View Full Version : Covert traffic surveillance on Brixton Hill
brixtonvilla
15-02-2007, 17:52
See the CCTV van's out again, parked out by Lambeth College, complete with a police roadblock/pull-in set-up down in the lay-by by the Fridge. Interested to see HM Immigration officials down there as well as Old Bill. Seems to be a fair bit of this happening recently. Is this a "kill-two-birds-with-one-stone" strategy? If they haven't got tax/insurance, they might be illegal/overstaying visas? Not sure what I think really - seems a bit arbitrary to put the two together, if that's what's happening. Your thoughts?
detective-boy
15-02-2007, 18:14
Interested to see HM Immigration officials down there as well as Old Bill. Seems to be a fair bit of this happening recently. Is this a "kill-two-birds-with-one-stone" strategy?
It may be. It is certainly ever more common for the police to work with other agencies on this sort of operation (whether or not involving a traffic camera van).
If the experience of officers in an area is that they regularly get people who's immigration status is unclear and which would normally result in arrest and pissing around until the IND get their act together they will often get them involved for the benefit of all concerned (the police cos they don't end up losing officers to take a prisoner in and process them) and the suspect because the IND are often able to resolve matters there and then as they understand their own paperwork, etc. far better and have access to their databases (which, despite what everyone thinks, the police cannot do).
With the traffic camera van it is more often vehicle oriented other agencies though - DVLA, DoT (re- condition or good vehicles stuff), HMRC (re- red diesel) or whatever.
Minnie_the_Minx
16-02-2007, 11:01
what are those black cables across the roads, linked up to speed cameras or something?
what are those black cables across the roads, linked up to speed cameras or something?
They record speed in the little box locked to the lampost. The results may lead to more cameras.
See the CCTV van's out again, parked out by Lambeth College, complete with a police roadblock/pull-in set-up down in the lay-by by the Fridge. Interested to see HM Immigration officials down there as well as Old Bill. Seems to be a fair bit of this happening recently. Is this a "kill-two-birds-with-one-stone" strategy? If they haven't got tax/insurance, they might be illegal/overstaying visas? Not sure what I think really - seems a bit arbitrary to put the two together, if that's what's happening. Your thoughts?
If it gets uninsured drivers off the road I'm all for it.
If they are illegal/overstaying and driving around without insurance, BYE!
I watched the bloke lay the cables by Woolworths, in the afternoon rush hour dodging between buses, bikers and the usual executives-going-to-Haywards-Heath-while-talking-on-the-phone types. Looked like he has a short life expectancy.
kyser_soze
16-02-2007, 11:21
Just a quick point of semantics...
If something is covert then you wouldn't know about it or be able to see it. Hence describing the CCTV van you've seen as 'covert' (and I've seen it - it's got 'THIS IS A MOBILE CCTV UNIT' on the side) is an emotive misnomer, no doubt intended to 'Big Brotherise' the conversation that follows.
On tying road stuff/illegals together...I would imagine that much crime detection planning is based around using databases to establish patterns and correlations between specific crimes, social groups etc, and that previous results have suggested that there is a correlation between illegal immigrants and uninsured/untaxed cars and that Brixton is a 'hot spot' for finding them, hence it makes sense to link the two agencies.
Maybe Dibble is being arbitrary here, but given the amount of data that can be pulled together to draw patterns out I doubt it.
Minnie_the_Minx
16-02-2007, 11:28
They record speed in the little box locked to the lampost. The results may lead to more cameras.
Well I'm sure there's three news one from the Prison to before you even get to the Town Hall
Well, if it slows the traffic down on Brixton Hill, all well and good, but the ones that are there already don't seem to have made much difference
The cameras on Brixton Hill att the moment have no actual cameras in them. Lots of drivers are aware of how to tell if they are live inc me.:)
Minnie_the_Minx
16-02-2007, 11:43
The cameras on Brixton Hill att the moment have no actual cameras in them. Lots of drivers are aware of how to tell if they are live inc me.:)
Oh, :o How?
Drive past them at speed, then wait a few weeks. If you *don't* get a ticket, then bingo! You have found one of the non-working cameras. Simple.
Giles..
Dubversion
16-02-2007, 12:20
there was a similar operation outside my office in Kennington, flagging vans down. Some council bods in 'Lambeth Flytipping Team' tabards.
So presumably the charade was looking for people who were going flytipping. what fucking nonsense.
Cop: "i notice, sir, you have an old sofa and 4 bags of garden waste in your van"
Driver: "yes, officer"
Cop: "you weren't going to flytip that, were you?"
Driver: "yes, yes i was..."
They had that same operation in summer outside The Fridge. From what I heard they were checking vans and lorries for red diesel, so are you sure those weren't Customs bods rather than Immigration?
Minnie_the_Minx
16-02-2007, 12:27
Drive past them at speed, then wait a few weeks. If you *don't* get a ticket, then bingo! You have found one of the non-working cameras. Simple.
Giles..
I don't drive so I'm not worried.
You'll be buggered though if they fix them :D
brixtonvilla
17-02-2007, 09:36
Just a quick point of semantics...
If something is covert then you wouldn't know about it or be able to see it. Hence describing the CCTV van you've seen as 'covert' (and I've seen it - it's got 'THIS IS A MOBILE CCTV UNIT' on the side) is an emotive misnomer, no doubt intended to 'Big Brotherise' the conversation that follows.
The van I saw had no markings on it at all - just a white van with 2 cameras sticking out the back. Maybe you've seen a different one, but I know what I saw. Don't try to second-guess my intentions or put words in my mouth, please.
Gixxer1000
17-02-2007, 18:42
The cameras on Brixton Hill att the moment have no actual cameras in them.
Do they squirt water at you instead of taking a photo:confused:
detective-boy
17-02-2007, 19:41
They record speed in the little box locked to the lampost.
Not usually. Speed can be measured by that sort of device but the vast majority are simply counters.
detective-boy
17-02-2007, 19:44
The van I saw had no markings on it at all - just a white van with 2 cameras sticking out the back.
Sounds like an ANPR unit. Not linked with speed at all. Maybe passive surveillance on a main route for some reason or maybe deployed with intercept teams (either based nearby or further down the road).
that van is linked to the DVLA and police databases.
if your wanted for something, its tug time
brixtonvilla
17-02-2007, 20:56
They had that same operation in summer outside The Fridge. From what I heard they were checking vans and lorries for red diesel, so are you sure those weren't Customs bods rather than Immigration?
Definitely, wearing HM Immigration badges.
brixtonvilla
17-02-2007, 20:59
Sounds like an ANPR unit. Not linked with speed at all. Maybe passive surveillance on a main route for some reason or maybe deployed with intercept teams (either based nearby or further down the road).
Thinking about, that bit is covered by speed cameras anyway...
*slaps forehead*
Snorkelboy
17-02-2007, 21:21
there was a similar operation outside my office in Kennington, flagging vans down. Some council bods in 'Lambeth Flytipping Team' tabards.
So presumably the charade was looking for people who were going flytipping. what fucking nonsense.
Cop: "i notice, sir, you have an old sofa and 4 bags of garden waste in your van"
Driver: "yes, officer"
Cop: "you weren't going to flytip that, were you?"
Driver: "yes, yes i was..."
Why do you write stuff like this if you clearly haven't got a clue what's going on?:rolleyes: Those sort of stops can be highly effective in catching flytippers and other illegal waste operators. They'll be checking if anybody carrying waste is a licensed waste carrier, if so is the waste recorded correctly, is it going to somewhere it should etc.....
There are plenty of offences that can be picked up on by these stops, and intelligence gathered for more serious stuff.
detective-boy
17-02-2007, 21:44
Why do you write stuff like this if you clearly haven't got a clue what's going on?:rolleyes:
Oh, that's no bar to posting here ... :D
Definitely, wearing HM Immigration badges.
At the end of 2006 there were lots of adverts for recruiting immigration officers.
You may have noticed the adverts for the last month or so about employing illegals in your business.
Given that if you find an untaxed/insured car the driver is often involved in other offences (so I keep being told) maybe thats why the immigration 'service' were around.
Just a guess so don't shout at me if I'm wrong.
immigration also work with BTP on the tube network.
i started a thread in London forum last year sometime about it.
vBulletin® v3.7.4, Copyright ©2000-2008, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.