"Police here" posted by the police to say where they are sounds like they're using the system correctly.

If only "here" was sometimes the location of a robbery.

But they would have to get out of the car...

Would be much easier if they just spoofed the GPS signal.

Exactly, given the increasingly low standards of driving we are seeing in the UK the Police need to use everything they have to try and address this with their limited resources.

I had not realised quite how effective the grey backed trendy number plates were at preventing ANPR detection until someone nearly caused a massive head-on collision in the BMW M3 overtaking at about 100mph in the face of oncoming traffic, a cross roads and 50mph limit. I reviewed my dash-cam out of interest to see what it actually captured and it was as if someone had actually used a grey pen to redact the number plate. It was not just "not visible" but actually glowed grey.

There are too many drivers out there, particularly since Covid who appear to have forgotten the concept of safe driving.

No use of indicators

Not stopping at zebra crossings

Not stopping a pelican crossings (or other red lights)

Speeding & excessive speed (there is an important difference)

Unsafe lane changes, particularly on motorways, just why people think it is acceptable to carve across from the furthest RH lane into a slip road across the white hatched area beats me.

The thing is that they mostly get away with it because there enough people who will get out of the way to avoid an accident.

The best kind of correct. And, really, what's the issue? That people will feel intimidated into following speed limits? ...Aren't they supposed to do that anyway...?

Of course they're supposed to.

Since when has that ever meant they actually do ?

I got involuntarily added to a 'where are the popo' faceache group, I didn't accept neither did I decline but it seems passivity is as good as accepting.

Always amuses/amazes me everytime somebody posts 'popo at xxx, drive safely/carefully!'. Err shouldn't you be driving safely regardless of police presence or not? Maybe I'm just odd...

Indeed.

A lot of drivers are happy to be warned about the location of speed cameras, so that they know to not speed in particular locations. I think the issue here is that they feel tricked into complying with the legal speed limit when they could have actually got away with breaking it.

UK plod advertizes its presence while US cops want to stay stealthy.

I wonder if that has anything to do with how many guns are available in either country ?

When cops twist the rules to fit their will, abuses are on the way.

== Bring us Dabbsy back! ==

..... identify those cars that are serially reporting police ..... and just have the app mark their car 'permanently' as police!

The police can hardly complain, as they've already pointed out it is technically correct!

Exactly this happens, report too many times and your account gets blocked out. Especially if someone says "not there" to your constant reports

report too many times and your account gets blocked out

Exceeding the feed limit?

Speeding is a crime. We don't get to pick and choose what laws we obey without consequences. Job done.

I discovered a long time ago that the best way to avoid being done for speeding is ... not to speed.

I discovered a long time ago that the best way to avoid being done for speeding is ... not to speed.

I also discovered that not speeding doesn't make much difference to journey times and is a lot more relaxing.

Aussie coppers have been doing this for some time. They'll go somewhere and wait till they're reported and then move on knowing that everyone is going to slow down around that point. I thought it was a brilliant use of the technology.

One could posit they're devaluing the notification of "police here" as to frustrate drivers in to ignoring it.

When a notification is always wrong, you soon grow to ignore said notification, only for the one time it's right and you get a fine.

The police misusing the system are also the ones benefitting as they are the recipients of said fine, ergo revenue raising.

I mean, this would definitely be a court case in the US but as it's ol' blighty I guess it'll be joked off..

I have no problem with revenue raising from people who deliberately choose to break the law. Especially if it's being done in a transparent manner. Double bubble as they say.

Only the guilty need fear this. Speaking for myself I can manage to drive a car and not speed. I guess that makes my avoidance of fines and points "unfair" to some (I know it does, as I've had that argument IRL believe it or not).

"The police misusing the system are also the ones benefitting as they are the recipients of said fine" The fine goes to the treasury, not the police that issue the fine here...

Breaching the computer misuse act?

Probably not. Police are also people, and allowed to be consumers of a service too.

Clicking a "police are here" button when the motivation is to allow other drivers to evade justice is an illegal act, as I understand it, and using a computer for that purpose could also be a breach of the the Computer Misuse Act (having used a computer for said illegal act)

My instinct is usually to frown on the rozzers getting creative with technology, but in this case I think polite applause is in order.

The thing is, the flip-side of Waze telling you where the police are lurking, is that it tells you where you can safely break the law: the police's response to that seems to me to be quite reasonable.

There have been (successful, I think) prosecutions in the UK of drivers who have flashed their lights to warn other drivers of a speed trap. The charge has been perverting the course of justice.

Clicking a button on Waze for the same purpose amounts to the same thing, except that there is a recoverable electronic trail that can be use retrospectively, given the right warrant, if enough of the infrastructure is here in the UK...

See here https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-12115179

It was obstruction, not ptcoj

I think there is a specific law against it.

The reason being that the AA was originally set up to warn drivers of speed traps. They were banned from doing that, and then they switch to breakdown assistance.

The police may want to read it.

http://mythfolklore.net/aesopica/oxford/151.htm

Neither of us drinks, but on a date and on the way to a movie, we had to idle in a line of vehicles at a city's "security theater" DUI checkpoint.

A cop approached and attempted an interrogation. I learned later that Companion, a victim of Southern upbringing, would have folded, by answering every question (and thereby creating grounds for even more questioning). Good thing that I warned Companion ahead of time to keep quiet.

I did not kowtow to Officer Curious. I was polite when I told him that where we were coming from or going to was none of his business. That one line ended the fishing expedition. We were waved through.

Without cause, none of the vehicles should have been stopped in the first place. Unfortunately, The Supreme Court, in one of its many cases of a$$holery, upheld these lazy, privacy-invading, let's-go-fishing events. I have no sympathy for intoxicated drivers, but patrolling bar districts and pulling over only for cause makes much more sense and equates to shooting fish in a barrel.

Regarding:

The police letter also accused Waze users who report DUI checkpoint locations as potentially "engaging in criminal conduct."

That writer is full of sh!t and should lose his cozy desk job. He deserves a more challenging beat: One on foot in a dangerous, crime-ridden area with the sound of gunfire.

A cop approached and attempted an interrogation. I learned later that Companion, a victim of Southern upbringing, would have folded, by answering every question (and thereby creating grounds for even more questioning). Good thing that I warned Companion ahead of time to keep quiet.

There may be some differences in left-pondian versus right-pondian perspectives here, but I've never really understood people who take the "I know my rights so won't answer any questions that a police officer asks me" attitude...sometimes just being polite and civilised can be very helpful.

For example....a few years back I'd parked my car up completely legally at the side of the road, but happened to be near a sensitive industrial facility. It was fairly late at night, nobody else around, and after a few minutes I drew the attention of a police officer who enquired why I was there.

Now, I could have played the "I know my rights card" and refused to answer any questions, I was parked legally on a public road, I didn't need to tell him anything, etc. However I knew that would likely just antagonise him and make him even more suspicious.

Far easier to give some information that I didn't *have* to give...I heard my phone beep with a text message so I stopped to read it and send a reply...I'm just waiting for a reply to my reply. I've got nothing to hide, and I'm happy to show you my driver's licence if that'd help put your mind at ease

Just because it's not legally mandated, politeness and common decency can make life easier for everyone.

Was this in the UK? I ask because there's a (rather good) Radio 4 series called "It's a Fair Cop", where policeman-turned-comedian Alfie Moore talks about episodes from his police experience. He did one about stopping a car (he was suspicious as it was registered a long way from his area) where he stated that in England & Wales the police can stop a car to verify that the driver is permitted to be driving the vehicle (i.e. has a valid licence to drive it). Which means that they are allowed to pull anyone over, at any time. And they do. I was surprised to learn that the police interpret the law like this (and I wonder what the actual law says).

You said that "without cause, none of the vehicles should have been stopped", which makes me wonder if this was in another country, where the law is different.

" Which means that they are allowed to pull anyone over, at any time. And they do. "

Which, to some extent, is true. But they're usually too busy to just pull over a random car. There are certain things attract the attention, get their "Spidey senses" tingling, lead them to decide to stop a car and investigate further. And in many cases it proves fruitful.

We don't tend to see road blocks in the UK where all vehicles are checked. Most common are truck checks or maybe vans, but its rare for cars. OP uses the term "DUI", driving under (the) influence, the common term in the USA, you know, land of the free, home of the cops are out to get you.

I thought that they did need cause in the UK. But the cause can be as slight as negligible. e.g. "Your rear off-side light is looking a bit dim, is there dirt obscuring the lens".

>>I thought that they did need cause in the UK.

Nope. Section 163 RTA 1988. Power to stop any car or bicycle. See above (or below depending on where El Reg places my comments!).

>>I was surprised to learn that the police interpret the law like this (and I wonder what the actual law says

Google is your friend... or maybe not if you are that bothered by being anonymous...

Section 163 of RTA 1988

"163 Power of police to stop vehicles

(1)A person driving a motor vehicle on a road must stop the vehicle on being required to do so by a constable in uniform.

(2)A person riding a cycle on a road must stop the cycle on being required to do so by a constable in uniform.

(3)If a person fails to comply with this section he is guilty of an offence."

Also of interest may be section 164 which is way too long to post, but, basically, along with section 163 gives a UK police officer, in uniform, the power to randomly stop cars and check the drivers/passengers etc.

[1]linky

[1] https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/52/part/VII/crossheading/powers-of-constables-and-other-authorised-persons/enacted

> from those saying they've actually clocked cops where they were Waze markers, to those accusing the police force of devaluing the tool

So presumably no member of the public (not all of whom are happy with speeding vehicles in their neighbourhoods) has ever done the same?

Can we stop this AMERICANISATION of El Reg?

This used to be a quirky UK centric tech site. No longer.

WE... As in the readership know where Surrey is.

Soon we'll be seeing "London, England' everywhere. Same on you editors, shame on you. Go and sit on the naughty step.

I wonder how your readership profile had changed since you moved to being US Centric? Care to share?

What's wrong with the police these days? Lurking twitter and chasing wrongthinkers, then this...

I can't really see a problem with this. Surely better to get people to moderate their speed, even if by mild subterfuge, than to fine them and/or put points on their licence.