Police have to inform where they set up mobile units?

sdm197 · Lifetime Member Joined: Dec 06, 2004 Posts: 227

Hi All,

I saw this on the net for a little known gps device, in the sales pitch this little gem cropped up

Mobile Speed Trap Detection

This is really where the competing products fall down. There is no good reason for this because the Police BY LAW must announce seven days prior to operating mobile speed traps in a new area exactly where they will be doing so.

...and to be fair to the Police, they do this because it is systemised and doesn’t require anyone to make the announcement -- in order to get signoff on a new location, it must be automatically added to the database and just needs someone to download it, which we do every day.

This makes it easy to update all mobile speed camera locations with 100% accuracy BEFORE the Police ever start using them.

The only reason I can imagine that competitors to the BTST Locator do not update these locations regularly is because you need to pay someone to do it (which we do).

So now we had a database that is 100% accurate and that no other speed camera detector will ever be able to use (remember our shareholding in the mapping company -- we have the exclusive rights to the fixed speed camera locations database and we will NEVER allow any rival to use these locations).

If this is the case where can we find where the Police publish this information?

SDM197.

PaulB2005 · Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2008 12:59 pm Post subject:

Their sales pitch is amusing at times....

Adam Blair is also involved with Talex - see this thread

Oh and you can Google the information. Try Surrey Speed Cameras or simalar...

Interesting how they don't tell you the laser and radar detector they are selling will soon become illegal anyway....

edit:spelling

MaFt · Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2008 3:27 pm Post subject:

utter rubbish i'm afraid... the police can speed check wherever they like. safety camera partnerships however have guidelines suggesting that they only go to areas with lots of deaths or accidents due to driving. but they are only guidelines. they do not have to publish where they are going at any time.

the locations given on arious SCP websites are unusable - they tend to say 'they will be on xxx road'. but without exact coordinates that information is useless - the range can be over a mile long... do you really want to be alerts for a mile long stretch when a few eagle eyed camera spotters can let us know the exact spot they use?

MaFt

sdm197 · Lifetime Member Joined: Dec 06, 2004 Posts: 227

Hi Guys,

Yes you are right, they would probably narrow it down to a road if we were lucky, and as you suggest the A2 for example is a very long road......

I hadn't thought of it from that perspective.

Thanks for both your replies though,

SDM197.

bobby6969 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jul 27, 2006 Posts: 3

PaulB2005 · Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 8:12 am Post subject:

M8TJT · Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 8:40 am Post subject:

Darren · Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 9:04 am Post subject:

The use of radar/laser detectors in this country is only permitted here by virtue of a loophole. Many other European countries outlaw them already.

You may recall that they used to be forbidden to 'use' here but a test case some years back found a loophole in the WTA legislation.

Where it does get silly is when you can sell, own and possess a device but not legally use it. That's a mockery and makes the job of a Police Officer more difficult. Much better that they ban them and prohibit sale and possession outright. No room for doubt then.
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Darren Griffin

M8TJT · Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 9:33 am Post subject:

Sorry Darren, I don't agree with your last paragraph. If the government allow one form of camera awareness that complement the government's policies (GPS), then why should we not allow all types?
Based on the argument used in their second paragraph, any form of camera awarenes will 'complement' their policies. I suspect that the real reason is because the previous law did not work so they are tinkering yet again. Why are detectors so bad when a good database, such as ours, are OK to use?
Much better that they ALLOW their use, this will also remove any ambiguity over their use for the police, and no doubt free up police and court time for other 'inconsiderate parking' and other more easily 'proved' motorist based offences.

Darren · Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 9:40 am Post subject:

I suspect that the actual facts are that it is much simpler to legislate against radar/laser. They can easily forbid the transmission/reception of certain radio frequencies. Legislating against the use of a Lat/Lon database is very much more difficult.

There is a world of difference between camera awareness by virtue of a device using a GPS based database or POIs in a Road Atlas etc and devices that actively detect and or transmit to thwart a speed check such as radar or laser.

It's a game of course but whilst many of us use the database, those whose et out armed with radar/laser and jammers are a different matter entirely.

We're all entitled to our opinions of course, I dislike static and mobile SCP cameras but fully support the rights of a Police Officer to set up an ad hoc speed check wherever they see fit.
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Darren Griffin

bobby6969 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jul 27, 2006 Posts: 3

So the quote from government is - law, due to be law or may become law?

If it's up for parliment (October I think) it doesn't mean it 'will' become law, does it?

Darren · Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 11:17 am Post subject:

This is part of the third and last part of the Road Safety Bill, it's all agreed but lost out on parliamentary time so didn't make the statute books last year.

Whilst it 'could' still be blocked, it's highly unlikely to be.
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Darren Griffin

bobby6969 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jul 27, 2006 Posts: 3

So 'if' it does become law using a radar/laser detector will have the same punishment as if you got caught with a laser blocker.

Darren · Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 11:30 am Post subject:

Andy_P · Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 11:45 am Post subject:

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