Students Rioting in London.

[Flyboy]

Originally Posted by Derek

At a rough guess it could be:

• Placed there from a previous incident
  
  Then why wasn't it removed, I doubt very much senior officers would allow a thing to still be on one of its vehicles, whilst it was still in service.
  
• Taken from the glove box and placed there by a cop when it broke down
  
  I wouldn't have thought riot vans would carry such things as a matter of course, it is normally traffic that would have hose things.
  
• Taken from the glove box and put on the van by a protestor for a laugh
  
  It could have been, but it is seemingly less likely.
  
• Put there by cops as part of a huge conspiracy designed make the students look bad although nothing would be written down or transmitted by radio in case the transcripts are released by a FOI request
  
  In my opinion, the FOI is not worth the paper is printed on. We are only told what they want us to know. As far as a conspiracy is concerned, I wouldn't know about that. I am only addressing the fallacy that the van was a serviceable vehicle.
  

Obviously the likelihood decreases as you go down the list.

If it was a knackered van do you think they would have repaired it just enough to be drivable just until it breaks down in the middle of the street?

As long as it is driveable, it can be put anywhere they want it to be, but it can still be a scrapper. I have driven loads of vehicles to the auctions and scrap yards. But then.....

Placed there from a previous incident

....if the thing had been there because it had broken down at an earlier point, it would have been repaired, wouldn't it.

[Derek]

Originally Posted by Flyboy

The van had no number plates, had a "police aware" sticker on it and was covered in rust, looking at it, it is unlikely it would have passed its safety checks. Do the Met routinely drive around in vehicles with no number plates? That van would have been amortised a long time ago, therefore would not be worth anything at all to the Met.

As already quoted by Hugh but I'll repeat it for a giggle.

He points out that most conspiracy theories on the web regarding the van didn’t stand up either. The van’s markings were not out-of-date; license plates had been ripped off rather than deliberately left off; the rust merely indicated it was an old vehicle.

There was also valid tax on the vehicle, they are hardly likely to find an old van, fill it with gear, tax it and then forget about the whacking great sticker on the front.

Originally Posted by Flyboy

I must admit I didn't see any "kit" still inside the vehicle, I will have to take your word for it that it was there. What kit, in particular, are you referring to?

Aside from the NATO riot helmets and other public order gear yep nothing at all was inside. Thats aside from items, possibly officers personal belongings, seen being taken on the footage I watched on TV.

[Osem]

Originally Posted by martyh

as it happens so do i ,i also think the van was a reserve van kept in the local pound for when all other vans are in use because of a large gathering of unruly people ...oh say a student demo..

(reminder....must stop inventing outlandish theories)

Yup, very bad habit you've got there....

[Sirius]

Originally Posted by papa smurf

impossible mate my pc is covered in tin foil even the aliens can't get at it .

Did you get your idea for that tin foil cover from here

[Osem]

Originally Posted by Derek

As already quoted by Hugh but I'll repeat it for a giggle.





Aside from the NATO riot helmets and other public order gear yep nothing at all was inside. Thats aside from items, possibly officers personal belongings, seen being taken on the footage I watched on TV.

Surely you're not suggesting that police vehicles aren't kept entirely empty at all times??...

[Flyboy]

Originally Posted by Masque

It is pretty obvious that the protesters when ransacking the vehicle will have come across the sticker and then placed it prominently on the vehicle or a laugh, but to the paranoid few amongst us that obvious reason will not fit in with their finely honed plans about a conspiracy theory to make the rioters/protesters look bad.

By the way if you fail to accept the obvious solution can you find a picture of said vehicle prior to the event with the sticker on it, you will fail dismally.

Have you ever seen one of these stickers on a vehicle as everyone I have ever seen is either on the drivers side door window or in the middle of the windscreen, no one is going to put it on the roof above the glass.

It is entirely possible, for that matter, that someone at the pound, where the vehicle was kept, put it on there for a laugh as well. But, if anyone has an image of the vehicle before it was smashed, that shows the front of the roof without the sticker, I will happily accept it wasn't there before the van was abandoned. But I don't think it could be suggested that the vandals who attacked the van had the forethought to bring a bag of rust with them, to stick to doors of the vehicle.

[Derek]

Originally Posted by Osem

Surely you're not suggesting that police vehicles aren't kept entirely empty at all times??...

Yep. And when it comes to it some specialised vehicle are kept for a long, long time.

In fact if I was so inclined I might dig up a photo showing a 10-15 year old vehicle being used a couple of years ago. Oh wait I've already done that...

Maybe that was just foreshadowing for Operation Baitvan?

[Flyboy]

Originally Posted by Masque

I take the people who will not accept that the van was in normal use have never watched any of the Police shows on the television where the Police arrive in fairly new vehicles and when they call for a van it can be 5 or more years older than the panda cars, as Derek said above they cost a lot of money to be fitted out so they will hold onto vans a lot longer.

But then, those vehicles always arrive in current livery.

[Derek]

Originally Posted by Flyboy

But I don't think it could be suggested that the vandals who attacked the van had the forethought to bring a bag of rust with them, to stick to doors of the vehicle.

*sigh*

I'll tell you what, have a look through flickr or any of the other photo sharing websites that have photos from the student demos. You'll see plenty of photos of riot vans.

A fair number of them are in crap condition as they aren't routinely used and when that happens they rust. Someone else already mentioned that Merc sprinter vans of a certain vintage rust away when someone sneezes in their directions and my own personal experience of older police vehicles is they look and drive like a bag of spanners but they still work so still get used.

[Flyboy]

Originally Posted by martyh

That's right i have posted current prices for the equivalent sprinter ,i had a rough idea of how much these cost as i was thinking of buying a new one next year ,the one shown in the clip is a old style i.e about 5 years old at a guess but would have still cost about £30-35 grand with alterations and i may be wrong here but the police don't lease vehicles they buy them

They do both.

That van was not worth thirty-five thousand pounds.

---------- Post added at 12:56 ---------- Previous post was at 12:54 ----------

Originally Posted by Derek

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ragtag04/257872860/

Taken in 2006 showing an 'N' reg van still in active use and looking a bit shabby with traces of rust etc on it.

Or another van being prepared to be left in the middle of a riot.

[Derek]

Originally Posted by Flyboy

But then, those vehicles always arrive in current livery.

Obviously the selective googles are working 110% today. From the link earlier in the thread and quoted by Hugh, myself and probably a few others.

He points out that most conspiracy theories on the web regarding the van didn’t stand up either. The van’s markings were not out-of-date; license plates had been ripped off rather than deliberately left off; the rust merely indicated it was an old vehicle.

[Osem]

Originally Posted by Derek

Yep. And when it comes to it some specialised vehicle are kept for a long, long time.

In fact if I was so inclined I might dig up a photo showing a 10-15 year old vehicle being used a couple of years ago. Oh wait I've already done that...

Maybe that was just foreshadowing for Operation Baitvan?

I was going to pass around the festive mince pies but I think this might be more useful for the pain induced by protracted

[Flyboy]

Originally Posted by martyh

It also has to be remembered that that model of sprinter will rust to bits as soon as it leaves the factory ,they were not the best built van so rust spots on a sprinter does not nescessarily mean it is a old knacker we've got plenty at work tha are only 5 years old and look like they have come from a scrap yard

Really, my experience (and that of many Sprinter owners) differs. I am not aware of any inherent bodywork fault with the sprinter.

[papa smurf]

Originally Posted by Sirius

Did you get your idea for that tin foil cover from here

no mate its a bi-product of where i work -they are always watching so i keep everything foiled up especially my sandwiches, they don't need to know whats in them - one doese't have to be nuts to work at VM but i find it helps

[Flyboy]

Originally Posted by Masque

Hang about where is the Police Aware sticker on the roof.

Here is a picture of the actual sticker, can you see that it has not been filled in as these normally have the details of the vehicle that has been dumped, the date and the Policemans details who attached said sticker.



---------- Post added at 11:19 ---------- Previous post was at 11:18 ----------


Not really as their vehicles are usually older.

No, it hasn't been filled in at all, but then it does look as though it has been there for a number years.