Police speed camera stolen near Tauranga

[jrandom]

ahhh... this deserves a cut 'n' paste, IMHO.

...

Police suspect an audacious speedster may be responsible for the theft of an $80,000 speed camera from a roadside just outside of Tauranga.

Police were left scratching their heads, after yesterday discovering the camera had disappeared from its Pyes Pa site, 15 kilometres from Tauranga.

Senior Sergeant Tim Masters said sometime between Sunday and yesterday, someone smashed their way into the control box and took the device.

"Obviously someone was not happy and may have had a grudge after being caught on camera. But at this stage it is not clear exactly why it has been taken."

Mr Masters said it was unlikely the camera could have any useful purpose apart from its intended function of snapping speeding drivers.

Officers believe the camera would have snapped up to 400 motorists since being placed there four or five days earlier.

[jrandom]

Hopefully Stage II will involve thermite and angle grinders.

[Hitcher]

Hopefully Stage II will involve thermite and angle grinders.

I am amused by the level of fortifications around the fixed camera just north of Pukerua Bay. The cops obviously don't want that one escaping!

[wkid_one]

400 motorists at say a minimum of $120 a ticket - that is $48000 for 5 days work.

This then amounts to 3.33 drivers per hour - then generating $400/hr in revenue to the police. No wonder they are pissed that it has gone missing - they may actually have to pay a policeman to do the work - Oh - hold on - they are all out doing this anyway? Shit.

This means in 10 days work - this camera has paid for itself - how many business would love that return on their assets - most I would say would love that ROI.

[Hitcher]

400 motorists at say a minimum of $120 a ticket - that is $48000 for 5 days work.

This then amounts to 3.33 drivers per hour - then generating $400/hr in revenue to the police. No wonder they are pissed that it has gone missing - they may actually have to pay a policeman to do the work - Oh - hold on - they are all out doing this anyway? Shit.

This means in 10 days work - this camera has paid for itself - how many business would love that return on their assets - most I would say would love that ROI.

If the cops ever privatise speed cameras (as they proposed a few years ago), I have my sites picked out:
-- Hutt Road, by Ultra Glass
-- Te Moana Road, Waikanae (about 500m down from SH1)
-- SH1 south of Raumati (by the Waterfall Road turn-off), one each way

Any more than this would be greedy. Just sit back and watch the cash roll in...

[XRNR]

More of that sort of Larikin behaviour please! (public is starting to get restless).

I never understand why the wankers who throw bottles through the back windscreens of Joe public's car while it is broken down and left overnight on the Nth Western M'way. Don't do something useful and throw bottles and paint at the incessant speed camera vans parked there!

[k14]

Someone should just go round with a silenced barret 50 cal and take out the lenses on all of them.

That ought to fix them

[Jackrat]

Iv'e often wondered how one of them things would handle a 180g .308 projectile at say 2800fps,and if it would manage to take a photo' as the bullet
was closing in.
Hey just a thought

[k14]

Yeah, that would be funny. Probably see a half cracked lens or something.

I saw on top gear (the british car show) a few weeks ago that to defeat a speed camera the person needed to be going 280kph (or so), and they were gone by the time the camera took the photo. So i dont even know if the camera would react in time.

I wonder if the cops would have insurance on it? Serves them right for leaving it there for 3 days!!!

[Hitcher]

Iv'e often wondered how one of them things would handle a 180g .308 projectile at say 2800fps,and if it would manage to take a photo' as the bullet
was closing in.
Hey just a thought

A guy got busted a few years ago shooting out a pole camera near Waikumete cemetary in west Auckland. Just as he was taking aim a speeding car tripped the camera which got a good shot of him, sufficient to warrant his arrest, prior to having its eye shot out.

[Jackrat]

A guy got busted a few years ago shooting out a pole camera near Waikumete cemetary in west Auckland. Just as he was taking aim a speeding car tripped the camera which got a good shot of him, sufficient to warrant his arrest, prior to having its eye shot out.

serves the silly bugger right.
You would have to do it from 2/300 meters out.
Errrrrr, Time I Shut up me thinks.

[XRNR]

A guy got busted a few years ago shooting out a pole camera near Waikumete cemetary in west Auckland...

Bugger!
At least the Westies, try!

[Motoracer]

A guy got busted a few years ago shooting out a pole camera near Waikumete cemetary in west Auckland. Just as he was taking aim a speeding car tripped the camera which got a good shot of him, sufficient to warrant his arrest, prior to having its eye shot out.

PMPLROTF

I feel sad for the guy though

[jrandom]

Apparently that Waikumete camera is the most active fixed camera position in the country. From a Herald article a while back. I notice that unlike most other positions it's *never* empty, always has an active camera sitting in there when you look at it.

Yeah, hitting it from 300m out would be safer in terms of not getting photographed but the dude was probably trying to use a subsonic .22 or .45 or some such round to avoid being noticed, so it would have had to be <100 or preferably <50 metres. Would you want to be hanging around Waikumete holding a rifle after the residents heard the crack and phoned the cops? I suppose you could lift it outta the boot of the car, take your shot, stuff it back in and scarper...

Oh and there's no such bloody thing as a silenced .50BMG, OK? They do fit *suppressors* to reduce muzzle blast but you just can't silence that much hot supersonic expanding gas, quite apart from the sonic crack of a 700gr projectile travelling downrange at upwards of 2500fps. Even with a FOAD can on the end of the barrel you'd want earplugs and muffs and all the friendlies standing well rearwards of the muzzle.

Anyone who has actually fired a .50 of any sort is welcome to come along and tell me I'm wrong

[marty]

there's a shot of paul radisich at 275ish kmh at pukekohe about somewhere. the pic is so clear you can make out the sponsors stickers all over the car. i have seen a front shot of a 'busa on Sh1 at karapiro at 280kmh - it is as clear as if it was parked there. (with a dude lying on the tank).

there is another great shot somewhere of a vtec honda at 200kmh about to roll after heavy yaw under panic braking - the car was stolen even - you would think that they wouldn't care if they got snapped