Over the past few years, safety camera van operators and police have noticed an increase in the amount of people attempting to obstruct safety camera vans. A lot of the time it’s so they can film themselves being obstructive and post it online for easy likes, but it’s not such a good idea…

Apart from restricting the safety camera vans from achieving their purpose, and the operators doing their job (keeping speeds down and the public safe), under Section 46(2) of the Police Reform Act 2002, it’s an offence to willfully obstruct a designated person in the execution of their duty, carrying a sentence of up to 51 weeks imprisonment.

Obstructing the police
What does that mean in simple terms? Safety camera officers in some circumstances may not be police, but the Chief Constable of Merseyside Police has given the operators the same Section 38 powers. So, if you stop them doing their job properly, it’s as if you did it to a police officer, and can land you nearly a year in prison.

All of the vehicles the Merseyside Safer Roads Unit Enforcement officers operate have 360 degree CCTV and Dashcam facilities. The operators also deploy with body worn cameras. This is for their protection, the protection of members of the public and the availability if required to use footage in a potential prosecution.

Making it harder for someone who’s just trying to do their job isn’t very nice, and there are definitely easier ways to get likes – ones that don’t result in a prison sentence.

So if you were to park on front of a camera van you could go to prison, and the police chief can go doling out powers of arrest and imprisonment to civilians that work with the police like this.
So if I was contracted to the force as a cleaner at a police station and someone kicked over my mop bucket they would be in big trouble?
When did he/she get powers to basically deputise civilians like in the Wild West, is it a new thing?, when did this happen.
I want the police to be well funded and agree with speed regulations and camera vans near schools or places that really need traffic calming but if it’s just a money extracting tool then I am not into it at all.
Is this one of them believe it or not stories because I am having trouble believing it .

It clearly states Drivers who park with the intention of blocking the camera, they'll be the same drivers who totally disregard what doesn't suit the way they want to do things, ie speed limits.

Originally Posted by MICK/GILLY

So if you were to park on front of a camera van you could go to prison, and the police chief can go doling out powers of arrest and imprisonment to civilians that work with the police like this.
So if I was contracted to the force as a cleaner at a police station and someone kicked over my mop bucket they would be in big trouble?
When did he/she get powers to basically deputise civilians like in the Wild West, is it a new thing?, when did this happen.
I want the police to be well funded and agree with speed regulations and camera vans near schools or places that really need traffic calming but if it’s just a money extracting tool then I am not into it at all.
Is this one of them believe it or not stories because I am having trouble believing it .

Where does it say that civilian staff have the powers of arrest?
The section 38 powers means that it becomes an offence to obstruct them in their duties. The evidence from the vans and the body worn cameras would be given to warranted officers, who would be the ones who would carry out any needed arrests.

(As for the imprisonment bit, the Police can't do that, that's down to the Courts)

Originally Posted by MICK/GILLY

I want the police to be well funded and agree with speed regulations and camera vans near schools or places that really need traffic calming but if it’s just a money extracting tool then I am not into it at all.
Is this one of them believe it or not stories because I am having trouble believing it .

How can it be a money extracting tool? They park up and record the speed of motorists on a section of road. If you speed and break the law you get a ticket. Obey the speed limit and you won’t. Quite simple really. They don’t just pick cars out at random and issue tickets willy nilly.

Oh I read it like you could be arrested or put in prison for obstructing a designated person or company by the Chief of police, designated or employed to do police work.
What’s it like being the daughter of the PNP donkey22, do you have to troll everything.
I think you are on your own if you think it’s not a money extracting tool but yea you shouldn’t really be racing along .
I am not really one for speeding anyway I’ve nowhere to go in a rush ..

Originally Posted by MICK/GILLY

Oh I read it like you could be arrested or put in prison for obstructing a designated person or company by the Chief of police, designated or employed to do police work.
What’s it like being the daughter of the PNP donkey22, do you have to troll everything.
I think you are on your own if you think it’s not a money extracting tool but yea you shouldn’t really be racing along .
I am not really one for speeding anyway I’ve nowhere to go in a rush ..

Would I be correct in assuming you're directing that comment towards me?

If so, I'm not sure that correcting you for stating how the 'Chief of Police can go doling out the powers of arrest and imprisonment to civilians' is trolling. As for being the daughter of the PNP and Donkey 22, while I agree with some of their posts, I also disagree on others and comment accordingly.

As for thinking I'm on my own if I think it's not a money extracting tool, I disagree. In my opinion, the money spent on speed cameras, the vans and staffing them would be better spent elsewhere. (But then as the vans are obvious, if you can't see them, you shouldn't be on the road, let alone above the speed limit!)

Speeding has been used by successive governments as a stick, because it's easy to prove. (Speed actually causes less than 5% of accidents) More funding should be spent on the real causes of accidents, (but they're harder to prove as it's all subjective).

Somewhere like Meols Cop, 30mph is the legal limit but when the kids are coming in and out, that's too fast. At 3 in the morning, 40 mph is perfectly safe. One's legal but borderline dangerous, the other's illegal, but perfectly safe.

I'm now standing by for flak for these opinions, but I'll take it as a difference of opinion not 'trolling'

Originally Posted by MICK/GILLY

Oh I read it like you could be arrested or put in prison for obstructing a designated person or company by the Chief of police, designated or employed to do police work.
What’s it like being the daughter of the PNP donkey22, do you have to troll everything.
I think you are on your own if you think it’s not a money extracting tool but yea you shouldn’t really be racing along .
I am not really one for speeding anyway I’ve nowhere to go in a rush ..

Well you read it incorrectly then didn’t you? Maybe you should speed along to spec savers before you get any more tickets.
I’m not trolling, just pointing out the errors, (as have others) regarding your nonsensical posts. Insult me as much as you like when you get things wrong. I really couldn’t care less. It’s you who comes out looking like the Troll.

Originally Posted by Sap33

Would I be correct in assuming you're directing that comment towards me?

If so, I'm not sure that correcting you for stating how the 'Chief of Police can go doling out the powers of arrest and imprisonment to civilians' is trolling. As for being the daughter of the PNP and Donkey 22, while I agree with some of their posts, I also disagree on others and comment accordingly.

As for thinking I'm on my own if I think it's not a money extracting tool, I disagree. In my opinion, the money spent on speed cameras, the vans and staffing them would be better spent elsewhere. (But then as the vans are obvious, if you can't see them, you shouldn't be on the road, let alone above the speed limit!)

Speeding has been used by successive governments as a stick, because it's easy to prove. (Speed actually causes less than 5% of accidents) More funding should be spent on the real causes of accidents, (but they're harder to prove as it's all subjective).

Somewhere like Meols Cop, 30mph is the legal limit but when the kids are coming in and out, that's too fast. At 3 in the morning, 40 mph is perfectly safe. One's legal but borderline dangerous, the other's illegal, but perfectly safe.

I'm now standing by for flak for these opinions, but I'll take it as a difference of opinion not 'trolling'

I think his little hissy fit was aimed at me. It’s hard to tell who un/MICK/WILLY was trying to insult/troll. His lack of grammar and the ridiculous content of his posts mean it could’ve been aimed at anyone. He just hates getting things wrong, and when he does, he just launches a tirade of verbal diarrhoea in the direction of whoever corrected him.

Originally Posted by donkey22

Well you read it incorrectly then didn’t you? Maybe you should speed along to spec savers before you get any more tickets.
I’m not trolling, just pointing out the errors, (as have others) regarding your nonsensical posts. Insult me as much as you like when you get things wrong. I really couldn’t care less. It’s you who comes out looking like the Troll.

Is this your Motherly/Fatherly instinct to protect your offspring coming out as I'm allegedly your daughter?

Originally Posted by Sap33

Is this your Motherly/Fatherly instinct to protect your offspring coming out as I'm allegedly your daughter?

Ah well daughter. At least you now have an explanation for those exceptionally long furry ears.

Only a warranted officer has the power of arrest.
Even PCSOs are not warranted officers.
If a civilian is employed enforcing the law and is obstructed in doing so, the civilian cannot arrest anybody. But can call in a warranted officer who can.
BTW "the speed traps are a money-spinning scheme" is wrong, but even if it were it would be easy for drivers to prevent its success by not speeding.

Originally Posted by donkey22

I think his little hissy fit was aimed at me. It’s hard to tell who un/MICK/WILLY was trying to insult/troll. His lack of grammar and the ridiculous content of his posts mean it could’ve been aimed at anyone. He just hates getting things wrong, and when he does, he just launches a tirade of verbal diarrhoea in the direction of whoever corrected him.

Yea it was aimed at you, from all your posts following the PNP, every time he likes a post you follow on and like it straight after him like his little daughter, unlike you I haven’t trolled anyone and I am always delighted to be corrected WHEN wrong.
You have made it out that I am always challenging folk and resorting to verbal abuse when mistaken and that’s not me at all. I was just pointing out that if police work is doled our to agencies or private companies that it can’t be a good thing and if my take on it was incorrect then I am happy to be corrected.
My grammar is ok thanks and my humour is sublime, your attempt to spell my name is somewhat lacking in accuracy, un/MICK/ WILLY I think you must be frustrated and type too fast with those piggy little greasy fingers of yours or it was just a poor attempt at trolling as I would have gone the ..whole length.. and put something like DICK/WILLY, it’s clear to me that you have willy on the brain or on your head .
You are the troll the spewer of diarrhoea and a proper willyhead . I have never had a speeding ticket in my life, Get some friends .

Originally Posted by MICK/GILLY

I was just pointing out that if police work is doled our to agencies or private companies that it can’t be a good thing and if my take on it was incorrect then I am happy

The article is about mobile Police camera vans. They are operated by either Police officers or civilian staff. Not agencies or private companies.
There you go, wrong again thicko. You must be in a near constant state of ecstasy at this rate. Troll.

Yea I am a troll and a thicko and so say the hundreds of users on here that have happily met me or the 88 of them on my friends list, or would they tell you I am not such a bad guy ha ha.
Why don’t you do a poll of who is the biggest troll between us, go on put it on the forum page, you and your family along with some friends and new accounts can vote and I’ll leave it till it hits the bottom and falls off the page and we will see, don’t forget it’s not only this thread that you have been trolling on lately with calling people unsavoury names . And people may vote I am the big troll the big thicko ha you never know, yea a poll would settle it, do that , I dare you go on.
I won’t argue with you anymore, either do what is suggested or I’ll take it that you have just shut up with your wangling attempts to somehow prove everybody wrong about everything all the time that is known as trolling.