Police in Northampton were last week caught using stealth speed camera vans to catch Motorists…
We first uncovered this practice of “stealth” speed traps way back in 2006, but believed it had died out…
However, no doubt keen to earn their Christmas bonuses, Northamptonshire “Police” — or “snakes” as heir actual Police colleagues call them — have reverted to their old ways of extorting Motorists incogneto.
Of course, if you ask them its the Motorist who is in the wrong!
They imply that we are all dangerous lunatics who pose a significant threat to our fellow road users.
They claim that they’re helping us by making the roads “safer”.
Quite who they think buys this nonsense anymore is beyond me…
I’ll keep you updated if this sneaky practice becomes more widespread again, and if you spot anything, please let me know!
If I don’t speak to you before Christmas, have a wonderful break!
All the best,
Adam
P.S. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this in the comments below:
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Road deaths are around 1700 pa, of which around 5-10% are due to speeding. Most are due to distraction, eg mobile phones.
50,000 deaths pa are due to traffic pollution.
Now where would I invest my efforts really?
I totally agree. “Bastards”
Only today the police were complaining about having to help with the strikes saying that it took them away from their real job of protecting the public. I don’t suppose they will take any staff of speeding tickets (should we say Road Safety) instead.
Happy Christmas to all
It’s a pity the police didn’t put as much effort into catching real criminals as they do for motorists
I thought you had to inform the DVLA when you changed the paint colour of your vehicle! Seems it does not apply to the police. One rule for them one rule for us.
This vehicle is still down as white on the dvla database so the old bill are breaking the law, like I have always said it takes a thief to catch a thief.
Then presumably any fine issued by this vehicle would be illegal too?
Brilliant!
According to the DVLA if someone changes the colour of a vehicle and doesn’t report it to the DVLA it is a police matter and the police should deal with it, you couldn’t make it up, talk about abuse of power
Well done Simon keep up the good work. I have these people in the family, and even in their off hours they come over all knowing and pretentious . All the best
https://www.gov.uk/change-vehicle-details-registration-certificate#:~:text=Changes%20you%20need%20to%20update,engine
Absolutely correct Gerry
That means they are breaking the law and tickets given out will be invalid
How true, think of the amount of council tax required to pi** around with expensive cars and re sprays, just to make your life miserable and their wallets bulge. This is beyond depressing.
I thought they had to have a marked van, like the yellow cameras?
p.s. there are cameras in Dedham Vale on the A12 Essex Suffolk border on top of very tall poles painted green and hidden by trees.
And remember ‘average speed’ cameras, you have to pass 3 working cameras for them to secure a conviction.
Great comment, but are you 100% sure of this? Do you have any proof? I was under the impression that Tax (Safety lol) Cameras had to be fluorescent, so that motorists could see them and be safely reminded to keep their speed down, not camouflaged, so that they are traps. This Law (recommendation?) was brought in when they got too greedy and were hiding Tax Cameras on every bend and behind trees etc. That’s when they were renamed ‘Safety’ (lol) Cameras and The Safety lol Camera Partnership was set up! Parasitic scum.
On the A24 between Leatherhead and Dorking, there are only 2 average speed cameras, one at each end of an approximately 3 mile stretch of road. Does this mean that anyone caught speeding along this stretch could not be fined as they have only passed 2 cameras?
So the order to do this presumably comes from the Chief Constable ? staff in the van are just doing what they are told
The staff in the camera vans are also breaking the law due to the colour change and it not being reported to DVLA, they cannot use the Nuremberg excuse ” I was just following orders”.
My friend taught science subjects in secondary schools. He has informed me that it is impossible to take an accurate reading of a vehicle’s speed with a MOVING device. This sounds all too plausible to me – all radar devices I have seen have been operated at the roadside or from a motorway gantry. Does anyone know why the police persist with this inaccurate practice?
It’s actually quite easy and accurate to do so, laptop, inertial platform and a radar is all that’s required. The issue that should be asked is why? Why covertly record someone speeding, and pop a fine in the post. This does not increase safety, just revenue
Revenue generation…
Re my earlier comment. While driving a van on the A30 dual carriageway, speed limit 70mph for private cars and 60mph for vans, I joined a long queue of cars travelling rigidly at 60mph. The reason was a police van doing 60mph with cameras stencilled on its rear windows. Inexplicably the 20 or more drivers of cars refused to overtake the police. I might add the following two observations : 1. the police driver was showing no warning lights or signs to suggest a hazard ahead and 2. as I expected when the police left the A30 after about 20 miles, the whole line melted into the normal pell-mell race at 80 to 90 mph. I imagine the bobbies in the van had a good laugh over their egg and chips lunch.
The issue is not breaking the speed limit. It’s the covert methodology used to catch motorists. Rather than using a standard police vehicle, which would warn motorists to slow down, which they say is what they want, they do not slow anyone down, at the time of the offence, just fine them in the post. How is this increasing safety then?
Self evidently, if safety was the primary concern, then the cameras should be made highly visible to slow drivers down. Concealing the camera does not slow people down – but it does allow for entrapment – and profits. If there was a genuine need to slow vehicles down in a given area, then occasional speed camera vans are not in any case going to work, a fixed camera would be much more effective as it would be visible and known about, to locals anyway – but much less profitable.
Aren’t ‘safety’ cameras supposed to be visibly painted anyway?
Just a quick question directed to Adam in particular. Do you think we, the public, should be able to choose which laws we obey and which we ignore , without any consequences?
But this is just the other side of the coin caused by Entrapment – what else do you expect!
Complete rubbish! If you drive over the speed limit, how is that entrapment? Nobody’s forced you to do it. Just another example of the muddled thinking of people trying hard to excuse the fact that they are poor drivers who don’t pay attention when out on the roads.
The police have already got a pretty poor reputation. How will this underhand practice improve the police’s reputation with the public.As previously stated; it’s just a money racket.
although I’m unable to prove this but I have been told by a person in the know. These cameras take the photo of all the cars then sift through them and find the drivers with clean or 3pts on them they then send out letters knowing that 99% of drivers will pay the £100 and go on a drivr awareness course rather than contest their innocents. so be very aware try and pass these vans right up close to the vehicle infront so they can’t get your number. Please note I’m only going on what I have been told. I was caught doing 28mph in a 30mph and was told I was doing 38mph. try and prove your telling the truth is a no contest.
Buy a dashcam!
Purely out to collect money. I think it was 2019 when police stated they had issued 2.3 million tickets at around £100 a pop. Work the number out and you see they are generating millions of pound in stealth taxes on the cash cow they see as motorists. Nothing to do with safety.
Have you noticed they never produce evidence of success’s in reducing accidents !!!
The guys who sell the vans at £300 k a pop are selling them, on the basis that they will pay for themselves in less than 4 months. So everyone except the motorist is a winner.
And on top of that if a real crime happens they wont even offer to come out , just say “here’s a report code ” and stop bothering us !!! absolute and utter rip off .
I respect the real police but not the cash cow targeting and blatant ripping of the motorist variety that seems to be rife in our world !!!
The whole of South London is now one all encompassing speed trap with the speed limit now reduced to 20 mph – a walking funeral pace that means a motorist has to grind a normal Ford Focus in 2nd gear for mile after mile in order to go about normal business. Every time I go to London, I feel like I am putting my driver’s licence on the line and taking enormous risks. I really wonder how delivery drivers do their job day after day. They are even enforcing these insane speed restrictions on the Army who are standing in for normal ambulance drivers during the strikes over Christmas. Who are these people? What are their names and on what streets do they live? Because they cannot live in Central London or indeed in the UK. London is now a waking nightmare for normal careful drivers.
Blah blah blah, here we go again…
“Of course, if you ask them its
the Motorist who is in the
wrong!
They imply that we are all
dangerous lunatics who pose
a significant threat to our fellow
road users.”
OF COURSE it’s YOUR FAULT if you are speeding. Look at the comments above! Absolutely littered with people trying to make excuses for those WHO BREAK THE LAW. Grow up for goodness sake.
Pathetic!
Totally agree as I commented myself earlier!!! If you do the crime accept the time /or fine!
Am I not I saying if speed cameras or mobile cameras are in operation they must then be sign posted by a fixed sign or mobile sign within 2 miles of Camera otherwise they cannot prosecute or you can fight the case
Am I not I saying if speed cameras or mobile cameras are in operation they must then be sign posted by a fixed sign or mobile sign within 2 miles of Camera otherwise they cannot prosecute or you can fight the case
Someone has got to pay for the respray before the van is sold on !
What I would like to know is the legality of an unliveried vehicle being used in speeding detection. The rule with respect to static speed cameras is that the containing box must be both painted yellow and clearly visible to drivers. Is it the case that police camera vans must be visible and liveried? If so, then an unmarked van’s being used for speed detection work is unlawful. Of course, the problem is that if a driver doesn’t spot it, then it’s game over…..or is it ? If it is unlawful to use an unmarked vehicle, then, since the onus is on the prosecution to prove every part of its case, the police might be forced to produce the vehicle AND its documents. They may be able to switch the registration marks, but not the chassis numbers. The demand for the evidence should be made while the case is in progress. Of course, if it’s not unlawful then we don’t stand a chance.
Hi, all this is wrong, what happened to having to put sighns up saying mobile speed camera opperation. this is technically entrapment. I passed one on the way to the hospital on friday 6th he was parked behind a parked car but the camera was well above the cars roof no markings on the van, they used to park on the bridge over the M60 between failsworth oldham and ashton under lyne we got rid of that we put big signs up and waved saying speed trap on them we got tolled we could be arested we told them to basicaly F off they soon got the message and dont stop there any more any one can do the same. They are just C- N-S and they no entrapment is legally wrong.