Camera van operating in the wrong county?
Discussion
Bizarrely, a Hertfordshire Safety Camera Partnership van frequently sets up a position approx 100 metres beyond the county boundary in Essex. It then proceeds to record speeding vehicles travelling in Essex towards the Hertfordshire boundary. This has been the case for about 10 years.
My questions are as follows:...
1. Can Hertfordshire constabulary prosecute drivers speeding in Essex?
2. If not, is it likely that they would be passing the information to Essex Constabulary for prosecution purposes?
3. If the answer to questions 1 & 2 is no, does that mean that all prosecutions for speeding emanating from this situation are nul and void and the fines should be refunded?
The camera van is definitely a Hertfordshire van because it has Hertfordshire Safety Camera Partnership written on the side and after finishing its work in Essex it re-positions about a mile away in Hertfordshire.
Just curious.
My questions are as follows:...
1. Can Hertfordshire constabulary prosecute drivers speeding in Essex?
2. If not, is it likely that they would be passing the information to Essex Constabulary for prosecution purposes?
3. If the answer to questions 1 & 2 is no, does that mean that all prosecutions for speeding emanating from this situation are nul and void and the fines should be refunded?
The camera van is definitely a Hertfordshire van because it has Hertfordshire Safety Camera Partnership written on the side and after finishing its work in Essex it re-positions about a mile away in Hertfordshire.
Just curious.
Counties are administrative units within the country called England that forms part of the nation state known as the United Kingdom. Any constable in England and Wales can take action to prevent or detect breaches of the criminal law anywhere in England and Wales*. Civilian staff engaged in speed limit enforcement are not limited by county boundaries. Do you suppose that a police officer pursuing a car thief or mugger would have to stop at the County boundary? This ain't the Dukes of Hazzard.
* I ought to know, but have forgotten, whether the same is true of the whole UK (Scotland and Northern Ireland each have separate legal systems. I think that a police officer from England can pursue across the border into Scotland and vice versa, but am not certain and could be wrong). I should and used to know that, but am a bit busy and cannot recall and CBA to check. Someone else will know.
* I ought to know, but have forgotten, whether the same is true of the whole UK (Scotland and Northern Ireland each have separate legal systems. I think that a police officer from England can pursue across the border into Scotland and vice versa, but am not certain and could be wrong). I should and used to know that, but am a bit busy and cannot recall and CBA to check. Someone else will know.
Breadvan72 said:
Counties are administrative units within the country called England that forms part of the nation state known as the United Kingdom. Any constable in England and Wales can take action to prevent or detect breaches of the criminal law anywhere in England and Wales*. Civilian staff engaged in speed limit enforcement are not limited by county boundaries. Do you suppose that a police officer pursuing a car thief or mugger would have to stop at the County boundary? This ain't the Dukes of Hazzard.
* I ought to know, but have forgotten, whether the same is true of the whole UK (Scotland and Northern Ireland each have separate legal systems. I think that a police officer from England can pursue across the border into Scotland and vice versa, but am not certain and could be wrong). I should and used to know that, but am a bit busy and cannot recall and CBA to check. Someone else will know.
BV, I await with baited breath the first case of a cross border drink driving defence due to the new lower limit in Scotland. i.e. Jimmy has a couple of halfs in Gretna then the Scottish Trafpol pursue him just over the border and he yells out the window, "Ye canny get me noo ya b* I ought to know, but have forgotten, whether the same is true of the whole UK (Scotland and Northern Ireland each have separate legal systems. I think that a police officer from England can pursue across the border into Scotland and vice versa, but am not certain and could be wrong). I should and used to know that, but am a bit busy and cannot recall and CBA to check. Someone else will know.
ds coz I'm in England!"It will be interesting indeed.
J
Suppose it's the other direction and Jimmy has had a wee half or two in England but not enough to put him over the English limit. On his return to Gretna he is pursued by English traffic police but is not stopped until he crosses the border. He blows just under the English limit on the machine but is over the Scottish limit. What happens then?
Somewhat off-topic I'm afraid but a couple of weeks ago I passed a Welsh police X5 in deepest Cheshire. They'd pulled a young lad on some sort of chicken chaser over. Some time later I saw the same car again a bit further up the road (I had doubled back to look at something and they caught me up). Cheshire borders North Wales but this was way over on the other side of the county, just south of Macclesfield.
Do forces routinely share resources?
Hey! Poetry.
Do forces routinely share resources?
Hey! Poetry.
Roy Lime said:
Somewhat off-topic I'm afraid but a couple of weeks ago I passed a Welsh police X5 in deepest Cheshire. They'd pulled a young lad on some sort of chicken chaser over. Some time later I saw the same car again a bit further up the road (I had doubled back to look at something and they caught me up). Cheshire borders North Wales but this was way over on the other side of the county, just south of Macclesfield.
Do forces routinely share resources?
Hey! Poetry.
Hello to you and yes they do..Do forces routinely share resources?
Hey! Poetry.
It's not uncommon at all to see police vehicles from one force in a different force area.
Someone I arrested recently required 3 houses to be searched. They were all in London and the Met did not have any free officers at the time. So myself and 3 other cars from Hants drove up to complete the search. As I was leaving a car pulled out in front of me with no lights on swerving over the road so I stopped it and they blew over the limit. I had to arrest them for that while still in London. Had to use to Sat Nav though to find the nearest custody block!
Someone I arrested recently required 3 houses to be searched. They were all in London and the Met did not have any free officers at the time. So myself and 3 other cars from Hants drove up to complete the search. As I was leaving a car pulled out in front of me with no lights on swerving over the road so I stopped it and they blew over the limit. I had to arrest them for that while still in London. Had to use to Sat Nav though to find the nearest custody block!
In the bizarre world that the OP inhabits, a police officer from Trumptonshire who sees someone being kicked to death by Jim the Crim just over the line into Barsetshire is supposed to say "nowt to do with me, pal".
Oh, but hang on. Speeding is SPECIAL. Because middle class motorist. Because haven't you got some burglars to arrest and I pay your wages you know.
Oh, but hang on. Speeding is SPECIAL. Because middle class motorist. Because haven't you got some burglars to arrest and I pay your wages you know.
stevensdrs said:
Suppose it's the other direction and Jimmy has had a wee half or two in England but not enough to put him over the English limit. On his return to Gretna he is pursued by English traffic police but is not stopped until he crosses the border. He blows just under the English limit on the machine but is over the Scottish limit. What happens then?
No difference as there is evidence of an offence in Scotland. As long as there was 2 witnesses of the offence taking place in scotland the chap can be handed over to the jockistani police for processing. There is no exclusion on the nationality of witnesses in scotland as far as I understand.
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