Undercover police bikes

Ridgeback

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I was watching a programme earlier about one of our police forces that uses an unmarked camera bike. (Quite a few do now) The idea is that it is a complete stealth thing,that tails you until you break the speed limit,then the on board cameras come on and film you,which you are blissfully unaware until a court summons drops through your door. They wouldn't let you see the bike itself on film,but it was made clear it was a big cc sports bike and the way it accelerated up to 135mph to tag the bike in front made me think along the lines of an R1 or similar.

Now the thing is this is a sports bike,with a rider in trick leathers and lid that hangs on your tail,practically goading you into turning the tap on,yet they were saying it was in no way underhand :eek:

Do other countries have to put up with this kind of BS,or is it just 'Big Brother' Britain that gets bent over ?
 

Kazza

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I've not heard of bikes like that in Perth, but maybe Melbourne, Sydney or Brisbane have them.

:popcorn:

It is sneaky, but, you could just as easily get caught speeding with a fixed camera on the side of the road :(
 

Humperdinkel

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Brisbane most cetainly has them :( Everything from BMW's to R1's :eek: Followed an unmarked 636 Ninja on my way home yesterday :spank:

So you dont have to feel so bad , we are getting hammered by them aswell :spank: only feature ours have are small LED's either side on the undertail & in behind the windscreen , Ohh yeah & they all run Akra pipes coz he have the supply contract..
 

Ridgeback

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I don't think it would stick in my throat so much if they saw you committing the offence,then stuck the blues and twos on and pulled you over.But these ones don't have lights or a siren,so basically they could goad you on to licence (or liberty) loosing speeds,rather than just a bollocking,or a speeding ticket .
 

Kazza

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I don't think it would stick in my throat so much if they saw you committing the offence,then stuck the blues and twos on and pulled you over.But these ones don't have lights or a siren,so basically they could goad you on to licence (or liberty) loosing speeds,rather than just a bollocking,or a speeding ticket .
I know what you're saying. If they pull you over, you deal with it, you get over it.

But to get a ticket in the mail, try to remember the day - sometimes fines in Perth take up to 6 months to get mailed. You'd never be able to argue what you were doing on the day :shakehead:
 

Wolfman

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I think, if they ride up behind you, and tail you, it's almost "entrapment", the way i see it...especially if they are unmarked...

We have R1's in South Australia....but they are not so stealthy, they are painted dark blue!
 

Jb40k

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There was Cops on Bikes style show on ITV a year or two ago, one of the constabularies was showing off a 'Busa! They claimed it was for education purposes, however you justify that?
 

wolfe1down

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I'm not 100% sure, but I don't think we have 'undercover' or 'stealth' bikes here in Canada. The police use ghost cars all the time, but I would imagine it would be hard to 'stealth' out a Harley Police Special motorcycle, which is the bike of choice for motorcycle cops here...

I agree with Wolfman - sounds like entrapment to me too. It's the reason here that the picture taking speed radars are so controversial. The radar can't prove who was driving, only that the car was speeding. Same deal (I would think) for the bike. You can prove it was speeding, but who was riding it??

My $0.02
 

wolfe1down

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by law in the UK you have to provide details of the driver. If you don't know or won't say then it's an endorsable offence (6 points + fine + costs)

c.f. section 172 of the road traffic act

PePiPoo: Section 172 - UK Motoring Law

In Ridgeback's original post it sounds like the bike films you breaking the law by speeding, then they issue a court summons to your door. Assuming they don't follow you home, this would suggest that they run the plate info and determine the registered owner in order to deliver the summons... which again, further assumes that it was the owner who was riding at the time the bike was filmed breaking the law.

Shady, and controversial. It would be different if the pulled you over immediately, but having read a thread from earlier in the week, area's of the UK apparently has a no chase policy for motorcycles...
 

Andz

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The cops here have started using unmarked 'Busas and they patrol the Sunday breakfast run roads. Bikers are obviously an easier target than the unroadworthy, unlicenced, overloaded minibus taxis that are the scourge of the road.
 

sniff6

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Does this Answer it ??


[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRW-0W3PpSE]YouTube - UK Police using a Suzuki Hayabusa[/ame]
 

deeptekkie

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I've always said: If only they watched the cagers and the smokers the way they scrutinize the bikers it would be so much safer out there!
 

Ridgeback

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Apart from the regular beemers,Honda Pans,we also have to contend with these.

DSC11151.jpg


DSC11158.jpg


Copduc1.jpg


scotland046.jpg


Wouldn't of thought Buell's would make it as police bikes over here,but here we are.

dsc00619d.jpg


DSCF2344.jpg


Now this is more like the bikes I was talking about,apart from the obvious police helmet.
An unmarked Fireblade that the Welsh old bill use :rolleyes:

pf2.jpg
 
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08fz6

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Here in the US if they don't pull you over and only use cameras they can only fine you, you don't have to prove you were riding it. An easy way to combat it is if they tail you pull over and do the same thing to them. if they pull you over say you don't like it do you..... As far as over here they played the game at night time to tail gate you to try and get you to speed in a vehicle. We just slammed on the brakes, they rear end you say a deer jumped out in front of you, they had no way to prove one didn't..... Law enforcement is one thing but some times they get way too out of hand because it is not about safety anymore it is all about the money. To be honest a vast majority of the cops where I live are horrible drivers... yet it is okay for them to speed cause they are a cop......
 
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