Another Gatso down
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Chrisgr31

Original Poster:

14,180 posts

275 months

Saturday 8th November 2003
quotequote all
On Wednesday I read in the local rag about the Truvelo which is on the A21 Tonbridge bypass, had been set alight. A spokesman for the local scamera partnership said it was a dummy site and only flashed. Not only that but the mobile vans were visiting the area now whilst the site was out of action.

He went on to say that the Kent cameras had remained remarkably unscathed and were generally vandalism free.

Whoops big mistake! Yesterday morning I drove along the Pembury Road in Tunbridge Wells keeping an eye on the speedo and looking for the camera, only to find I couldn't see it. Quickly found out why it, its bost, and concrete base were having 40 winks and lying on the grass verge! Someone had obviously used a large vehicle and cahin to pull it out of the ground.

Although I have sympathies with those that vandalise Scameras I am concerned its not in our interests to do so. After all at least with the fixed sites we know where they are, can get gadgets to tell us were they are, and warn us as we approach them.

If fixed sites keep getting vandalised surely they will just be replaced by Scamera Vans, which have minimal warnings, and our GPS gadgets don't warn them of their presence!

I suggest that the tactics should be to leave fixed sites alone, and every time anyone sees a mobile van they should park up, and fgo and have a 5 or 10 minute chat with the operator. If enough people did it the operators wouldn't have the time to catch anyone!

Dan

1,068 posts

304 months

Saturday 8th November 2003
quotequote all
Chrisgr31 said:

I suggest that the tactics should be to leave fixed sites alone, and every time anyone sees a mobile van they should park up, and fgo and have a 5 or 10 minute chat with the operator. If enough people did it the operators wouldn't have the time to catch anyone!


Or how about get a crane and tip it over on the verge

Chrisgr31

Original Poster:

14,180 posts

275 months

Sunday 9th November 2003
quotequote all
Dan said:


Or how about get a crane and tip it over on the verge


Well a fair enough idea but I can't imagine the local crane hire company being terribly willing to help out!

Suppose the other option is to hire the local kids to throw paint bombs at the van to cover the windows!

Now theres an idea, where to the vans park at night? Nip over the fence and paint the windows!

hedders

24,460 posts

267 months

Sunday 9th November 2003
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Chrisgr31 said:


Suppose the other option is to hire the local kids to throw paint bombs at the van to cover the windows!



Thats the best plan I have heard so far, we all know kids are untouchable, lets use these stupid laws to our advantage...we pay these kids a few quid for each time they destroy a Gatso or paint bomb a talivan, and they won't have to steal from us to buy their booze /fireworks/drugs etc

NugentS

699 posts

267 months

Sunday 9th November 2003
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Looking (hypothetically) at ways of err hindering a camera:

1. Obstruction - plastic bags, stickers.
Short term gain - no real cost of repair.
2. Minor Vandalism - paint
OK - a bit more of a nusiance - some paints can be a real bugger to remove. I would however suspect that the clear bits could be swiftly and cheaply replaced and paint over the rest of the scamera is pointless.
3. Tyre Burning
Effective, but dangerous IMHO. Someone is going to get burned if this keeps on. Obviously the burners choice and I fully support the action but it is somewhat dangerous.
4. Large truck / major physical damage.
OK - this is good - lots of damage that isn't easy to fix and reasonably safe to do. However I suspect that in a lot of cases the camera may not be damaged and given the cost of the things - the cameras have to be the major target.
5. Expanding foam
I am assuming that the bit where the radar is emmited is somewhat less solid than the rest of the casing. Drill a hole in here and inject expanding foam - should be nice and messy. I am not sure however whether this has a good damage effect or whether its
just major nusiance
5. Thermite. A mixture of aluminium and iron oxide in proportions got from the web easily. Lit with magnesium ribbon. Place a quantity on the top of the camera casing, stand back and light. According to what I have heard goes straight through the casing, and camera and out the bottom. Don't look at the burn though as you could blind yourself. Relatively safe as it won't go off by accident, easy to make (in theory) with relatively common materials.

A question for the BiB - is Thermite classed as an explosive?

Any more ideas ?

BruceV8

3,325 posts

267 months

Sunday 9th November 2003
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NugentS said:
A question for the BiB - is Thermite classed as an explosive?



I'm not a BiB, but I speak with some authority on the subject. It does depend on how its used but, generally, the answer is yes.

>> Edited by BruceV8 on Sunday 9th November 15:37

outlaw

1,893 posts

286 months

Sunday 9th November 2003
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not if its used for cutting

but if you use a couple of acids corectly
and get over the headache for the next few days

and use it as a base for something more useful and safer.

it deferlently is classed as one

ps dont try the mixs you find on the net there mostly wroung. and will end in a big bang at the wroung time.

second thorts there safer bases to use that aint as unstable.

and be very careful when filling homade blasting cap.
thats the doggy bit.

do it in sand bags behing a blast screen if you can.

serously dont around with thermite unless you know what your doing


unless you want to spend the next few years get skin grafts. or worse.

it aint quite that simple to make the fineness of the powders used have alot to do with the reaction time.

pluss magnisum ribon aint that easy to light

having said that a homemade blasting cap and a small charge wold drop it well

add a bag of ferterliser as a filler and it will take half the road with if it plased corectly




>> Edited by outlaw on Sunday 9th November 19:39

>> Edited by outlaw on Sunday 9th November 19:45

Pigeon

18,535 posts

266 months

Sunday 9th November 2003
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Thermite's fun but whence cometh the aluminium powder if you can't be arsed to spend ages filing up chunks of ally?

Surely the quickest and simplest method is a pickaxe through the lens?

Chrisgr31

Original Poster:

14,180 posts

275 months

Sunday 9th November 2003
quotequote all
Hmmm but as I said at the start of th thread tackling fixed cameras is all well and good, but at least we know where they are! Its the Talivans we need off the road, as they can pitch up anywhere!

outlaw

1,893 posts

286 months

Sunday 9th November 2003
quotequote all
Chrisgr31 said:
Hmmm but as I said at the start of th thread tackling fixed cameras is all well and good, but at least we know where they are! Its the Talivans we need off the road, as they can pitch up anywhere!



off road bike no plates and a 50/50 mix of oil and unleaded.

should do the trick.

NugentS

699 posts

267 months

Sunday 9th November 2003
quotequote all
Pigeon said:
Thermite's fun but whence cometh the aluminium powder if you can't be arsed to spend ages filing up chunks of ally?

Surely the quickest and simplest method is a pickaxe through the lens?

I was looking on the internet - I think you can buy the iron oxide and aluminium powder. Mind you - I'd have to think of a reason I wanted the stuff

All hypothetically of course

rs1952

5,247 posts

279 months

Sunday 9th November 2003
quotequote all
outlaw said:

Chrisgr31 said:
Hmmm but as I said at the start of th thread tackling fixed cameras is all well and good, but at least we know where they are! Its the Talivans we need off the road, as they can pitch up anywhere!



off road bike no plates and a 50/50 mix of oil and unleaded.

should do the trick.


I hope anybody who would like to try this out would at least give a "coded telephone warning" to plod so that they could get their Tax Gatherer out of his/her Talivan before the whole thing got blown to Kingdom Come?

Or perhaps the recipient of the coded warning would, at best, just dish out a crime number to the person on the other end of the phone or, at worst, simply do fk all about it ....

outlaw

1,893 posts

286 months

Sunday 9th November 2003
quotequote all
NugentS said:


Pigeon said:
Thermite's fun but whence cometh the aluminium powder if you can't be arsed to spend ages filing up chunks of ally?

Surely the quickest and simplest method is a pickaxe through the lens?



I was looking on the internet - I think you can buy the iron oxide and aluminium powder. Mind you - I'd have to think of a reason I wanted the stuff

All hypothetically of course




iron oxside is easy

its iron rust

get some old iron nails

a jam jar of salt water and a battery and your away.

with your own littel iron oxside factory

alumminuim powder you by is best filing it it not fine enoutgh to react corectly.

i wont say what else you can make with goods you can find a round the house because if you screw up

it will go up big time at the wroung time.




>> Edited by outlaw on Sunday 9th November 23:42

viggen114

259 posts

273 months

Monday 10th November 2003
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Why not just drive into the van, the penalty for due care and attention is less than for speeding.