DECOY POLICE BUS

BLAKEY · Post by **BLAKEY** » Fri 01 Mar, 2013 8:04 pm

The news today has given great detail, and photos and video, of this excellent idea. A normal looking "First" double decker is running pseudo journeys in the known trouble areas of West Yorkshire - all the ordinary looking passengers are plain clothes officers and already they have made considerable progress in "nabbing" unsuspecting bad' uns.Am I over reacting though, or do others agree that such detailed visual publicity is blowing the cover of the vehicle and the officers, many of whom are clearly shown on the bus ?? Other than that, its a superb idea.Separately, a lady reporter tells us that WYPTE/WYPTA spend around £200,000 annually on repairing vandal damage - "money which could be spent on buying new buses." Its obvious that the good lady has not seen a recent price list for the cost of vehicles, and furthermore I should be very surprised that the figure mentioned is accurate and I would expect it to be many times that amount.

Steve Jones · Post by **Steve Jones** » Fri 01 Mar, 2013 8:08 pm

I just watched it on Look North and thought it a good idea although now it is publicised,idiots on estates might start chucking stuff at buses again .I also agree with you Blakey that showing the officers faces wasn't a smart idea.

raveydavey · Post by **raveydavey** » Fri 01 Mar, 2013 10:29 pm

Great idea, now immediately busted due to this idiotic publicity. Who on earth thought it would be a good idea to tell the very people they are trying to catch all about it?That said, the number of buses running around with cosmetic damage (inside and out!) seems to be increasing. Perhaps the behaviour of a handful of passengers is why so many people stand at the bottom of the steps...

Phill_dvsn · Post by **Phill_dvsn** » Fri 01 Mar, 2013 10:52 pm

It's all bluff isn't it?Stage it once and make it look real, maximum publicity to make chummy think it's going on all the time so he behaves in future.They might be anti social morons, but somewhere in that thick skull of theirs they are pretty street wise and that won't fool, or stop them.

BarFly · Post by **BarFly** » Fri 01 Mar, 2013 11:41 pm

Phill_dvsn wrote: It's all bluff isn't it?Stage it once and make it look real, maximum publicity to make chummy think it's going on all the time so he behaves in future.They might be anti social morons, but somewhere in that thick skull of theirs they are pretty street wise and that won't fool, or stop them. These are along the lines I was thinking. They probably did operate some of these but they'd be very expensive and the troublemakers would soon get to recognise, or even spot, the police. Instead they publicise the good results (which I don't doubt for the first few runs) so they ensure funding and also hope to worry the scum into not playing up in case police are on board.I'm not convinced it's a bad tactic though especially if they use a few more under cover officers in pairs/groups now and again.It does rather surprise me though that a group of police officers can look convincingly like a bus full of "normal" people. I know the police entrance no longer has height requirements or, indeed, specified fitness but I'd think it odd if everyone on a late bus was between 30 and 45, not overweight and not p***ed.

Phill_dvsn · Post by **Phill_dvsn** » Fri 01 Mar, 2013 11:48 pm

They first tried it 5 years agoCunning ploy to catch Leeds bus vandals. July 31, 2008.http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-182229866.html

buffaloskinner · Post by **buffaloskinner** » Sat 02 Mar, 2013 12:03 am

We did something very similar more than 20 years ago on Yorkshire Rider, and there were also plain clothes on bus routes where attacks had taken place.It worked on many occasions ...............

Loiner1960 · Post by **Loiner1960** » Sat 02 Mar, 2013 9:10 am

Can these bus routes be published. I only ask as they might arrive on time and not take an age to go anywhere.Wouldn't a better idea be to have someone from the bus company on the bus as well as the driver. They could collect fares and sort out any trouble makers and throw them off....What do you mean, stating the obvious!!

Chrism · Post by **Chrism** » Sat 02 Mar, 2013 4:28 pm

Why not just have undercover travellers on normal buses?

Riponian · Post by **Riponian** » Sat 02 Mar, 2013 6:41 pm

With the present cuts in budget, maybe travelling on the bus will replace a lot of Police journeys. I'd like to see the vandal's face when the bus stops and 75lbs of Police Dog are dispatched in their direction.Constables in uniform travel free, so maybe more of them will be doing so in the future.