Quote:
Originally Posted by Stealth22
They wear high-vis vests at public events, not when responding to a burglary in progress. There are times when they have to stay hidden.
They'll use that excuse for traffic enforcement too, I'm not disputing that. But if there's a burglar in your house, do you want him to see the neon green police car through the window?
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I'd rather have members of the public be able to identify the police and receive the help they may desperately need while the odd criminal is able to evade arrest than letting the police keep their stealth cover while the public is occasionally unable to receive vital assistance. However, it is not a static choice and compromises can be made if they help achieve an optimal outcome.
The CPS already use unmarked vehicles and these are perfect for the situations that you mention. If the CPS made the primary livery highly-visible but used unmarked vehicles for stealth captures, there would undoubtedly be occasions where a stealth approach would be required but an unmarked vehicle would be unavailable while there are multiple "bright" vehicles on hand. However, that would be a trade-off that I would comfortably accept for the reason described above. In addition to the aforementioned reason, there are other benefits to having a highly-visible livery that can justify the occasional escape of a suspect. The presence of a highly-visible police vehicle can act as a deterrent by itself.