Camera vans in the dark

[Avocet]

Does anyone know if "safety" camera vans can work in the dark? Does the equipment inside have a flash? I've seen them on motorway bridges in the day but can't recall seeing any at night so I just wondered...

[mechsympathy]

Dunno. I can't see them working in the rain either, although that would probably only be the ones with a flash.

Good thing it's so much safer driving in the rain.

[nonegreen]

Guidlines suggest usage should be restricted to dry days with good visibility. Speeding in the fog here I come....

[Tafia]

Avocet said:

Does anyone know if "safety" camera vans can work in the dark? Does the equipment inside have a flash? I've seen them on motorway bridges in the day but can't recall seeing any at night so I just wondered...

I was told by a retired cop that his son had been done on the A55 in North Wales at 2 a.m.

77 in a 70. Within ACPO guidelines but still done. Not Arrive Alive van.

A parked-behind-a-big-road-sign traffic patrol; presumably with a laser.

[Avocet]

Thanks all,

Strange about the "dry days with good visibility" thing. Still, I suppose that's the most dangerous time to be speeding...

[will crash]

Met. Police camera vans can work in all weather conditions except where visibility is seriously reduced i.e fog.
The mobile cameras are waterproof.
The vans can use Gatso equipment at night, and as we speak new rotas are being drawn up for pretty much a near 24 hour coverage.

[206xsi]

So you have only 2 cars covering the entire NW London for a shift, but can still find resources to send out Talivans 24/7.

This is one fd up country.

Emigration to NZ looking more and more likely....

[will crash]

The camera van was not out today, and there are only five operators employed on mobile vans in the Met as a whole.
Camera vans use less resources than intellligence gathering.

[206xsi]

will crash said:

Camera vans use less resources than intellligence gathering.

And gather more resources in return!!!

[mechsympathy]

will crash said:

Met. Police camera vans can work in all weather conditions except where visibility is seriously reduced i.e fog. The mobile cameras are waterproof. The vans can use Gatso equipment at night, and as we speak new rotas are being drawn up for pretty much a near 24 hour coverage.

What about gatsos in rain or fog? I'd have thought the flash would just illuminate lots of weather.

[number 46]

Great to see that the Met can provide the manpower and resources to fleece people day and night for exceeding speed limits yet they are unable to provide any policemen on the beat. Why don't we have cameras in every house and on every street corner, spy on each other and turn this country into the new East Germany.

[count duckula]

will crash said:

Met. Police camera vans can work in all weather conditions except where visibility is seriously reduced i.e fog. The mobile cameras are waterproof. The vans can use Gatso equipment at night, and as we speak new rotas are being drawn up for pretty much a near 24 hour coverage.

So are you saying lasers are not used at night ??

Malc

[Tafia]

As the camera vans use laser, he is saying yes, lasers work at night.

[Mad Dave]

will crash said:

Met. Police camera vans can work in all weather conditions except where visibility is seriously reduced i.e fog. The mobile cameras are waterproof. The vans can use Gatso equipment at night, and as we speak new rotas are being drawn up for pretty much a near 24 hour coverage.

Shit! Thats a real blow. I generally only put my foot down at all at night, as theres a greatly reduced chance of being spotted by a camera van - but if youre saying theyre going to be out at night too, ill never get above 60. In the day i already treat every layby, gantry or corner as if its hiding a camera, but it looks like ill have to do the same at night. Arse.

[count duckula]

Tafia said:

As the camera vans use laser, he is saying yes, lasers work at night.

Will said "Met. Police camera vans can work in all weather conditions except where visibility is seriously reduced i.e fog"

And also "The vans can use Gatso equipment at night"
hence the question.

Malc

[outlaw]

will crash said:

Met. Police camera vans can work in all weather conditions except where visibility is seriously reduced i.e fog. The mobile cameras are waterproof. The vans can use Gatso equipment at night, and as we speak new rotas are being drawn up for pretty much a near 24 hour coverage.

bet there not fire proof

[will crash]

Bet you can`t run or drive that fast....!!!

[TSS]

Will Crash,

Please can you just clarify, I can understand that a mobile Gatso camera will work at night because it has a flash. But, can you use the laser operated cameras at night or do car headlights cause too much interference with the laser?

Thanks,

TSS


(I have a video (given to me by an importer of speed trap detection equipment) of the Swedish police testing a Kustom Pro laser gun during the day against a Saab on a long straight piece of road. The max range attained was about 500m. When the Saab put its dipped beam headlights on the range was reduced by a couple of hundred metres. When the Saab had its full beam beam headlights on the range at which a reading could be taken was reduced even more. However this video is about 5 years old so laser gun technology may well have improved).

[will crash]

The Laser I use is not affected by lit headlights at night, however occasionally the Laser may have a problem picking up a target, if there are loads of headlights (like rally lights) this is due not to the light but due to the Laser beam bouncing back of the headlight unit itself and not being able to get a sound reading. When this occurs an error message flashes up on the display (in 0.3 of a second/also with an audible warning)
In practice however, and I have used Laser on night duty numerous times I have had no problem.
On the camera van I usually have the laser set up for a target range of 100 to 120 metres this allows the target vehicle to come into focus, allowing two things, 1/ an excellent picture and 2/ allowing the motorist stacks of time to see me....even at night.

[Avocet]

Thanks everyone. So are we saying that all talivans have a camera in them or are there some that just have the speed measuring equipment in them and rely on the good old fashioned "personal" touch to aprehend the miscreant?