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Vandal Camera Trap Please.

frank rabbets

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We live down a dead end single track road and have trouble with drug dealers and vandals. Tonight they drove over the wheelie bins with such force it dug the road up and holed their radiator. I followed the trail but it became cold.

I please need a recommendation for a battery operated camera I could strap to a tree. Due to trees being somewhat off the road the camera would have to focus on a number plate 25 feet away (8 metres) at an angle of 45 degrees. I'm sure someone on here knows just the ticket.

Thanks
 
Just make sure you read the reviews for any trail cams. Some are rubbish.

You can now get them with infra red so they don't flash any more and with sim cards in that alert your mobile and send an image to you! They take video too Frank.
 
A couple of decent brands are Bushnell and Ltl Acorn. Bushnell tend to be the ones you see most often, but I've had a Ltl Acorn for a while and it's been good. More info here, it's a bit dated and I'm sure that there are newer models, but it'll give you idea: http://www.ronburyswildlife.com/2012/01/new-ltl-acorn-and-bushnell-trail.html
Image quality is good, here are a couple of stills. I've not had dealings with them, but might be worth giving these people a ring to discuss your needs though as they might have a better idea of what would be suitable, or contact the police to see what they use. https://www.ukwildlifecameras.co.uk
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The sad thing is Frank, the police will only be interested if the cameras actually see an exchange (drugs for money) taking place. We had this near us.

So, fix up some obviously fake dummy cameras in fairly obvious places along with a ‘CCTV operating in this area’ sign or two. Place several proper cameras discretely in various places away from the dummies. This will enable footage to be used as evidence (because you’ve given the warning), should cause any damage to be done to the fakes and might dissuade them from visiting in the first place. They generally move on after a short time.

They may not now come back seeing as their engine is probably cooked. :lol:
 
Good point about the evidence being inadmissible if no warning signs in place.
 
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I would let the police and CPS decide whether something is admissible or not. If you are badger watching and happen to catch someone or a vehicle on there then it's still evidence. Evidence is something that establishes a fact.

The police can certainly use it as reasonable cause to then perhaps go and visit someone. Like an anonymous tip. No case is going to stand or fall on one picture alone in all probability. How would covert ops work if the police had to post signs saying 'covert filming in operation'

There's CCTV all over the place without signs but they still use it to identify terrorists and so forth. In very strict legal terms this may be true, but I'd suggest that the primary purpose of a wildlife cam is to capture wildlife. But on this occasion it happened to capture something else. I didn't put warning signs up, because foxes can't read!

If you have to go to greater lengths to capture their activity then I'd suggest that you're doing the Police's job for them.
 
Which is exactly what the police want Chris. Much as we may want them to appear like ninjas from out of the very darkness the instant there is any sort of crime being committed, they are human and cannot be everywhere. With privacy laws all over, it wouldn’t take someone (anyone, including a defence lawyer) long to lodge an objection to the cameras and make it stick. Part of the sign though is simply a deterrent.
I don’t think Frank really wants to play Hercule Poirrot here but would simply be pleased if all the nonsense went away.
 
Well the police may not be able to use my evidence in court but they would certainly be able to put a marker on their van.

The wheelie bins we have are very strong. Our neighbors one had 40% kink in it and even with three people sitting on it we could not pop the kink out. The wheels were ripped off.

Thanks for the help.
 
Perhaps one other option might be to fill the bent wheelie bin with wet sand.......or concrete. Might slow them down a bit more than a damaged radiator.
 
I had thought of concrete overnight. Picture of the scene of the crime. There was a big rut in the ground which I raked level last night. That axle is a solid bar of steel about 2.5cm diameter. When the van hit the bin the bin axle was at right angles to the impact. It dug into the ground and must have pole vaulted the front of the van into the air. You can see a puddle of coolant but they must have reversed as the trail is to the RHS looking down the lane.

A pigeon causes enough damage so don't try a 'bin at 30 mph.
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Cue Youtube video of bin man coming to empty bin that’s immovable due to being filled with concrete. :lol:
 
I had thought of concrete overnight. Picture of the scene of the crime. There was a big rut in the ground which I raked level last night. That axle is a solid bar of steel about 2.5cm diameter. When the van hit the bin the bin axle was at right angles to the impact. It dug into the ground and must have pole vaulted the front of the van into the air. You can see a puddle of coolant but they must have reversed as the trail is to the RHS looking down the lane.

A pigeon causes enough damage so don't try a 'bin at 30 mph.View attachment 146895
Its a shame, Just looking at the last photo it looks such a nice quiet spot. we get the same round us, the joys of living in rural leafy Kent.. druggies and smack heads nicking the fuel out of my trucks and running me wheelie bins over.. and why is there always a pile of mc donalds bags at the bottom of the drive 'EH!' strange.
 
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Old thread I know, but I stumbled on this today, it will cost the price of a 4G sim every month but otherwise a fit and forget device with the solar panel...

 
We have just put up neighbourhood watch signs, along with cctv warning signs in our street, along with some cameras that are visible may just be enough deterrent to make the undesirables question their activities in your area.

Cheers
 
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