Scam Van - Recognition
Discussion
I briefly experienced heart palpitations whilst hooning on one of my favourite roads today. I saw a white van parked in a layby with flashes on the back and sides. So after repeating "Oh Feck" several times I turned around to dive past it again. I pulled up behind it to check it out, there were no flaps or apertures open at the back or sides, it said "Safety Vehicle" on the side (nothing else) and Motorway Maintainanace on the back. One bloke was sat in the cab on the phone. Am I correct in assuming this wasn't a Scam van and just Motorway Maintainance planning some roadworks?
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They're not that devious - yet. You'll be fine if it looked like a normal van and didn't have Safety Pratnership on the side or emotive SPEED KILLs stickers lying to you then you should be ok.
Had a similar experience last week; it worried me that much that i went back out after i arrived home and drove a couple of miles to check what the van was (it was a plasters van!)
There are devices on the market to defeat scamera vans:
Had a similar experience last week; it worried me that much that i went back out after i arrived home and drove a couple of miles to check what the van was (it was a plasters van!)
There are devices on the market to defeat scamera vans:
Dan_the_man said:
Wouldnt it be nice if these vans were actually placed in crime ridden estates where the coppers could catch criminals in the act of burgling houses and nicking cars.
ROAD SAFETY MY AR5E
Not a good statement at all i'm afraid..
Just the kind of thing that encourages cameravan use and the downsizing of trafpol dept..to do that very thing.....
That's why we're in the mess we're in...
Hi Street - I can't decipher your last post.
I was suggesting that perhaps the BIB's could concentrate on catching criminals rather than generating revenue from motorists.
As a victim of two burglaries and about six car break in's I'd rather this was prioritised. Not some crazy revenue generating scheme in the name of road safety that has no actual "road safety" benefit.
I was suggesting that perhaps the BIB's could concentrate on catching criminals rather than generating revenue from motorists.
As a victim of two burglaries and about six car break in's I'd rather this was prioritised. Not some crazy revenue generating scheme in the name of road safety that has no actual "road safety" benefit.
Hiya Dan..
I wasn't having a go at you or your statement personally..just pointing out that only about 4% of my police force is involved with Road Policing.
The other 96% is "crime" based...
The original whines from the motoring community about 7 years ago and for about 30 years prior to that about.."Bobbies out catching crims etc, than motorists" has led to the mass production of camera sites and the severe reduction of trafpol, who have now been moved to street crime, community safety teams, firearms teams, CID etc etc..
So all that potential discretion and safety advice, together with catching drunk drivers etc has gone...
A case of beware what you wish for; as it might happen..
Better the devil you know...etc etc etc
I wasn't having a go at you or your statement personally..just pointing out that only about 4% of my police force is involved with Road Policing.
The other 96% is "crime" based...
The original whines from the motoring community about 7 years ago and for about 30 years prior to that about.."Bobbies out catching crims etc, than motorists" has led to the mass production of camera sites and the severe reduction of trafpol, who have now been moved to street crime, community safety teams, firearms teams, CID etc etc..
So all that potential discretion and safety advice, together with catching drunk drivers etc has gone...
A case of beware what you wish for; as it might happen..
Better the devil you know...etc etc etc
Streetcop said:
The original whines from the motoring community about 7 years ago and for about 30 years prior to that about.."Bobbies out catching crims etc, than motorists" has led to the mass production of camera sites and the severe reduction of trafpol, who have now been moved to street crime, community safety teams, firearms teams, CID etc etc..
It's probably more like its cheaper and raises more revenue to use cameras than TrafPol. In my memory I'd suggest that TrafPol have been used in the past as a human version of a scamera, often located in sneaky locations that were high revenue earners but not accident black spots. Coppers often trained with anal communicative skills that could patronise even the best of drivers.
And now what do we have, limited TrafPol and a police service that can't be arsed to answer the phone when you call, all in my experience
Not particularly....
The hiding in bushes of yesteryear didn't 'net' as many as cameravans do nowadays..
In addition; there was always the chance the vehicle was uninsured, untaxed, the driver drunk, disqualified, wanted, car full of stolen property etc etc etc...
Anything is better than the majority of road policing being done by cameras..
The hiding in bushes of yesteryear didn't 'net' as many as cameravans do nowadays..
In addition; there was always the chance the vehicle was uninsured, untaxed, the driver drunk, disqualified, wanted, car full of stolen property etc etc etc...
Anything is better than the majority of road policing being done by cameras..
Streetcop said:
Not particularly....
The hiding in bushes of yesteryear didn't 'net' as many as cameravans do nowadays..
No but that doesn't mean it didn't happen and lead to disgruntled drivers and the comments you speak about. It wouldn't net as much as a scam as a copper could only deal with one offence at a time as opposed to a scam that flashes at will.
Streetcop said:
In addition; there was always the chance the vehicle was uninsured, untaxed, the driver drunk, disqualified, wanted, car full of stolen property etc etc etc...
Anything is better than the majority of road policing being done by cameras..
I can't disagree with that.
When I use the pro-laser speed device nowadays..I don't have the need to 'hide' anywhere...
I can park my V70 at the side of the road, with battenburg/chevron hi-viz livery, be standing at the kerbside in a white cap, and wear my hi-viz coat and still get drivers who are exceeding the speed limit on a 30mph road by 20mph..!!!!!!
I can park my V70 at the side of the road, with battenburg/chevron hi-viz livery, be standing at the kerbside in a white cap, and wear my hi-viz coat and still get drivers who are exceeding the speed limit on a 30mph road by 20mph..!!!!!!
Streetcop said:
When I use the pro-laser speed device nowadays..I don't have the need to 'hide' anywhere...
I can park my V70 at the side of the road, with battenburg/chevron hi-viz livery, be standing at the kerbside in a white cap, and wear my hi-viz coat and still get drivers who are exceeding the speed limit on a 30mph road by 20mph..!!!!!!
Yeah but you could use a scam in that kindda area???? Move the little blighter from a high revenue "black spot" location to a "black spot"-"black spot" location?
The 30mph area you're talking about I'm assuming is the kindda area that is probably more appropriate for a scam and people couldn't argue that it was dangerous to be doing that kindda speed e.g. bloke in Lotus on tv the other night? i.e. built up, children playing hopscotch in the road etc. I don't drive like that in a sensibly marked up 30 limit so would have no qualms if I was caught doing so.
Instead it seems generally agreed that they're placed in areas that are high revenue earners where people are more likely to be caught for not really doing that much wrong/dangerous apart from breaking an arbitrary limit set by the law so...
in this area(Saarfend on sea) TrafPol used to set up traps in the same sort of locations as the scams are now - apart from they could be more flexible than the scam and ingeniously move behind the next lamp post along. Also, I don't think the area was highlighted as an accident blackspot until the scam partnerships moved in
Also I remember both my brother and father being caught in a 40 mph limit and fined+pointed for doing 50, this area was was later increased to a 50 limit but had been a nice little earner in the mean time. Would you not whinge at that?
Instead it seems generally agreed that they're placed in areas that are high revenue earners where people are more likely to be caught for not really doing that much wrong/dangerous apart from breaking an arbitrary limit set by the law so...
in this area(Saarfend on sea) TrafPol used to set up traps in the same sort of locations as the scams are now - apart from they could be more flexible than the scam and ingeniously move behind the next lamp post along. Also, I don't think the area was highlighted as an accident blackspot until the scam partnerships moved in
Also I remember both my brother and father being caught in a 40 mph limit and fined+pointed for doing 50, this area was was later increased to a 50 limit but had been a nice little earner in the mean time. Would you not whinge at that?
JoolzB said:
The 30mph area you're talking about I'm assuming is the kindda area that is probably more appropriate for a scam and people couldn't argue that it was dangerous to be doing that kindda speed e.g.
The 30mph zone that I had in mind is near to a junior school and also a small shopping centre....
There have been plenty of KSI bumps over the last 5 years and it's an area that gets complained about all the time...
In my force, we can only do 'speed enforcement' on KSI areas!
Most of which, don't net lots and lots of drivers...
Streetcop said:
The 30mph area you're talking about I'm assuming is the kindda area that is probably more appropriate for a scam and people couldn't argue that it was dangerous to be doing that kindda speed e.g.
The 30mph zone that I had in mind is near to a junior school and also a small shopping centre....
There have been plenty of KSI bumps over the last 5 years and it's an area that gets complained about all the time...
In my force, we can only do 'speed enforcement' on KSI areas!
Most of which, don't net lots and lots of drivers...
Ok so an area that a scamera would be of benefit?
What does KSI stand for?
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