[Travel] Operation Crackdown - anyone else?

[Herr Tubthumper]

No, it’s not legit to be using a phone when driving

Still on about phones I see

 

[CheeseRolls]

So many experts and yet so few in possession of the facts.

1 https://www.sussexsaferroads.gov.uk/info/safer-speed/community-speed-watch
2 http://www.operationcrackdown.org/

If you are contacted via operation crackdown a member of the public has complained about your driving. This is not the same as someone pointing a speed camera at you see above.
It is possible for this to be both an error and malicious, so there is unlikely to be any follow up to a single complaint, clock up a few and you may get a visit.

 

[drew]

Thought I'd share this because it's a curious one that's been bugging me, just wondered if anyone else has had similar and what they did if so? A few weeks ago I got a letter from Operation Crackdown, which is the Sussex Police initiative that allows members of the public to report other members of the public for dangerous driving. The letter says I've been reported for doing something that I categorically didn't do, but it doesn't look like there's any meaningful right of reply. For context, I'm a law-abiding driver to the point of paranoia about being sure of not doing anything wrong (I blame my Catholic upbringing for an over-enhanced sense of guilt) - never had an accident, no points ever, no fines ever, never been stopped etc. While the letter says it's not a record of an offence and there is no penalty, it also goes into detail about the risks and penalties for dangerous driving and carries the strong implication that they are taking the word of whoever reported it, even though there is no evidence provided and none is needed to make the accusation. It also says that the report will be held on file for 12 months and could be referred to if there are other reports. So someone can report someone else, give no evidence, it gets held on file for reference, and it can't be refuted - seems an odd situation and open to all kinds of abuse. No hard feelings from me particularly, people make mistakes, but I'd like to be able to at least respond and be heard just as much as whoever made the accusation in the first place. Anyone had similar and what did you do if so?

Any chance you can enlighten us to exactly what you were accused of doing?

 

[dazzer6666]

It's amazing how many vehicles have faulty indicators which fail to work completely or are so slow coming on that they only start flashing when the turn has virtually been completed.

I think it’s a rule in Mid Sussex - maybe taught by local instructors - that you approach a turn at speed, slam your brakes on and then indicate at the last possible second.

 

[Justice]

Sounds suspect. I'd have filed it under 'Scam' and thought no more about it.

What’s the scam he been asked for anything financial.

 

[Blazing Apostle]

I got one from a lycra twot who was weaving all over the road trying to cycle up a hill as I overtook him - complained to Police as they had no evidence and they agreed to remove record

 

[Notters]

It's amazing how many vehicles have faulty indicators which fail to work completely or are so slow coming on that they only start flashing when the turn has virtually been completed.

It's not too much of a problem if you look out for the signage on the back of these cars - they are all marked with 'BMW'.

 

[Happy Exile]

Any chance you can enlighten us to exactly what you were accused of doing?

At a junction apparently jumped a red light. Wouldn't have just been me but the cars behind me doing so too (date and time given so I know where/when and remember the volume of traffic as it's not somewhere I regularly drive but walk instead). I was at the front of the queue so maybe singled out. From the junction in question I'm fairly sure the reporter misread the lights and thought or assumed the 1st and 2nd set of lights on the junction (separated by some distance) must always show the same as each other. Also, from the date and time if I and other cars had sailed through a red light we'd have been lucky not to cause a pile up and a riot of horn honking if nothing else.

 

[B-right-on]

Got one myself a few years ago from some utter bell end kiddie on a 50cc scooter who was right up my @rse along Hove seafront dual carriage way. I was doing 35 in a 30 limit near the speed camera in the right hand lane and he was, literally 3 foot from my rear bumper. Tapped on the brake pedals to flash my lights and I think he shat himself. Didn't actually slow but he obviously wanted me to pull over (which I didn't want to do as I was approaching other slower cars) or speed up and I was already 5 mph over the limit.

About a week later got the letter but didn't bother to reply as was his word vs mine. Was for dangerous driving.

I've been riding motorbikes for 40+ years, last time was last week to the city game, so I'm quite familiar with what you should and should not be doing on a bike.

 

[Weststander]

Any chance you can enlighten us to exactly what you were accused of doing?

Not speeding, just.

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

Still on about phones I see

 

[goldstoneseagull]

Thought I'd share this because it's a curious one that's been bugging me, just wondered if anyone else has had similar and what they did if so? A few weeks ago I got a letter from Operation Crackdown, which is the Sussex Police initiative that allows members of the public to report other members of the public for dangerous driving. The letter says I've been reported for doing something that I categorically didn't do, but it doesn't look like there's any meaningful right of reply. For context, I'm a law-abiding driver to the point of paranoia about being sure of not doing anything wrong (I blame my Catholic upbringing for an over-enhanced sense of guilt) - never had an accident, no points ever, no fines ever, never been stopped etc. While the letter says it's not a record of an offence and there is no penalty, it also goes into detail about the risks and penalties for dangerous driving and carries the strong implication that they are taking the word of whoever reported it, even though there is no evidence provided and none is needed to make the accusation. It also says that the report will be held on file for 12 months and could be referred to if there are other reports. So someone can report someone else, give no evidence, it gets held on file for reference, and it can't be refuted - seems an odd situation and open to all kinds of abuse. No hard feelings from me particularly, people make mistakes, but I'd like to be able to at least respond and be heard just as much as whoever made the accusation in the first place. Anyone had similar and what did you do if so?

I haven’t read all the comments here so you might have already had this response.

This is where a member of the public reports your driving to the local police authority- I had one of these 5 years back, no implications more like a slap on the wrist.

 

[Pavilionaire]

I have had two, one from the speed wombles at storrington who I could see taking down my reg even though I was definitely doing the limit as I saw their high vis jackets a mile off. The irony of this one was they were all huddled together outside during a time when the Covid rules did not permit them to do so.

The second was when had to pick little one up from a school visit in mid morning as injured herself so stopped outside gates to pick her up and some abusive **** starting swearing at us all about parking in front of the school. Explained why and he carried on swearing and being abusive (whilst his teenage daughter was in car next to him) then proceeded to take a photo of our car on his phone and drive off. We got a letter for that as well

I just put the letter straight in the bin but my personal view is traffic enforcement should be the job of the police and these clowns should not be given the opportunity to continue their inaccurate reporting of individuals

Which creates another problem. The letter should be going in the recycling, not the bin.

 

[LamieRobertson]

I got one from a lycra twot who was weaving all over the road trying to cycle up a hill as I overtook him - complained to Police as they had no evidence and they agreed to remove record

SB again

 

[Seasider78]

So many experts and yet so few in possession of the facts.

1 https://www.sussexsaferroads.gov.uk/info/safer-speed/community-speed-watch
2 http://www.operationcrackdown.org/

If you are contacted via operation crackdown a member of the public has complained about your driving. This is not the same as someone pointing a speed camera at you see above.
It is possible for this to be both an error and malicious, so there is unlikely to be any follow up to a single complaint, clock up a few and you may get a visit.

The letter I received from operation crackdown for my first one directly quoted the speed I was doing and the area of storrington the wombles were pointing their speed device at me so whatever those links suggest I can tell you categorically a pensioner with a speed gun does result in you getting letters from operation crackdown

 

[portlock seagull]

Or not, see my above post.

Mistakes happen all the time. It’s not fool proof, nothing is. Doesn’t mean shouldn’t happen. Vast majority will be correct. I had to sort a speeding ticket out for my parents in France last year. One is dead. Another has dementia and hasn’t driven for ages here never mind in the continent. Mistakes happen, no harm done. Not as if a friendly warning with no direction pops through your door. If anyone loses their shit over that then I’d swap their life for me anyway. Utter trivia by comparison. Hardly a “miscarriage of justice”, just bin the letter and move on.

 

[m@goo]

I've reported 2 or 3 things in recent years with evidence from my dash cam, but only for genuinely dangerous driving. A biker pulling wheelies while filtering through traffic and people overtaking at speed across solid white lines etc. I don't think I'd bother if I didn't have camera evidence.

The way I see it is I'm not actually trying to get these people into trouble. If they get a letter then they know they can get caught and it might make them think twice about being silly and possibly even save their life.

 

[zefarelly]

Storrington is Special.

If Worthing/Arundel and the rest of Sussex had a proper A27 dual carriageway, they could get back in their box and revert to the 1950's

 

[giveusfalmerplease]

Similar to one I had up here in Hampshire. Local speedwatch group out. I went past them at the speed limit - I know that because I checked after seeing loads of them in high vis jackets hanging around.

I got a letter through saying I had been seen going at 38 and, although not action would be taken this time, it would be kept on file and I may face points/penalty if I was 'caught' again. I filed it under NIMBYs in the posh village next to mine wanting to keep it a local village for really local people

Like you, I really wanted a right of appeal but couldn't be arsed in the end. They probably don;t mind ruffling a few feathers if it means that others change their behaviours

i would be tempted to write back to them and threaten to report them under data protection rules. No non-authorised entity (except as guided by law - eg council /police) should be able to obtain your name and address from your license plate. This is NOT public information and i strongly suspect the are acting beyond their authority obtaining this information.

 

[Dave the OAP]

To be fair, I don’t have a problem with this.

If you speed, then take the consequences…hopefully that doesn’t include running someone down!