Undercover Police Lorry!

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Discussion

Gallen

Original Poster:

2,162 posts

255 months

Tuesday 20th November 2012
quotequote all
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-2035562...

BBC Essex News said:
An articulated lorry has been brought in by Essex police for covert patrols on the county's roads.

The force's articulated Mercedes Actros used to be used as a mobile operations base and for exhibitions.

The lorry now sits alongside the constabulary's fleet of Fords and BMW cars.

One of those already caught by the lorry was a man using has Apple iPad device on his lap - something officers say they would not otherwise have seen.

PC Gary Winfield said the use of the iPad was the "worst thing we've seen".

"He was using it at 56mph on a dual carriageway," he said. "It is frightening really."

Because of the height of the cab, officers inside can see both into other lorries and down into cars.

anonymous-user

54 months

Tuesday 20th November 2012
quotequote all
Drat, no more nosh jobs on the go. Nosy parkers.

PGM

2,168 posts

249 months

Tuesday 20th November 2012
quotequote all
A Unimog would be more useful, save on the tractor too:

http://www.lincs.police.uk/News-Centre/Events/Trac...

chilistrucker

4,541 posts

151 months

Tuesday 20th November 2012
quotequote all
speeding aswell then, 56mph on a dual carriageway.
it doesn't bother me 1 way or the other if the traffic police want to use a lorry, (seems to be happening alot of late) if someone is on an ipad, laptop, phone etc, then they deserve what they get.
think the most common 1 i see is when a quicker lorry passes me, is other drivers watching a dvd whilst doing 56+ on the motorway, possibly loaded at 44 tonnes. pure stupidity.

aw51 121565

4,771 posts

233 months

Tuesday 20th November 2012
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One of these was featured on one of those "camera cops" programmes, working with the Central Motorway Police Unit (I think!).

Interesting what they showed being caught - driver of an HGV using his mobile and waving at what appeared to be a passing tractor unit = police stop by an adjacent marked car to find driver of HGV significantly intoxicated driving to the end of his shift and a long weekend plus open can of high strength beer in the cabin, for example nuts .

Dogwatch

6,229 posts

222 months

Tuesday 20th November 2012
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I suppose they could paint GOTCHA along the trailer nearside like those Bernard Matthews trailers with BOOTIFUL scrawled along them.

PGM

2,168 posts

249 months

Tuesday 20th November 2012
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Or You've been sierra, oscar tangoed D:

4key

10,777 posts

148 months

Tuesday 20th November 2012
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I've seen it twice now, it stands out so much that they might aswell put police stickers and a blue flashy light on it. Silver, 2 officers in it, no trailer and doing 15mph+ over the other lorries, definately not covert hehe

grumpy52

5,584 posts

166 months

Tuesday 20th November 2012
quotequote all
As its just the tractor unit it probably weighs less than 7.5 tonnes is it not restricted the same as lgv's .
It must have had the speed limiter removed to exceed 90kph.I wonder how fast it is

streaky

19,311 posts

249 months

Tuesday 20th November 2012
quotequote all
chilistrucker said:
speeding aswell then, 56mph on a dual carriageway.
The other vehicle was probably a car, certainly something the officers could see down into, so not speeding on a DC - if not a 50 or lower limit.

The other vehicle might have been passing the police lorry, so the lorry might not have been "speeding" either.

Streaky

ging84

8,897 posts

146 months

Tuesday 20th November 2012
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I was this a few weeks ago on that how safe are Britain's roads program

wizzbilly

955 posts

193 months

Wednesday 21st November 2012
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Best bit about it the officer who started the whole operation to using the truck pc angus nairn was actually a hgv operator himself and on many occashions rumoer has it could bend the rules with the best of them . now am unsure if was ever prosicuted but then again those days very few was .

He does make some good valid points in the programs also regarding laptops on dash etc that is just plain brain dead and i see it day in day out majority are forign drivers .

He also fetchs up the point that safe parking places arefar and few between but in the same sentance telling the scumbags just how easy it is to steal as pretty easy pickings 1 driver on his own etc , not so long ago a forign driver was killed trying to protect his fuel .

Oh and maybe in the vidios someone should mention to him that seatbelts are to be used at all times if fitted as on many occashions shown on video driving trucks without them fitted and before anyone says anything he was driving it from A to B not just moving it out the way so therefore does not comply with law , quite frankly i couldnt care if wears it or not if he wants to put himself through window it's his own choice just as it is everyones , just dont look good on the TV to the nation .

mph1977

12,467 posts

168 months

Wednesday 21st November 2012
quotequote all
grumpy52 said:
As its just the tractor unit it probably weighs less than 7.5 tonnes is it not restricted the same as lgv's .
It must have had the speed limiter removed to exceed 90kph.I wonder how fast it is
emergency services vehicles are exempt from the requirement to have speed limiters.

A vehicle used for police purposes is exempt speed limits when obeying them hinders it;s purpose of use.

read the sticky, lump it and get over it .

furrywoolyhatuk

682 posts

154 months

Wednesday 21st November 2012
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I'm sure this was on one of those police programmes, the one on bbc, traffic cops?

spaximus

4,231 posts

253 months

Wednesday 21st November 2012
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It is another case of "I want one too". Like every force you must have a helicopter now or at least a share in one otherwise where will Alistair Stuart sit, soon it will be everyone needs a truck.
Yes it is a problem but how much does this cost to catch the odd driver who is doing wrong?

covboy

2,576 posts

174 months

Wednesday 21st November 2012
quotequote all
spaximus said:
It is another case of "I want one too". Like every force you must have a helicopter now or at least a share in one otherwise where will Alistair Stuart sit, soon it will be everyone needs a truck.
Yes it is a problem but how much does this cost to catch the odd driver who is doing wrong?
A bit of a balancing act is required.

A lot of posters on here bemoan the lack of Traffic Police (and the excess of speed TRAPS) based on the fact a human being had a “discretionary” decision.

We really should make our minds up

CatJ

9,586 posts

243 months

Wednesday 21st November 2012
quotequote all
furrywoolyhatuk said:
I'm sure this was on one of those police programmes, the one on bbc, traffic cops?
I've seen this before somewhere and from memory it was a Silver Mercedes tractor unit.

Rovinghawk

13,300 posts

158 months

Wednesday 21st November 2012
quotequote all
wizzbilly said:
Oh and maybe in the vidios someone should mention to him that seatbelts are to be used at all times if fitted as on many occashions shown on video driving trucks without them fitted and before anyone says anything he was driving it from A to B not just moving it out the way so therefore does not comply with law , quite frankly i couldnt care if wears it or not if he wants to put himself through window it's his own choice just as it is everyones , just dont look good on the TV to the nation .
Whilst I see your point, I thought police vehicles were exempt from seat belt laws.

RH

jmorgan

36,010 posts

284 months

Wednesday 21st November 2012
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Interesting that our vans give us a better view of numpty activities that I do not see in my car. Crack on I say.

GC8

19,910 posts

190 months

Wednesday 21st November 2012
quotequote all
grumpy52 said:
As its just the tractor unit it probably weighs less than 7.5 tonnes is it not restricted the same as lgv's .
It must have had the speed limiter removed to exceed 90kph.I wonder how fast it is
I think that this has been discussed before (with reference to the bald headed officer on one of the fy on the wall documentaries, who used to run bent when he was an HGV operator!).

For police purposes the limiter can be removed.