Police ‘hide in tractor’ to trap speeding drivers

A YORKSHIRE police force is targeting speeding drivers by hiding with cameras - in a tractor.
Picture: PAPicture: PA
Picture: PA

A picture, taken by a member of the public, appears to show a policeman sat with a mounted speed camera in a John Deere tractor near Sledmere, East Yorkshire.

The operation has been set up to catch rural offenders and sees police officers use tractors and other unmarked ‘stationary vehicles’ on country roads.

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Humberside Police said some of its officers are hiding in civilian vehicles, because they are concerned with ‘high-end’ speeding offenders.

Inspector Mark Hughes from Humberside Police Road Policing said: “At the moment Humberside Police are conducting Operation Kansas in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

“This Operation runs alongside the well-established and much publicised Operation Achilles, it is concerned with ‘high-end’ speeding offenders in the East Riding, deploying speed cameras, which are located in a variety of

stationary vehicles.

“Vehicles, which are detected travelling at very high speeds, are stopped further along the road and drivers/riders are spoken to and dealt with at the roadside.

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“Although the majority of offenders are motorcycles, a number of cars are also dealt with on this operation. We regularly record speeds in the high 90’s and over 100 mph, these being on country roads where the National Speed Limit of 60mph is in force.

“It goes without saying that such speeds on these roads are inherently dangerous, particularly when you consider how many side roads and field entrances there are.

“Someone pulling out onto the road does not expect a vehicle coming towards them at such high speeds, the likelihood of a catastrophic collision is raised considerably.

“This Operation is aimed at the small percentage of riders/drivers, who insist on driving at dangerously high speeds on our country roads, not only endangering themselves, but other innocent road users.”

The Association of Chief Police Officers had previously recommended: “Operators of devices should normally do so from positions where they will be clearly visible to the public.”