GMP to target motorists with Smart Car CCTV Fleet

Darren

One of those many stories that will slip past unnoticed by many of us but worth a closer inspection.

The BBC featured the CCTV equipped Smart cars now being assessed by Greater Manchester Police (GMP). The cars are equipped with an 12 foot tall elevating mast which has a remote controlled camera on the top and the footage is recorded to had disk in the boot mounted computer.

All fairly innocuous until you discover that the GMP's Casualty Reduction Partnership will be targeting motorists with the aim of identifying and prosecuting drivers caught using their mobile phones, eating or being otherwise distracted whilst driving.

Are we to now be left in fear of an envelope landing on our carpet with a fine for careless driving as a result of being caught interacting with a Satnav?

Once again motorists are being singled out for close attention. The cost of each vehicle, manufactured by Smart CCTV Ltd will be substantial given the custom equipment installed and so a fleet of these will be a substantial investment.

Doubtless the fines levied at easy targets which motorists are must be fantastic money spinners and the Big Brother aspects of such monitoring are another concern.

Why do we have to use these methods in greater numbers rather than funding actual Police Officer who can stop a driver seen committing an offence and then offer appropriate advice and possibly a warning where justified rather than an automatic fine and penalty points?

Similar CCTV equipped cars are already in use by local authorities looking to catch motorists committing parking offences and monitoring bus lanes. The term 'thin end of the wedge' is rather less apt these days, I fear the wedge itself is all but hear.

Why are we so accepting of this plague of monitoring without ever questioning the justification, the use of the data etc?
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Darren Griffin

MaFt · Posted: Sun Apr 12, 2009 4:46 pm Post subject:

well, i certainly hope that the driver of one of these isn't also controlling the camera or even pointing out to any of their passengers people who may need to be recorded - i mean, we wouldn't want them to take their eyes off the road for a split second would we...!

MaFt

adamf · Posted: Sun Apr 12, 2009 10:05 pm Post subject:

hope they remember low bridges like the riot wagon chasing a car in atherstone the car went under a 6 foot bridge the car got away ?? Laughing

SpacedMan · Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2009 8:19 am Post subject:

I hope they have decent cameras fitted, not like the ones Richmond Council use on their Smart cars to detect illegaly parked cars.

Several hundred people in my area that have Blue Disabled badges have been done for parking on yellow lines because the camera can't see the blue badge, if you blow the photo up to A3 size, you can just about see it.

Unless they use good cameras, they're gonna have a few appologies to make.
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Beam Me Up Scotty This Planet Sucks!!!!

alix776 · Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2009 10:04 am Post subject:

so it illegal to eat and drink behind the wheel now god itll be illegal to breathe while driving next . talk about going for an easy target. not everyone gets time stop and have a meal break during there day.

can wait for the case of someone putting a mint in there mouth while still being in full control of the veihcle being caught on camera where will it end
i have seen these smart around and they are one man opertated
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Darren · Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2009 10:30 am Post subject:

It's the very broadly worded 'driving without due care' that is used. It was the one they used to prosecute a driver for eating an apple.

To be fair though, it requires a higher burden of proof so there would need to be clear evidence that what you were doing was causing you to be distracted.

Oh and in reply to some posts above, these are used parked up, not moving Laughing

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Darren Griffin

MikeB · Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2009 11:06 am Post subject:

I have seen the same equipped Smart (???) car in use in London. Here they are monitoring congestion charging. I was attracted by the icons on the side of the cars being the same as speed camera (sorry safety camera) vans.

The worrying thing is that these are not manned by trained police but by police support personnel. I would much rather be pulled over by a policeman who can explain what I had done wrong and can offer a discretionary warning rather then some over zealous police wannabe wanting to top the league of tickets issued...
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Mike Barrett

Darren · Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2009 11:13 am Post subject:

In the BBC Video it looked like a PCSO, very worrying trend if true.
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Darren Griffin

SpikeyMikey · Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2009 12:17 pm Post subject:

This is a link I found to the video.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7994362.stm

I wouldn't know how to embed it, or whether I should / could have.

HTH
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Mike
TT GO6000 (Europe); iPhone and iPad Pro with iOS TT GO & MyDrive + CamerAlert

SpacedMan · Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2009 4:52 pm Post subject:

alwyn1 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Feb 04, 2006 Posts: 22

It's always puzzled me as to how come wagon drivers can chat on CB radios whilst going down the road. Not seen as often now but can still be seen.

Darren · Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 11:28 am Post subject:

alwyn1 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Feb 04, 2006 Posts: 22

DennisN · Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 4:40 pm Post subject:

nuttynurse · Posted: Fri Apr 17, 2009 9:14 am Post subject:

I guess with the Economy being what it is, is it really that much of a surprise to see the government exhorting even more money from the motorist? The money from taxing and fining motorist is about the only income the exchequer has now apart from the general taxation's. So be generous in your gifts to the Accident Reduction - who ever they now call themselves - Gordon Brown and his Team are desperately looking to to restore the fortunes of MP's Expenses. Sorry, that should read the Country wealth, whoops, just a typing error.

Re the earlier comment about having Police back in greater presence in their patrol cars, that should equally apply to seeing them back in greater number on the beat also. Why are we paying off-duty police officers to man these camera vehicles and why are we also paying to have community beat officers out walking about whilst our police officers sit filing forms at the station, seemingly.

If the Conservatives want to win the next election perhaps they should start campaigning to fight for motorists.

By the way, I am totally against the use of mobile phones being used by the driver of vehicles. There's no real excuse with all the hand-free kits available.

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