Can TraffPol. with Radar hide these days?
Discussion
Just a bit of advice please.
Wife was handed an EFPN (3pts+£60) for 40 in a 30 two days before Christmas - on a straight road, not in an area with any adjacent housing or other hazards and about 1/4 mile prior to the start of a de-restriced zone.
Not sure if the officers were trying to get their quota in pre Christmas, as they had two cars stopped ahead of the wife, no conversation with her when they came to speak, other than a straight caution and "I propose to deal with this offence by means of......" No name check for her or PNC on the vehicle and on her way in a matter of minutes with the officer getting his radar gun at the ready for the next car whilst his colleague was ticketing someone else pulled whilst the wife was getting hers.
The officers had parked their marked Volvo behind a concrete bridge stantion so it was completely hidden from view and were themselves partially hidden by the stantion whilst checking the oncoming vehicles.
No other warnings etc of their presence were present.
Just wondering whether these days it is permissible for them to operate without being more "visible" or if old rules still apply.
The other matter that I find dissappointing is why the Force (Sussex) that issued the ticket, don't have a Speed Awareness Course - like some Forces have - as an alternative, which may have been more appropriate to someone who has driven for 20+ years without so much as a parking ticket beforehand.
Not defending the wife or her actions, just interested from anyone that is in the know please.
Cheers.
Paul.
Wife was handed an EFPN (3pts+£60) for 40 in a 30 two days before Christmas - on a straight road, not in an area with any adjacent housing or other hazards and about 1/4 mile prior to the start of a de-restriced zone.
Not sure if the officers were trying to get their quota in pre Christmas, as they had two cars stopped ahead of the wife, no conversation with her when they came to speak, other than a straight caution and "I propose to deal with this offence by means of......" No name check for her or PNC on the vehicle and on her way in a matter of minutes with the officer getting his radar gun at the ready for the next car whilst his colleague was ticketing someone else pulled whilst the wife was getting hers.
The officers had parked their marked Volvo behind a concrete bridge stantion so it was completely hidden from view and were themselves partially hidden by the stantion whilst checking the oncoming vehicles.
No other warnings etc of their presence were present.
Just wondering whether these days it is permissible for them to operate without being more "visible" or if old rules still apply.
The other matter that I find dissappointing is why the Force (Sussex) that issued the ticket, don't have a Speed Awareness Course - like some Forces have - as an alternative, which may have been more appropriate to someone who has driven for 20+ years without so much as a parking ticket beforehand.
Not defending the wife or her actions, just interested from anyone that is in the know please.
Cheers.
Paul.
Thanks for your replies.
Just seems from my perspective, that whenever I've seen similar roadside actions going on, the officers and their vehicles have been clearly visible in a similar vein to the way speed cameras are relatively visible.
also a pity that something like a Speed Awareness Course couldn't be a national initiative rather than just a locally adopted one, making getting caught and prosecuted for speeding a lottery depending on which Force area you are nicked in!!
Just seems from my perspective, that whenever I've seen similar roadside actions going on, the officers and their vehicles have been clearly visible in a similar vein to the way speed cameras are relatively visible.
also a pity that something like a Speed Awareness Course couldn't be a national initiative rather than just a locally adopted one, making getting caught and prosecuted for speeding a lottery depending on which Force area you are nicked in!!
Police using a hand held radar/laser gun have always been able to hide! It is the fixed and mobile cameras that were suppossed to be clearly visible, although frequently with the mobile one not until it was too late!
Sussex Police and the Camera Partnership have always seem to have been relatively bengin, in our town the mobile camera site is outside a school, and the fixed camera is just in the 40mph limit rather than just being in the 30 which finishes about 40 yards before the camera. Mind you the camera points to catch traffic coming down the hill, whilst the fatal that justified it was caused by a loony coming up the hill.
Sussex Police and the Camera Partnership have always seem to have been relatively bengin, in our town the mobile camera site is outside a school, and the fixed camera is just in the 40mph limit rather than just being in the 30 which finishes about 40 yards before the camera. Mind you the camera points to catch traffic coming down the hill, whilst the fatal that justified it was caused by a loony coming up the hill.
Not suggesting that there's a leaning towards revenue raising rather than real road safety are you? Surely not!!!???
Same situation in this instance with plenty of houses, a nearby school, intersections and shops etc. further down the road (where presumably there would be more potential danger in exceeding the limit), but just nowhere to hide!!!
I would be interested if any bib / Roads Policing Officers are able to comment (sorry if you have already and I've not cottoned on) or even better someone from Sussex, who could enlighten me as to their policy on these matters.
Cheers.
Paul.
Same situation in this instance with plenty of houses, a nearby school, intersections and shops etc. further down the road (where presumably there would be more potential danger in exceeding the limit), but just nowhere to hide!!!
I would be interested if any bib / Roads Policing Officers are able to comment (sorry if you have already and I've not cottoned on) or even better someone from Sussex, who could enlighten me as to their policy on these matters.
Cheers.
Paul.
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