Blade wrote:I'm getting paranoid. We saw 4 unmarked cars in Wales last time out, now we are seeing umarked bikers and vans you would never consider as unmarked vehicles. ...
Perhaps this is why "you can never find a policeman when you want one".?
Maybe they are everywhere, but all in CID or unmarked vehicles so that they can busy themselves as they choose without being bothered by needy members of the public & without their presence being a constant visible deterrent to criminals.
Fwiw I think that (aside from covert operations) all Police Officers should wear their uniforms at all times when working.
Problem I have with the old bill is where they choose to be sneaky. I can understand towns and built up areas but when your in say Wales where you have miles of road ahead of you which you have to cover I don't see a problem with giving it a bit. I'm very paranoid to a point of pissing off people if their behind me just in case they are undercovers.
However the idea of unmarked coppers in vans and cars isn't a new idea, the Met have been using it for years. Where I used to live I was a stone throw away from the Met area and would constantly see old banged up cars/ vans etc with coppers in them patrolling the town's. I was later told by someone who worked in the Met that this was a very effective way of catching people out (people who would constantly and without due care break the laws in built up areas). The guy was a sergeant and apparently he was in traffic police. Anyway he said that they would buy crappy vechicles basically because people didn't know as we all look out for the usual (volos vauxhalls BMW etc).
It just seems now they are doing it anywhere and I don't think that's right in my opinion. I don't like speeding in any posted area because they will through the book at you but in National even in advanced riding they say as long as it's controlled etc and not silly.
