Scoboblio Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 Ok this is a strange question..... Coming out of Witham town centre last night at about 8pm, there was a mobile "safety camera" set up. It was on the other side of the road facing towards me. I wasn't exactly rocketing along and was only a few mph over the limit so I'm not overly concerned. It looked like a small box on legs placed a few yards infront of the van (complete with fully uniformed police officer earning his £££ whilst reading the paper ). Here's my question: can these sort of cameras catch people face on in the dark? It didn't flash and I had my headlights on, which would surely render any picture taken useless with regards to number plate recognition I guess it was probably catching people from behind going the other way, but it would be nice if someone could confirm my suspicions :alien: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martynb Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 Never seen them use anything more sophistiicated than gatso and laser in essex so that will have been a mini gatso and you should be ok unless they have some new death ray type device on trial or something. Gatso's will do you at night but you don't often see them using the mini ones after dark, I assume becasue the siting has to be good to avoid dazzling oncoming drivers. If anyone knows it was something else I would like to know as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scoboblio Posted January 8, 2005 Author Share Posted January 8, 2005 Thanks for that mate, I assume that the mini gatso's flash as well then? I've never seen one in action so to speak. It certainly didn't look like a high tech piece of kit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffvalenti Posted January 9, 2005 Share Posted January 9, 2005 Are you sure it was a speed camera? I thought that the police had to actually operate them. Sounds more like a road tax camera to me, they can just be left to do their job as all they're doing is number plate recognition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scoboblio Posted January 9, 2005 Author Share Posted January 9, 2005 Hmm, certainly could have been a road tax camera, I didn't see any warning signs either way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Cargill Posted January 9, 2005 Share Posted January 9, 2005 I quite often see them round here, parked in the central reservation on a dual carriageway with two tripods facing each way. They each have a black box a bit smaller than a shoe box on the top. About 1/4 mile away are a herd of traffic bikes & cars ready to pounce. I asumed it's speed as it's not exactly a slow road, but may be tax checking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Posted January 9, 2005 Share Posted January 9, 2005 Yes, mini gatsos do flash, it's the same intensity as a pocket camera flash IYSWIM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scoboblio Posted January 9, 2005 Author Share Posted January 9, 2005 phew, probably been quite lucky there then Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martynb Posted January 9, 2005 Share Posted January 9, 2005 Are you sure it was a speed camera? I thought that the police had to actually operate them. Sounds more like a road tax camera to me, they can just be left to do their job as all they're doing is number plate recognition. Hardly any cameras are run by "on duty" cops now, they are nearly all civvies employed by the "safety camera partnerships" or guess what, overworked cops who miraculously aren't too exhausted from crime fighting to turn in overtime shifts persecuting the majority who consent to be policed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scoboblio Posted January 9, 2005 Author Share Posted January 9, 2005 overworked cops who miraculously aren't too exhausted from crime fighting to turn in overtime shifts persecuting the majority who consent to be policed. Like I've said before I've not NOTHING against policemen / women, but I do object to funding both sides of this war on motorists. Who pays their overtime again? Oh, that'll be us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martynb Posted January 9, 2005 Share Posted January 9, 2005 Yeah - the Essex "safety camera partnership" made so much money from safety in their last accounts they couldn't spend it all and had to hand a load back I believe ( not to us naturally), despite refurbing everthing they owned. I haven't got anything against policemen/women but the way the essex force are so utterly obsessed with speed cameras gets on your nerves. That last bunch of roadworks on the A12 + a minor set on the A120 meant I was passing 14 speed cameras on the way to work at the end of last year which is just plain stupid. Each time we have roadworks along there now the first month of contraflows is purely to erect the bl**dy gatso's. Rant mode off Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry Posted January 9, 2005 Share Posted January 9, 2005 I was wondering about this recently after coming back from Wales (M4). Going there was two "safety vans" but coming back in the dark, I didn't see any (OK I know it was Dark !). Has anybody else seen them operating at night ???? Would be nice if they were all tucked up in there little safety van beds zzzzzZZZZZ Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorin Posted January 10, 2005 Share Posted January 10, 2005 Yeah - the Essex "safety camera partnership" made so much money from safety in their last accounts they couldn't spend it all and had to hand a load back I believe ( not to us naturally), despite refurbing everthing they owned. Actually all money collected from safety camera partnerships goes straight into government coffers. The government then reimburses police forces their costs and, if approved, additional costs for further safety camera's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martynb Posted January 10, 2005 Share Posted January 10, 2005 Actually all money collected from safety camera partnerships goes straight into government coffers. The government then reimburses police forces their costs and, if approved, additional costs for further safety camera's. I'm afraid that isn't correct. The partnership applies for a funding grant based on a budget and this is then paid off by fines collected. If they cannot manage to spend everything which is in their budget after purchasing new pencil sharpeners all round, then the surplus goes to the treasury. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorin Posted January 10, 2005 Share Posted January 10, 2005 I'm afraid that isn't correct. The partnership applies for a funding grant based on a budget and this is then paid off by fines collected. If they cannot manage to spend everything which is in their budget after purchasing new pencil sharpeners all round, then the surplus goes to the treasury. Then Humberside's safety partnership works differently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Posted January 10, 2005 Share Posted January 10, 2005 I was wondering about this recently after coming back from Wales (M4). Going there was two "safety vans" but coming back in the dark, I didn't see any (OK I know it was Dark !). Has anybody else seen them operating at night ???? Would be nice if they were all tucked up in there little safety van beds zzzzzZZZZZ Cheers I don't think they can work in low light...so you're safe from that type of thing at night....but anything with a flash (ie Gatso) should still get you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martynb Posted January 10, 2005 Share Posted January 10, 2005 Then Humberside's safety partnership works differently. It might well, I believe there were two different methods of operation for these bods when they were originally set up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry Posted January 10, 2005 Share Posted January 10, 2005 Thought that may be the case The snooper helps with the flashy ones !! Although at night you can't see who's behind you so I'm forever letting hassling escorts etc past me cos it may be a cop only to charge them down when I find out there not - it's a hard life ! What I need is a diffuser at the front and a hellfire missile launcher in the back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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