Traffic Cops - M3/M27

[SailBad]

I'm normally very sceptical about this type of email but this has been getting a lot of exposure locally in the last few days so it might just be true....

"Here's a tip off about some filming that Hants Police are doing for a
television programme series from 26th September for seven
weeks. If you use the M27 or the M3 this potentially affects you so
please proceed with caution and pass onto anyone who you feel might just
need to know. The program a BBC South commission called "Traffic Cops"
will be filmed covering the area from Ringwood concentrating on Ringwood
M27 up to M3 J9 and a team working the ringroad around Southampton
(Totton will have a unit working it alone), Cosham M27 stretch to J5 of
the M27 Southampton Airport turn-off). The fourth concentration is
working from Winchester Services covering M3 to J10 M3 (Winchester
South) using five unmarked cars, two Black Skoda 03 registration
Octavias, an 05 plate dark red Mondeo and two Volvo saloon cars.
The BBC unit are going to be based out of a unit in Millbrook Road in
Southampton and will also be covering the armed police response unit and
the Southampton Airport Police Security / British Transport Police team.
The BBC team are in Citreon Picasso MPVs leased from Arriva. To make it
even more effective the Traffic police have authority from Chief
Constable to "work to rule" So instead of the laid back approach to the
usual Hants traffic police this will be a lot more concentrated to make
it effective filming."

[lotusolly]

Interesting revelations. Would it be possible to set up a listing on here for unmarked cars and the areas they are operating in or location spotted?
Its allways handy to have a bit of extra awareness especially with the fact that unmarked cars are becoming increasingly more discrete.

I happen to know of a light blue 53 plate volvo S60 regularly spotted on M2/20 and a silver 05 plate EVO8 spotted on M23(only give away is a couple of extra aerials until the lights come on!)

Olly

[markc]

I've had this email from a number of sources over the last week or so, it MAY be true but also smacks of the sort of propaganda put out by the loonies at "Transport 2000", "Brake" etc

The M3 & M27 are certainly patroled by a couple of unmarked dark coloured Skoda Octavia RS's but I suspect that Plod wouldn't just work to rule for the television cameras?

There was a similar email storm about the then new information signs on the M4 that had all cameras as part of them. The email warning claimed that these were capable of recording and prosecuting every speeding car that passed them, of course it was false but you just knew some muppet would see the sign/camera, remember getting the email, panic brake and have/cause a major accident!

This sort of propaganda (if it is that) is probably more dangerous than the majority of competant drivers that happen to be safely travelling faster than the posted limits, or normal police activities to catch the bad (not necessarily fast) or mad (usually too fast) drivers that actually cause all the problems. :roll:

If you want to know where the speed cameras are located and any initiatives that local forces are engaging in at any time, most of them publish it on their or a related website.

Here's the Hampshire one.... http://www.safetycamera.org.uk/index.shtml

Other good resources are SafeSpeed.... http://www.safespeed.org.uk/index1.html

and the ABD.... http://www.abd.org.uk/

Mark