PCSO with a Speed gun
Discussion
I know this is going to be a case of “wait two weeks and find out” but it’s been on my mind all bloody day.
Driving through my local town this morning and spotted two hi vis jackets way up ahead… glanced down and I’m doing an indicated 32/33, MAYBE at a push 34 and it’s a 30 zone - The needle was absolutely under 35. Eased off slightly, distance between me and them is probably 150m at this point.
Get a little bit closer and as I predicted it’s two coppers with a speed gun. Roll off the throttle a bit more, now doing 27/28mph. As I came past them they’re both eyeballing me to death and the one not operating the gun is scribbling away on a notepad. Thought to myself that’s strange - surely they’ve not caught me over the prosecution threshold and from all that distance away?
Where I live is very rural and the policing team is very small. I follow the local Police’s page on Facebook, which they regularly post updates on, including a “Meet the team” type post from a few weeks ago. 99% sure the two I saw today operating the speed gun are both PCSO’s.
My question is; if I was indeed speeding, am I likely to get an actual NIP or just one of those snotty letters the same as you would get from the community speedwatch groups? I was under the impression PCSO’s can’t issue an endorsable FPN for speeding?
Google shows a FOI request to the Met (although I’m in Warwickshire) from 2022 suggesting their PCSOs have issued 2000+ FPN’s in the 18 months prior but not a single one for speeding. However it isn’t clear on whether a PCSO COULD issue one.
Driving through my local town this morning and spotted two hi vis jackets way up ahead… glanced down and I’m doing an indicated 32/33, MAYBE at a push 34 and it’s a 30 zone - The needle was absolutely under 35. Eased off slightly, distance between me and them is probably 150m at this point.
Get a little bit closer and as I predicted it’s two coppers with a speed gun. Roll off the throttle a bit more, now doing 27/28mph. As I came past them they’re both eyeballing me to death and the one not operating the gun is scribbling away on a notepad. Thought to myself that’s strange - surely they’ve not caught me over the prosecution threshold and from all that distance away?
Where I live is very rural and the policing team is very small. I follow the local Police’s page on Facebook, which they regularly post updates on, including a “Meet the team” type post from a few weeks ago. 99% sure the two I saw today operating the speed gun are both PCSO’s.
My question is; if I was indeed speeding, am I likely to get an actual NIP or just one of those snotty letters the same as you would get from the community speedwatch groups? I was under the impression PCSO’s can’t issue an endorsable FPN for speeding?
Google shows a FOI request to the Met (although I’m in Warwickshire) from 2022 suggesting their PCSOs have issued 2000+ FPN’s in the 18 months prior but not a single one for speeding. However it isn’t clear on whether a PCSO COULD issue one.
agtlaw said:
Thank you agtlaw. Learn something new every day. Will have to keep fingers crossed for the next two weeks then… Be my first one in 15 years if so. Have no problem with them doing this in accident hotspots....except if it gets misused as a revenue generator as I have seen them in bushes literally or on blind bends waiting to catch people out! That's actually very dangerous as people will brake heavily if they see them even though its too late & who calibrates the speed gun?
RS_MAN_CHILD said:
Have no problem with them doing this in accident hotspots....except if it gets misused as a revenue generator as I have seen them in bushes literally or on blind bends waiting to catch people out! That's actually very dangerous as people will brake heavily if they see them even though its too late & who calibrates the speed gun?
Sounds like many posts on many forums from twenty years ago. Tony1963 said:
RS_MAN_CHILD said:
Have no problem with them doing this in accident hotspots....except if it gets misused as a revenue generator as I have seen them in bushes literally or on blind bends waiting to catch people out! That's actually very dangerous as people will brake heavily if they see them even though its too late & who calibrates the speed gun?
Sounds like many posts on many forums from twenty years ago. Snoozy said:
This sounds very much like the Community speed watch people unless it was obvious they were PCSOs.
Fingers crossed if it was the CSW you’ll get a naughty boy/girl letter in the post and that will be the end of if.
Unfortunately it was 100% police, 99% sure PCSOs due to identifying them from social media posts and the female one definitely had the blue shoulder badges. Fingers crossed if it was the CSW you’ll get a naughty boy/girl letter in the post and that will be the end of if.
IF, your speedo was reading below 35 mph - say 34 mph, you were probably doing a real 32 mph. I wouldn't even think twice about what happened and continue on.
There is a dot matrix style speed board near the village I live in. The speed limit for the road is 30 mph. When I drive down the road at 30 mph, the board reads 27 - 28 mph.
There is a dot matrix style speed board near the village I live in. The speed limit for the road is 30 mph. When I drive down the road at 30 mph, the board reads 27 - 28 mph.
Edited by Stu0221 on Wednesday 10th January 10:19
Probably a 100 check. In our area, Essex, the police often visit rural areas to perform a check of '100' cars, noting down the speed of each vehicle, whether above or below the limt. This then gets circulated to the local Parish Council etc..
If anyone is over the limit they'll pull them there and then.
If anyone is over the limit they'll pull them there and then.
Edited by Mr Hoops on Wednesday 10th January 10:05
Does sound like a community speed watch setup but that being said when you see a speed camera van setup anywhere it's never an actual Police Officer sat inside the van, its a Police staff employee which is exactly what PCSO's are so assuming they have the correct training there is no reason they cannot do enforceable speed checks
RS_MAN_CHILD said:
Have no problem with them doing this in accident hotspots....except if it gets misused as a revenue generator as I have seen them in bushes literally or on blind bends waiting to catch people out! That's actually very dangerous as people will brake heavily if they see them even though its too late & who calibrates the speed gun?
Go speeding round blind corners do we?gazza285 said:
RS_MAN_CHILD said:
Have no problem with them doing this in accident hotspots....except if it gets misused as a revenue generator as I have seen them in bushes literally or on blind bends waiting to catch people out! That's actually very dangerous as people will brake heavily if they see them even though its too late & who calibrates the speed gun?
Go speeding round blind corners do we?gazza285 said:
Go speeding round blind corners do we?
Nope but seen them waiting on blind corners in a bush recently to catch people out in a 50 zone with hand held speed guns...proper traffic cops with the helmets on they were not there to give warnings but actual tickets as had already pulled over some lady in an expensive saloon!RS_MAN_CHILD said:
Nope but seen them waiting on blind corners in a bush recently to catch people out in a 50 zone with hand held speed guns...proper traffic cops with the helmets on they were not there to give warnings but actual tickets as had already pulled over some lady in an expensive saloon!
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