RE: Laser Jammer Charged
Wednesday 7th April 2004
Laser Jammer Charged
Surrey Police nab man from Staines for blocking speed gun
A thirty year old man from Staines has been arrested by Surrey Police for using a laser jammer device on his car.
It's alleged that when driving through a speed trap on the A308, the man used the jammer to prevent a speed reading being taken. His registration was noted by the recording equipment and police visited his home later that day to confiscate the device and arrest the man. He has been charged with obstructing a constable in the execution of his duty.
Casualty Reduction Officer for Spelthorne PC Mike Pritchard said: “I want to emphasise that these devices are illegal. People are under the impression that the device will jam the laser signal and that’s all. What they fail to recognize is that the police speed detection device identifies that the vehicle is fitted with a laser jammer. The offence is recorded on tape and the vehicles are then traceable through the Police National Computer . "
Discussion
swilly said:
If this gent was to have removed the jammer, having realised he had been 'lighted up' then surely he could not be arrested, as the jammer is the evidence.
I was thinking the same thing as surely they'd have no evidence that he was jamming the signal if it was removed from the car.
No precedent and the Police are wrong: laser jammers would only be illegal if there were a section of a statute or a High Court judgment that made them so. It is illegal to bostruct a Policeman in the course of his duty, but you can commit that offence with a laser jammer or with any other object you fancy.
Are we saying that jammers are illegal now or was there some other reason the Police have taken this action???
There are many people who use this site that use gps camera detectors. Some of those people would have the appropriate jammer (LRC100 for example) as well.
If this is the way things are going, gps detectors will be next......I really am fed up with the UK
There are many people who use this site that use gps camera detectors. Some of those people would have the appropriate jammer (LRC100 for example) as well.
If this is the way things are going, gps detectors will be next......I really am fed up with the UK
If this is a real case I would like to know the out come, I am begining to think that it you know you have jammed the scamera, best bet is to take it off for a couple of weeks.
Would also be good to know if Mr Jammer was taking this p
s and not turning off and was doing a big speed.
Malc
>> Edited by count duckula on Wednesday 7th April 12:14
Would also be good to know if Mr Jammer was taking this p
s and not turning off and was doing a big speed. Malc
>> Edited by count duckula on Wednesday 7th April 12:14
Spin Partnership Liar said said:
I want to emphasise that these devices are illegal.
and
What they fail to recognize is that the police speed detection device identifies that the vehicle is fitted with a laser jammer.
Both untrue statements. Owning the device is not illegal, using the device to obstruct the police in their duties may be illegal.
The laser speed detection device does not flash up 'Laser jammer, Laser jammer' it merely informs the user no speed was recorded or something like that.
It may be somewhat unwise to use them in an area local to your home. In my area, South Beds, the talivans frequent only certain lucrative places, like the Shefford By-Pass, the A1 at Sandy, etc, so we locals know where they are and we all slow down there.
If you only use your jammer when out of your own area it would seem rather unlikely that one county force would ask another to get a search warrant on the basis that a vehicle registered to you gave an 'error' reading when painted by a laser gun.
With your car is on your property rather than on the public highway, so far as I am aware, the Old Bill would need a search warrant to inspect it. By the time they returned with one, you jammer would be elsewhere, wouldn't it? The evidence would be hard to achieve, so they would probably not bother.
If you only use your jammer when out of your own area it would seem rather unlikely that one county force would ask another to get a search warrant on the basis that a vehicle registered to you gave an 'error' reading when painted by a laser gun.
With your car is on your property rather than on the public highway, so far as I am aware, the Old Bill would need a search warrant to inspect it. By the time they returned with one, you jammer would be elsewhere, wouldn't it? The evidence would be hard to achieve, so they would probably not bother.
When on public roads you are bound by the laws on them.
If you prevent the police from doing their job actively, ie, jamming their laser, it is an offence.
Passive things such as gps and all that are all ok, since they don't prevent the police or their equipment working, so you are not obstructing them, just avoiding them
But I like the idea of a warrant to search your car OFF the highway, means you can remove anything "naughty" before they find it!
I like the idea of a "beep" if you see them, so everyone down the road knows about it before they get there!
Dave
If you prevent the police from doing their job actively, ie, jamming their laser, it is an offence.
Passive things such as gps and all that are all ok, since they don't prevent the police or their equipment working, so you are not obstructing them, just avoiding them
But I like the idea of a warrant to search your car OFF the highway, means you can remove anything "naughty" before they find it!
I like the idea of a "beep" if you see them, so everyone down the road knows about it before they get there!
Dave
There is no law as yet regarding the purchase of a Laser Jammer or the fitting of one on a motor vehicle. However the first arrest was made in February 2003 regarding the use of a Laser Jammer. The person was arrested for "Perverting the course of Justice"
This offence is very serious and carries 7 years in Jail. It is normally used to deal with people that are caught out telling lies to get away with something or gain something without actually going to court and perjuring themselves in the witness box.
Usually, the offence used to deal with interfering with speed trap readings or the speed traps themselves, such as large notices before the trap advertising its position and it is in operation, would be 'Obstruction of Police in execution of duty'.
I would imagine that because this chap was deemed to be actively employing a system to purposefully demonstrate his ability to avoid prosecution, that the officer stopping him, used the offence of Perverting Justice to justify his arrest. Obstruction of Police has no power of arrest unless it is used in conjunction with the General Power under Sect 25 PACE 1984
Perverting Justice is an indictable offence (Crown Court only and very expensive).
Obstruction of Police is a visit to the Magistrates Court only and is much cheaper.
-------------------------------------
A south Wales motorist has become the first person in Britain to be arrested for using an electronic jammer to confuse speed traps. The driver was found with a laser diffuser device in the vehicle by police in south Wales under a drive called the Safety Camera Partnership.
The gadget, which is also known as a jammer, works by alerting the driver to laser speed detectors and temporarily stopping it from taking a speed reading. The car had been recorded speeding on six different occasions around Cardiff and the south Wales valleys. However, a reading of how fast it was traveling could not be obtained because the jammer device interfered with the detectors.
"The motorist in question has since been arrested for perverting the course of justice and has admitted the offence," said Sergeant Gary Smart from South Wales Police. "The partnership will not tolerate the use of such diffuser devices. "Clearly people using devices of this sort have the inclination to drive without due regard for speed limits, and are obstructing officers in the course of their duty," he added.
In the South Wales Police force area there are 33 static speed camera sites and 41 traffic signal sites. An additional 103 mobile sites with 11 mobile units are also used to catch speeding motorists. Sophisticated devices to stop the cameras from taking speed readings can be bought from specialist websites. They work by flashing a strong laser signal to the speed detector which causes a temporary error in the equipment and prevents a speed reading being taken.
John Rowling, Safety Camera Partnership "While the legislation has been passed making it illegal to use radar diffusers, there is currently no legislation in place regarding the laser devices," said John Rowling from the Safety Camera Partnership. "Although the government are looking at this important issue. "The use of such devices is extremely dangerous as it gives the motorist licence to drive at inappropriate speeds, putting the safety of other road users at risk. "I hope this arrest acts as a clear warning to those using such devices to enable them to drive in excess of the legal speed limit," he added.
The Story From BBC News @ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/2744329.stm
-------------------------------------
Published in News & Star on Monday, March 1st 2004
By Mary Ingham and Pam McClounie
MOTORISTS in Cumbria are cheating police by installing electronic jamming devices in their cars in a bid to thwart speed traps.
The devices can be easily bought on the internet, but Cumbria police are warning motorists that using a speed camera jammer could land them in court.
Carlisle motorist Nigel Robert James Potter, 21, of Crosshill Drive, became one of the first in the county to be on the wrong side of the law when he was caught by police on London Road in Carlisle last year.
At Eden Magistrates’ Court Potter admitted obstructing a constable by fitting a jamming device to his car which prevented police recording his speed.
Suspicions about Mr Potter first came to light in June last year when PC Ivison used a safety camera to check the speed of a Vauxhall Carleton on Linstock Bridge over the M6 motorway.
Prosecutor Mike Fisher said that for seven seconds the officer’s laser equipment gave an error message but no speed reading.
PC Ivison made inquiries and was told that the message would only appear if a laser jamming device was being used.
In September another police officer, PC Cox, was operating a safety camera on London Road when the same error message came on as he tried to get a speed reading for a Vauxhall Carleton, said Mr Fisher.
The car was traced to Potter and was seized and examined. A USA-made jamming device was found, termed a “diffuser” and costing £349.
In mitigation, Gail Heard said Potter, who had no previous convictions, had bought the device without instructions for £10 from a friend and had thought it was a radar detector, which would have been legal.
A speed check on a wagon travelling close behind Potter indicated he had not been speeding.
Potter had to pay £138 for the recovery wagon used by the police to take away his car and had been without the car for a month.
Eden magistrates gave Potter a six-month conditional discharge and ordered the forfeit and destruction of the jammer.
A police spokesman said: “We advise motorists not use jamming devices because the police will eventually catch them and prosecute them.”
This offence is very serious and carries 7 years in Jail. It is normally used to deal with people that are caught out telling lies to get away with something or gain something without actually going to court and perjuring themselves in the witness box.
Usually, the offence used to deal with interfering with speed trap readings or the speed traps themselves, such as large notices before the trap advertising its position and it is in operation, would be 'Obstruction of Police in execution of duty'.
I would imagine that because this chap was deemed to be actively employing a system to purposefully demonstrate his ability to avoid prosecution, that the officer stopping him, used the offence of Perverting Justice to justify his arrest. Obstruction of Police has no power of arrest unless it is used in conjunction with the General Power under Sect 25 PACE 1984
Perverting Justice is an indictable offence (Crown Court only and very expensive).
Obstruction of Police is a visit to the Magistrates Court only and is much cheaper.
-------------------------------------
A south Wales motorist has become the first person in Britain to be arrested for using an electronic jammer to confuse speed traps. The driver was found with a laser diffuser device in the vehicle by police in south Wales under a drive called the Safety Camera Partnership.
The gadget, which is also known as a jammer, works by alerting the driver to laser speed detectors and temporarily stopping it from taking a speed reading. The car had been recorded speeding on six different occasions around Cardiff and the south Wales valleys. However, a reading of how fast it was traveling could not be obtained because the jammer device interfered with the detectors.
"The motorist in question has since been arrested for perverting the course of justice and has admitted the offence," said Sergeant Gary Smart from South Wales Police. "The partnership will not tolerate the use of such diffuser devices. "Clearly people using devices of this sort have the inclination to drive without due regard for speed limits, and are obstructing officers in the course of their duty," he added.
In the South Wales Police force area there are 33 static speed camera sites and 41 traffic signal sites. An additional 103 mobile sites with 11 mobile units are also used to catch speeding motorists. Sophisticated devices to stop the cameras from taking speed readings can be bought from specialist websites. They work by flashing a strong laser signal to the speed detector which causes a temporary error in the equipment and prevents a speed reading being taken.
John Rowling, Safety Camera Partnership "While the legislation has been passed making it illegal to use radar diffusers, there is currently no legislation in place regarding the laser devices," said John Rowling from the Safety Camera Partnership. "Although the government are looking at this important issue. "The use of such devices is extremely dangerous as it gives the motorist licence to drive at inappropriate speeds, putting the safety of other road users at risk. "I hope this arrest acts as a clear warning to those using such devices to enable them to drive in excess of the legal speed limit," he added.
The Story From BBC News @ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/2744329.stm
-------------------------------------
Published in News & Star on Monday, March 1st 2004
By Mary Ingham and Pam McClounie
MOTORISTS in Cumbria are cheating police by installing electronic jamming devices in their cars in a bid to thwart speed traps.
The devices can be easily bought on the internet, but Cumbria police are warning motorists that using a speed camera jammer could land them in court.
Carlisle motorist Nigel Robert James Potter, 21, of Crosshill Drive, became one of the first in the county to be on the wrong side of the law when he was caught by police on London Road in Carlisle last year.
At Eden Magistrates’ Court Potter admitted obstructing a constable by fitting a jamming device to his car which prevented police recording his speed.
Suspicions about Mr Potter first came to light in June last year when PC Ivison used a safety camera to check the speed of a Vauxhall Carleton on Linstock Bridge over the M6 motorway.
Prosecutor Mike Fisher said that for seven seconds the officer’s laser equipment gave an error message but no speed reading.
PC Ivison made inquiries and was told that the message would only appear if a laser jamming device was being used.
In September another police officer, PC Cox, was operating a safety camera on London Road when the same error message came on as he tried to get a speed reading for a Vauxhall Carleton, said Mr Fisher.
The car was traced to Potter and was seized and examined. A USA-made jamming device was found, termed a “diffuser” and costing £349.
In mitigation, Gail Heard said Potter, who had no previous convictions, had bought the device without instructions for £10 from a friend and had thought it was a radar detector, which would have been legal.
A speed check on a wagon travelling close behind Potter indicated he had not been speeding.
Potter had to pay £138 for the recovery wagon used by the police to take away his car and had been without the car for a month.
Eden magistrates gave Potter a six-month conditional discharge and ordered the forfeit and destruction of the jammer.
A police spokesman said: “We advise motorists not use jamming devices because the police will eventually catch them and prosecute them.”
Wouldn't the whole crux of the matter be proving that you were actively and intentionally jamming the equipment and therefore obstructing duty?
Is a laser jammer the only way a laser speed detector will not pick up a signal? If not it seems it would be very difficult to prove that you were actively jamming a signal even if you had such a device fitted.
Is a laser jammer the only way a laser speed detector will not pick up a signal? If not it seems it would be very difficult to prove that you were actively jamming a signal even if you had such a device fitted.
chim450 said:
Wouldn't the whole crux of the matter be proving that you were actively and intentionally jamming the equipment and therefore obstructing duty?
Disco.
Yes, he has a jammer. Yes, they failed to get a reading from his car.
Prove he intentionally obstructed the police. The gun could have given that error code for another reason.
IIRC, some laser guns DO give a jamming code. Most register an error code, but some models are clever enough to know when they are being actively jammed. Some laser jammers (like the Blinder M-10 if I recall) do not bring up a this 'jamming' code.
www.ukspeedtraps.co.uk really is the daddy when it comes to stuff like this.
www.ukspeedtraps.co.uk really is the daddy when it comes to stuff like this.
Is'nt the device corroborating an officers view that you were speeding?
If so then surely you were not stopping the police seeing you speeding!
Is this another reason not to have a car registered in your name, I can see why people do it.
>> Edited by cptsideways on Tuesday 12th July 23:05
If so then surely you were not stopping the police seeing you speeding!
Is this another reason not to have a car registered in your name, I can see why people do it.
>> Edited by cptsideways on Tuesday 12th July 23:05
Surely if an offence was committed, and the car was not stopped on the spot, then any search made at a later date could not be construed as evidence later on?
If I used a lazer Jammer and then went home, unplugged it from my car and left it on my kitchen table.How can any police officer then prove that that lazer jammer was used in obstructing a speed gun.
I personally like the idea of using covert equipment to avoid covert detection.
I see loads of incidences of bad driving everyday, centre lane hogging, poor signalling, abysmal lane discipline. Why, because it is too easy to pass a driving test.
In my opinion the test should be made as difficult and as expensive as obtaining a pilot's licence. and in driving a car, you should also be made to take a motorcycle and HGV test, perhaps then the standard of driving in this country would improve.
I also feel that if police were to police road behaviour, rather than generate revenue for the government then the roads truly would be a lot safer.
An on the spot fine because of an arbitrary speed set in the 1960's when passing a guy hiding in the trees has no regard for the way that the convicted driver is driving on the road.
we are narrowing roads to facilitate parking, fitting speed humps to slow cars down in built up areas in case kids run out from behind those cars.
Why not just teach kids how to cross rooads safely like when I was a kid, or don't let anyone have a car if they cannot park it off the queens highway.
Congestion charge, the same? have we cured a parking problem. NO. all we have done is made the problem acceptable by charging people a tenner to do it?? Why not force everyone to use a park and ride outside of London? that would cure congestion.
Rant over.
If I used a lazer Jammer and then went home, unplugged it from my car and left it on my kitchen table.How can any police officer then prove that that lazer jammer was used in obstructing a speed gun.
I personally like the idea of using covert equipment to avoid covert detection.
I see loads of incidences of bad driving everyday, centre lane hogging, poor signalling, abysmal lane discipline. Why, because it is too easy to pass a driving test.
In my opinion the test should be made as difficult and as expensive as obtaining a pilot's licence. and in driving a car, you should also be made to take a motorcycle and HGV test, perhaps then the standard of driving in this country would improve.
I also feel that if police were to police road behaviour, rather than generate revenue for the government then the roads truly would be a lot safer.
An on the spot fine because of an arbitrary speed set in the 1960's when passing a guy hiding in the trees has no regard for the way that the convicted driver is driving on the road.
we are narrowing roads to facilitate parking, fitting speed humps to slow cars down in built up areas in case kids run out from behind those cars.
Why not just teach kids how to cross rooads safely like when I was a kid, or don't let anyone have a car if they cannot park it off the queens highway.
Congestion charge, the same? have we cured a parking problem. NO. all we have done is made the problem acceptable by charging people a tenner to do it?? Why not force everyone to use a park and ride outside of London? that would cure congestion.
Rant over.
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