Thames Valley Scamera van
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Discussion

count duckula

Original Poster:

1,324 posts

294 months

Thursday 26th June 2003
quotequote all
Driving along happily last Tuesday at below the 30mph limit I spotted a scamera van hidden in a layby, a riot van along with 5 police men having a laugh and a chat. The scamera operator had take out detector and mounted it on a tripod and placed it on the road and was happily dishing out 3 point and £60 tax demands.

I was a little shocked that,
a) the van was hidden
b) all the police was standing around
c) scamera man had taken the camera out of sight of the van
d) he did not high visibility clothing on
e) was hiding in front of tree ( could not see him )

So went back and took a photo.



This is the sort of thing that gets everyone upset with the police ( should be out catching crims etc )and makes people think they are revenue earners.

Come on play fair

Malc

pmanson

13,388 posts

273 months

Thursday 26th June 2003
quotequote all
Send the picture to the papers and let them ask Thames Valley Police to explain it!!

I was driving into Aylesbury at Easter and they had set a camera van up on the giratory system near the police station. It was parked up behind a hedge with the side doors open so that the camera poked out just over the hedge and it was pointing down across the 4 lanes running to and from town.
If i hadn't come from the side of it i wouldn't have seen it.
I went and brought a camera while i was shopping but by the time i got back it was gone.

trefor

14,709 posts

303 months

Thursday 26th June 2003
quotequote all
Count - where was this Scamera?

Edited to say: I bet the riot van/Police were there to calm any riots started by aggrieved members of the public after getting caught by this scamera.

>> Edited by trefor on Thursday 26th June 11:23

zumbruk

7,848 posts

280 months

Thursday 26th June 2003
quotequote all
This looks like the sort of residential backstreet where "you" bloody well should be obeying the 30 limit.... And therefore a perfectly reasonable place for him to be operating.

>> Edited by zumbruk on Thursday 26th June 11:26

deltaf

6,806 posts

273 months

Thursday 26th June 2003
quotequote all
He's not exactly adhereing to the hi vis guidelines is he?

raceboy

13,575 posts

300 months

Thursday 26th June 2003
quotequote all
And I'm sure anyone 'working' on the public highway must be wearing a hi-vis jacket if he was hit by a stray motorist I'm sure his health and safty department would have something to say, I'd forward the photo to the relavent department with details of date and time and get the bloke a ticking off

madcop

6,649 posts

283 months

Thursday 26th June 2003
quotequote all
count duckula said:
Driving along happily last Tuesday at below the 30mph limit I spotted a scamera van hidden in a layby, a riot van along with 5 police men having a laugh and a chat. The scamera operator had take out detector and mounted it on a tripod and placed it on the road and was happily dishing out 3 point and £60 tax demands.

I was a little shocked that,
a) the van was hidden


No need or requirement for it to be visible!

countduckula said:


b) all the police was standing around


Not the sort of procedure used for speed cameras. Too labour intensive and not cost effective. Much better to record the evidence on video tape


countduckula said:

c) scamera man had taken the camera out of sight of the van
d) he did not high visibility clothing on
e) was hiding in front of tree ( could not see him )

So went back and took a photo.


Did you by any chance ask him what he was doing?
It sounds as though you didn't

From what you have posted here, it looks very much like an ANPR check. I may be wrong, but if you got close enough to take that photo, why were you not brave enough to go and ask them? They would have happily told you and explained if you had any reasonable questions to ask. Then you could have posted this thread without assumption which may be completely up the wrong Avenue.

NOT ALL CAMERAS ARE SPEED DETECTORS]




countduckula said:

This is the sort of thing that gets everyone upset with the police ( should be out catching crims etc )and makes people think they are revenue earners.

Come on play fair

Malc


And if it was ANPR.....?
Would you then reconsider?

count duckula

Original Poster:

1,324 posts

294 months

Thursday 26th June 2003
quotequote all
Madcop

It is a common place for a speed trap, the camera was identical to the type that I have seem the police use before.

Yes I was too chicken to go and talk to him and his 5 friends, I personally do not trust any of them not to give me a hard time in future as my car is easily recognisable.

Malc

count duckula

Original Poster:

1,324 posts

294 months

Thursday 26th June 2003
quotequote all
trefor said:
Count - where was this Scamera?

Edited to say: I bet the riot van/Police were there to calm any riots started by aggrieved members of the public after getting caught by this scamera.

>> Edited by trefor on Thursday 26th June 11:23


It was on the end of cressex road.

Malc

ledfoot

777 posts

272 months

Thursday 26th June 2003
quotequote all
It sounds like ANPR and not a talivan.
ANPR vehicles are usually unmarked.

I have seen an unmarked Freelander parked up offroad, and about 400 yards up the road about 3 policemen ready to stop vehicles, and that was in a 40mph limit.
The Freelander was parked just after a roundabout which wouldn't make sense for a speed check.

Mikej

226 posts

304 months

Thursday 26th June 2003
quotequote all
ANPR ?????

Mike

C3 GTK

896 posts

275 months

Thursday 26th June 2003
quotequote all
count duckula said:
Madcop

It is a common place for a speed trap, the camera was identical to the type that I have seem the police use before.

Yes I was too chicken to go and talk to him and his 5 friends, I personally do not trust any of them not to give me a hard time in future as my car is easily recognisable.

Malc

Where do you get such an opinion of the BiB?
I went up to the van on the bridge J15 M1 2am this morning to take a nice photo and was told to "F#*k off"
Charming man

gh0st

4,693 posts

278 months

Thursday 26th June 2003
quotequote all
They are busy protecting us from the most dangerous and ruthless villians alive!

Give them a break

Chrisgr31

14,178 posts

275 months

Thursday 26th June 2003
quotequote all
C3 GTK said:

count duckula said:
Madcop

It is a common place for a speed trap, the camera was identical to the type that I have seem the police use before.

Yes I was too chicken to go and talk to him and his 5 friends, I personally do not trust any of them not to give me a hard time in future as my car is easily recognisable.

Malc


Where do you get such an opinion of the BiB?
I went up to the van on the bridge J15 M1 2am this morning to take a nice photo and was told to "F#*k off"
Charming man


Must be the same one I took a photo off at 2.30pm this afternoon! Mind you I didn#t stop to get told to F off!

SpudGunner

472 posts

279 months

Friday 27th June 2003
quotequote all
Should have rolled his van off the top of the bridge whilst he was still in it. That would have taught him to speak to you like that!

I hope you reminded him as well that you pay his wages

Mind you at 2am he was prob trying to get some shut eye and you woke him up!

>> Edited by SpudGunner on Friday 27th June 00:34

james_j

3,996 posts

275 months

Friday 27th June 2003
quotequote all
Just think of the wages bill for that lot! Taxpayers' money of course.

outlaw

1,893 posts

286 months

Friday 27th June 2003
quotequote all
i packed behind a scamer van in the way of the cam last week with the mrs.

tosers come ove and treton to calll the old bill

so i say be my guest and ask em to give you a ticked for parking on a double yello while your at.

if not why do to **** off as we got a disabled badged to park here you aint.

was fun to spoile there game. cheered the mrs up no end.

outlaw

1,893 posts

286 months

Friday 27th June 2003
quotequote all
SpudGunner said:
Should have rolled his van off the top of the bridge whilst he was still in it. That would have taught him to speak to you like that!

I hope you reminded him as well that you pay his wages

Mind you at 2am he was prob trying to get some shut eye and you woke him up!

>> Edited by SpudGunner on Friday 27th June 00:34



yeas ago we court three local cid`s asleep one night.
it was amusing.

would love to see em explain state of the car when they got to the station.

but dident stick around long to find out lol

we turned it into a marked car with a can of that spray on Xmax snow that was in one of the car boots

one of the guys was going to unbolt the wheels

buy we talked him out of lol.




>> Edited by outlaw on Friday 27th June 07:54

count duckula

Original Poster:

1,324 posts

294 months

Friday 27th June 2003
quotequote all
ledfoot said:
It sounds like ANPR and not a talivan.
ANPR vehicles are usually unmarked.

I have seen an unmarked Freelander parked up offroad, and about 400 yards up the road about 3 policemen ready to stop vehicles, and that was in a 40mph limit.
The Freelander was parked just after a roundabout which wouldn't make sense for a speed check.


It was the normal marked police scamera van that has been taking speeding pictures, unless they have the ANPR equipment and speeding stuff in same van.

Malc