Surveillance van
- Thread starter TMAC
- Start date
Brengunner
Longterm Registered User
I have a forward looking surveillance van, fantastic bit of kit, worth more to me than to sell it. As above mentioned mate, buy the van of your choice and then modify, the best vans I find are pre owned by builders or traidsmen, non sign written but do your mods and keep it looking like a builders van.
Just another point worth mentioning, if potentially working in london, remember that alot of the older vans cannot go into London due to immisions
Any how good luck.
Just another point worth mentioning, if potentially working in london, remember that alot of the older vans cannot go into London due to immisions
Any how good luck.
isstraining
Security Directors
Transit?? That's the size of a house!
I wouldn't go larger than a VW Caddy personally - you may have to do a 'follow' in it.
Peter
I wouldn't go larger than a VW Caddy personally - you may have to do a 'follow' in it.
Peter
Brengunner
Longterm Registered User
Yes peter if the client has budget restraints, but as always I wouldnt want to use a surveillance van without another source of backup (QRF) and in that case they if needed could take over eyeball if it went mobile.
Cheers, bren
Cheers, bren
Transit Connect / VW Caddy.
Plod has moved away from 'manned' vans, although there's still a lot out there. They'd rather not put somebody in the firing line if things go t1ts up.
...although I DO appreciate that you guys haven't got same budget, and like the idea of Mk1 eyeball, eyes on target.
Plod has moved away from 'manned' vans, although there's still a lot out there. They'd rather not put somebody in the firing line if things go t1ts up.
...although I DO appreciate that you guys haven't got same budget, and like the idea of Mk1 eyeball, eyes on target.
isstraining
Security Directors
A lot of guys on the circuit carry out work single handed (that's another thread) so they need to be in the back of the van one minute and following the next. If they are working as a pair (or three man team), then the van is used in the 'follow'.....
Van man gives a quick all round check, jumps in the front and away to join the mobile team.. arguments aside, it happens a lot on the circuit and I've never had any problems in all my time doing it.
A small van offers a lower profile on a street, in a car park and on a follow and you can squeeze it into the tiniest of spots. You need just enough room to be comfortable to operate correctly.
A large van is a large van. It sticks out - you do not need tons of space that would hold 50 bodies.
As for unmanned - its technical - it will go wrong, especially if someone forgets to put it on charge over night!
Peter
Van man gives a quick all round check, jumps in the front and away to join the mobile team.. arguments aside, it happens a lot on the circuit and I've never had any problems in all my time doing it.
A small van offers a lower profile on a street, in a car park and on a follow and you can squeeze it into the tiniest of spots. You need just enough room to be comfortable to operate correctly.
A large van is a large van. It sticks out - you do not need tons of space that would hold 50 bodies.
As for unmanned - its technical - it will go wrong, especially if someone forgets to put it on charge over night!
Peter
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Brengunner
Longterm Registered User
I suppose it all depends on if the subject is surveillence aware or not as to what SOPs are used and what counter measures are needed?
I cannot see a reason only in an emergency and it all going wrong that you would ever risk getting burnt by a third eye at the time of getting out the back of the van and into the front to then do a follow, but everyone have their own ways of doing things and money/budget is the biggest reason why restraints are put on jobs.
Cheers,
Bren.
I cannot see a reason only in an emergency and it all going wrong that you would ever risk getting burnt by a third eye at the time of getting out the back of the van and into the front to then do a follow, but everyone have their own ways of doing things and money/budget is the biggest reason why restraints are put on jobs.
Cheers,
Bren.
isstraining
Security Directors
Bren,
Totally agree. If the van man has to jump in the front, its always a last resort. Consideration should be taken into account: how and where it is parked, cover from view, carrying out a quick check, third party and awareness as you mentioned.
If its a highly aware target that will be drilling or have a counter in place. it is unlikely that you have a van anywhere in the area anyway If you did, all the more reason for it being a small one!
Pete
Totally agree. If the van man has to jump in the front, its always a last resort. Consideration should be taken into account: how and where it is parked, cover from view, carrying out a quick check, third party and awareness as you mentioned.
If its a highly aware target that will be drilling or have a counter in place. it is unlikely that you have a van anywhere in the area anyway If you did, all the more reason for it being a small one!
Pete
Seriously, build your own.
Choose a vehicle YOU like, that's going to suit you / the application. You're the one going to be living in it !
Somebody elses cast offs are always going to have THEIR tweaks, you may not like, and you'll be forever faffing about changing their preferences to yours. Somebody elses van has ALWAYS got old cables going someplace, that lead nowhere.
Build your own and you'll know where everything goes, what the limitations are, and it'll be a ruddy site easier to adapt as you go along.
For f's sake, keep notes / diagrams. Trying to work out what you did, when, why, keeps blokes like me in business.
Boarding, insulation, carpeting are cheap, easy DIY. Sorting electrics best done by local auto electrician. Just tell him where you want the volts, how many, and current consumption.
Choose a vehicle YOU like, that's going to suit you / the application. You're the one going to be living in it !
Somebody elses cast offs are always going to have THEIR tweaks, you may not like, and you'll be forever faffing about changing their preferences to yours. Somebody elses van has ALWAYS got old cables going someplace, that lead nowhere.
Build your own and you'll know where everything goes, what the limitations are, and it'll be a ruddy site easier to adapt as you go along.
For f's sake, keep notes / diagrams. Trying to work out what you did, when, why, keeps blokes like me in business.
Boarding, insulation, carpeting are cheap, easy DIY. Sorting electrics best done by local auto electrician. Just tell him where you want the volts, how many, and current consumption.
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Cheers guys, ideally will build one but time constraints make it difficult right now.
As for comments regarding size and follows, we also run a two man team, one in the van and one who is activated from the OP.
We're based in Ireland and find that a larger van (we use the short wheelbase low roof transit) is generally LESS conspicuous.
I do intend to make it remotely operable as budgets ARE getting tighter and will have to look at single man ops in the future.....
As for comments regarding size and follows, we also run a two man team, one in the van and one who is activated from the OP.
We're based in Ireland and find that a larger van (we use the short wheelbase low roof transit) is generally LESS conspicuous.
I do intend to make it remotely operable as budgets ARE getting tighter and will have to look at single man ops in the future.....
I use a Ford Focus van.
No fancy bells and whistles, just tinted rear window and black curtains dividing front/rear compartments and a great big comfy cushion to sit on.
It's nice and small, looks like a car (..a big van can't look like a car) it can fit anywhere, doesn't stick out in traffic, it's nimble and there are 700,0000,0000,0000,000,000 Focus' out there so it's quite common!
I do miss my Fiesta van though.................
Heno
No fancy bells and whistles, just tinted rear window and black curtains dividing front/rear compartments and a great big comfy cushion to sit on.
It's nice and small, looks like a car (..a big van can't look like a car) it can fit anywhere, doesn't stick out in traffic, it's nimble and there are 700,0000,0000,0000,000,000 Focus' out there so it's quite common!
I do miss my Fiesta van though.................
Heno
Once upon a time, when I was freelancer, working for the TV ......
I had an Escort Van, that some kid had MacGuyvered an XR3i lump into. (Moody MoT, engine brackets from angle iron with distinctly iffy welds.) Even 20 yr ago, it had more sv hardware than anything plod could put in the field.
Was on a job in Nottingham, in the red light district, with:
Me, my engineer, soundman, broadcast cameraman, WITH bloody great ENG camera, producer, director, and their sound engineer.
Somwhat amusing when we got pulled over for kerb crawling and asked to step out of the vehicle.
....but that's another story, over a pint at the Christmas gig
I had an Escort Van, that some kid had MacGuyvered an XR3i lump into. (Moody MoT, engine brackets from angle iron with distinctly iffy welds.) Even 20 yr ago, it had more sv hardware than anything plod could put in the field.
Was on a job in Nottingham, in the red light district, with:
Me, my engineer, soundman, broadcast cameraman, WITH bloody great ENG camera, producer, director, and their sound engineer.
Somwhat amusing when we got pulled over for kerb crawling and asked to step out of the vehicle.
....but that's another story, over a pint at the Christmas gig
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Someone said the police had moved away from manned vans. With non man vans do they now use cars instread of vans? How does a non manned van work out of curiosity. At work I have never read about non manned vans when reading the survailance manual.
I just joined on here to have a rant about someone driving in to my car with number plates that dont appear at dvla that only police etc can see but looks interesting sections on here. The insurance company was being ackward because numbers plates dont come on there computor.
I just joined on here to have a rant about someone driving in to my car with number plates that dont appear at dvla that only police etc can see but looks interesting sections on here. The insurance company was being ackward because numbers plates dont come on there computor.
Actually having a bloke sitting in a car or van, effectively puts them at risk.
Operators need to take a slash occasionally.
Have you ever smelled the inside of an sv van after a couple of blokes have spent a day or so in there?
Unmanned vehicles can sit there all day.
Technology is / can be, cheap. Blood isn't, especially mine !
Operators need to take a slash occasionally.
Have you ever smelled the inside of an sv van after a couple of blokes have spent a day or so in there?
Unmanned vehicles can sit there all day.
Technology is / can be, cheap. Blood isn't, especially mine !
Hi it depends on your budget. I have a small van that has a freezer unit on the roof I have taken out the freezer Gubbins and put in remote cameras controlled from the inside with a monitor and DVR's and of course the hand held video camera as well as a man pack. There is a company in Basildon that can do the job or a company called SONIC near Birmingham also do comms and cameras on bikes and cars...vans.....but the smaller the van the better, and a common color...white.
Freezer unit conversions are good idea. Also relatively easy to swap from one vehicle to another, which can be handy. It also gets the cameras up that little bit higher, so view isn't obstructed by other vehicles. The amount of space also gives you room to use decent camera / lens combinations without breaking the bank.
Sonic are good, but at the top end of the budget for anything like this, and I'm not too enthusiastic about some of their kit or the way it goes together, but that comes down to personal preferences and the way you're used to using the gear. (I've done more than a few refits / upgrades to old Sonic systems.)
There's easily another half dozen companies that can do a 'professional job', or, with planning, basic workshop facilities and decent auto-electrician, quite possible to build your own.
V
Sonic are good, but at the top end of the budget for anything like this, and I'm not too enthusiastic about some of their kit or the way it goes together, but that comes down to personal preferences and the way you're used to using the gear. (I've done more than a few refits / upgrades to old Sonic systems.)
There's easily another half dozen companies that can do a 'professional job', or, with planning, basic workshop facilities and decent auto-electrician, quite possible to build your own.
V
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