In Bedford yesterday I noticed an Omega traffic car with a camera fixed to the roof, any ideas what thats all about??
Cheers
Colin

 

Seen a few in Bicester like that too. No idea if they actually use them though.

 

What you have seen on these cars is; They are Omega estates and are used by Traffic Accident Investigation teams. It is not actually a camera but a big flood light. It is fitted towards the rear and has a large hydrolic pole that raises up. The lights are affixed to the pole prior to it being raised.

The only camera's in the cars are the Video in the front window and some in the rear windows.

I know you said it was in Bedford, well thats only a stone throw away from MK (TVP) and of course Bicester is (TVP) Bedfordshire Police dont use the same set up as us in TVP, their Accident Investigation team use a big Van.

 

Na mate... I've seen a few of these now and they arn't floodlights...! they look like external security cameras, and face rearward at an angle in every case, looking into the next lane effectivly...

 

Some other cars have in the roof bar in the middle a similar device which is also a floodlight it has a long square lense on it with an angled shade over it it raises up from within the blue lights and again is hydrolic.

I am on traffic in TVP and live in Bedford so know exactly what vehicles we have and beds have.

 

We also have ANPR camera in traffic cars, but they are mounted internally and are the same cameras as we use for the on board video and are only a few inches in size.

 

Try checking out this site; It is Police vehicles throught the country from every county just about see if you can find what it is you are talking about.

http://www.ukpolicecars.co.uk/

 

Wazza, we (Strathclyde) have our ANPR cameras mounted on the roof of our traffic cars on a 360 degree swivel mount. Could this be what the poster saw?

It basically looks like a small turret with the camera within the white casing.

 

Anything is possible Talizman, but nothing like that is in our part of the world.
If someone checks out the site above and finds anything remotly similar it will give us a clue. I have looked on and cant see anything. I have got our Accident Investigation boys checking to find a pic right now of their cars, to see if it is what was seen.

without a pic we can all guess and never know.

 

Would love to know how the author of that website got so close to our armed response vehicles to take pictures without one of us lying all over the front of it!!! Saying that he aint got the new rangeys so thats probably why!!!

 

They are all pretty old pics really I think 2004 was the date on most of them.

 

we in herts have a focus with a rear facing radar sensor attached to the roof at the back, it also has a camera mounted in a dome "between the blues" this is for friday night monitoring of crowds / public disorder (and it spins 360)

 

Quote

'a camera mounted in a dome "between the blues" this is for friday night monitoring of crowds / public disorder (and it spins 360)'

No excuse for missing anything now then on a Friday night in town eh?!!

 

It is indeed an ANPR camera that you saw.

The guys who do ukpolicecars.co.uk get a lot of their pics from local dibble.

I know a lot of the Manchester ones were taken at our MTW.

 

here is a pic of the Coventry armed response vehicles:

www.dontbotherclickingitsjustanemptyspace.gov.uk

had no probelm getting that shot.

Bob

 

This is a photo of the mount on the roof of our TAI cars, without the lights affixed.



We do not have anything else on the roof of any Omega in TVP niether do Beds

The only other thing on roof bars are on the ARV cars they have a little extra light on the top of the blue light bar in the middle, from the back and side it looks like a silver dome, but it is infact a bright light that shines upwards this is for helicopter recognition for ARVs amoungst the other cars.

 

BOBS YOUR LINK DOES NOT WORK.
oops i should have read it first eh "Its only an empty space" oops.

 

I know for sure that TVP have ANPR on some of theirs..

 

 

We do have ANPR here in TVP, but the camera's are internal as i have said above, they are in the windscreen and some cars have some at the back screen too. We also have big ANPR Vans with megga camera's. But nothing roof mounted on Omega's.

 

Away from the theme slightly, Range Rover hace told us they are no longer going to provide Range Rovers for us to use as ARV vehicles. We need a big 4x4 with plenty of room inside for gun safes etc as well as personal kit, rucksacks etc. How big are Forresters inside, certainly would be fast enough don't you think?

 

Our local traffic police have the ANPR on the top of the lights. Made by IMPS. It is just like you've described Scoob99

 

IIRC, the quickest Forrester has just over 200bhp?

So how about a Porsche Cayenne Turbo? 450bhp and 457ft/lb torque!!!!

Quick enough and room for a few safes in the back!

 

North Yorks Police have ANPR mounted on the off side rear corner of several Volvo V70 traffic cars. These are the swivel dome type.

TONY

 

TVP use Omega estates for ARVs Bedfordshire use People carriers Gallaxy's.

 

This was on a fully marked up traffic car, not an estate, so what does it do then?
Cheers
Colin

 

Ain't the internet the source of all info



This the type of camera .... notts have them in them.

"roof-mounted ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) camera"

 

Who knows? I am baffled. If I ever see one (We have not got any) i will let you know. One of lifes little mystery's.

 

Wazza - I've seen various police vehicles with what can only be described as 'paint splats' in dayglo red on the bumpers, bonnet etc - what do these signify?

 

I am not giving away any secrets, but some forces use these marks to also denote ARV,s They are like snowflakes.