car I have passed has suddenly accelerated and is keeping station a way back.
I also use my mirrors to check on-slip roads, to see what is coming down them, and whether they are going to take station behind me.
In addition I am wary of marked cars which exit via a slip road, to ensure they don't immediately rejoin the motorway to see if I have been unleashed!
However seeing marked vehicles is a rare treat!
I know there are unmarked Subarus around, particularly in green and silver, occasionally wonder if thats why people get out my way as theu think I am an unmarked car! :-D Also see unmarked volvos on the M23, Kent police have an Octiva I believe.
When making progress I tend to check the vehicles I pass, for the indications mentioned above, and check in my rear view mirror that no car I have passed has suddenly accelerated and is keeping station a way back.
I also use my mirrors to check on-slip roads, to see what is coming down them, and whether they are going to take station behind me.
In addition I am wary of marked cars which exit via a slip road, to ensure they don't immediately rejoin the motorway to see if I have been unleashed!
However seeing marked vehicles is a rare treat!
I've a couple of questions:
Beds Traf-Pol had two traps set up on Saturday morning. Both had the three-wire thingy for detecting the speed with a single crewed unmarked car attending. Both were just inside 30 limits (from NSL). In both cases I was approaching from the 30 limit side. I nearly fell foul of the first one as I'd started to accelerate too soon (The NSL starts some way after the last house, and I've a bad habit of putting my foot down early!!). Anyway, I clocked the straps on the road early enough to just lift-off and remain legal!
Anyway, my questions are:
Firstly, what sort of recording equipment were they likely to be using? Neither trap had any marked backup (that I could see), and neither trap had any obvious external recording devices.
Secondly, what do they need all those aerials for? Doesn't it make the unmarked cars a bit obvious (of course bearing in mind your earlier comment about muppets not even seeing marked cars!).
Finally, what are they mainly looking for (speeding motorists I know
). People not slowing down soon enough or people speeding up too soon? Or could it just be an information gathering exercise?
Sheepy
Beds Traf-Pol had two traps set up on Saturday morning. Both had the three-wire thingy for detecting the speed with a single crewed unmarked car attending. Both were just inside 30 limits (from NSL). In both cases I was approaching from the 30 limit side. I nearly fell foul of the first one as I'd started to accelerate too soon (The NSL starts some way after the last house, and I've a bad habit of putting my foot down early!!). Anyway, I clocked the straps on the road early enough to just lift-off and remain legal!
Anyway, my questions are:
Firstly, what sort of recording equipment were they likely to be using? Neither trap had any marked backup (that I could see), and neither trap had any obvious external recording devices.
Secondly, what do they need all those aerials for? Doesn't it make the unmarked cars a bit obvious (of course bearing in mind your earlier comment about muppets not even seeing marked cars!).
Finally, what are they mainly looking for (speeding motorists I know
). People not slowing down soon enough or people speeding up too soon? Or could it just be an information gathering exercise? Sheepy
Streetcop said:
If a decent car isn't speeding and the driver/occupants look 'OK', I wont stop it.
Street
... and if it's a very smart China Blue 406 with unusually clean alloy wheels, driven tidily by a reasonably civilised looking old buffer, but travelling at up to, shall we say, 50% over the NSL ...?
Hmm, yes I was afraid so. Just thought I'd ask.
Best wishes all,
Dave.
Streetcop said:
Hi turbobloke...
Hi Street
Streetcop said:
If a decent car isn't speeding and the driver/occupants look 'OK', I wont stop it.
Out of interest what would your finely tuned BiB sixth sense tell you if a car did have a trick parcel shelf just like yours, and flipped up to say
G'DAY OFFICER
after you had been following for whatever reason - for example would it contravene any con&use regs ?
sheepy said:
Anyway, my questions are:
Firstly, what sort of recording equipment were they likely to be using? Neither trap had any marked backup (that I could see), and neither trap had any obvious external recording devices.
Difficult to say...they might be going for the good old fashioned step out in the road perhaps..don't know for certain mate..
sheepy said:
Secondly, what do they need all those aerials for? Doesn't it make the unmarked cars a bit obvious (of course bearing in mind your earlier comment about muppets not even seeing marked cars!).
Gotta have external attenae for certain radios. Also 'TRACKER' has a number of little such things that are needed to pick up the signal.
Sheepy[/quote]
I have a super sense that warns me of these things It has been known to be mistaken - or at least I never saw the car from time to time, but its reliable enough that every time I get it i become even more of a perfect citizen than I already am
And no im not talking about radar detectors just a weird spidey sense.
It has been known to be mistaken - or at least I never saw the car from time to time, but its reliable enough that every time I get it i become even more of a perfect citizen than I already am And no im not talking about radar detectors
just a weird spidey sense.turbobloke said:
Out of interest what would your finely tuned BiB sixth sense tell you if a car did have a trick parcel shelf just like yours, and flipped up to say
G'DAY OFFICER
after you had been following for whatever reason - for example would it contravene any con&use regs ?
Or what if it flipped to say.....
Streetcop said:
Is every single BiB car unmarked these days? I certainly haven't seen a stickered up vehicle (apart from town centres) for about 2 months.
I know what you mean mate....
No, in fairness, there are loads still about..depending on where you are...there are just more Pandas and such like and less Trafpol. (but the numbers of trafpol are increasing slowly..
Street
Wish they were increasing around here. Very rare treat to see anything like a cop car.
See two talivans in particular running around here..
The wife is convinced they are targetting every Jag they see in case she is driving it .... Unmarked plods round Manchester drive up erratically at around 11pm then tailgate you.
Difficult, as its most likely to be a numpty who feels they have something to prove. Who then get wound up at you pottering along like you were on your test before they go for a death defying overtaking attempt.
a - I think its provocation
b - its intimidating
(late at night being tailgated by a car full of blokes)
c - its does FA for road safety.
You may have spotted I'm not a fan of this practice.
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