UK: Manhunt underway after surveillance camera explodes
British police are searching for possible suspects after a ULEZ surveillance camera exploded in southeast London Thursday.
By order of London Mayor Sadiq Khan, the city is peppered with ultra-low emission zones (ULEZs), areas accessible only to low-emission vehicles. Cars that do not meet the city’s environmental standards are charged £12.50 ($16) for entering the ULEZ. Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras positioned around the zones read license plates and check them against the vehicles’ make and model in real time. If a vehicle does not meet the environmental threshold, the fine is levied against the car owner.
The ULEZ climate mandate has drawn heavy protests from residents, including hunger strikes and refusal to pay fines. Taxpayers have also taken to disabling the ANPR surveillance cameras which Transport for London (TfL), the city’s transportation department, said will be used both for climate and law enforcement.
On Thursday a street in the town of Sidcup turned into a crime scene after a ULEZ camera exploded and damaged nearby vehicles and property. The Met Police cordoned off a section of the road, set up two yellow police tents and brought in a forensics team to determine whether the blast was caused by explosives.
Shrapnel from the explosion caused damage to two vehicles. One was a Citroen van recently purchased by a construction worker because his other vehicle is not ULEZ-compliant. A passing car also suffered damage to one of its front panels. Nobody was injured.
Locals said the camera had been installed only a few hours before.
While the police have not yet published a report, the Daily Mail reports they are still investigating the incident and hunting for a “Blade Runner vigilante.”
Blade Runners are a group of anonymous taxpayers who have declared war on the ULEZ mandate and have vowed not to rest until every ULEZ camera is removed or destroyed “no matter what.”
“We don't want this. It's a way to try to . . . restrict our movements. F*** them. It will not happen because we haven't done anything to deserve it,” one Blade Runner was reported as saying.
As of last month, police recorded nearly 1,000 ULEZ camera-related crimes, including 220 incidents of theft and 767 incidents of vandalism.
Between April 1stt and August 31st, police recorded 351 incidents of destruction to ULEZ cameras and 159 removals, an average of over 100 incidents a month. Of those incidents, 171 reportedly occurred since August 17th alone, just before the ULEZ mandate officially expanded to include all outer London boroughs.
Transport for London (TfL), the city’s transportation authority, began placing black boxes around ULEZ camera wirings to protect them from being cut. But taxpayers found other ways to disable the cameras, including removing them completely.
In response, the city deployed mobile surveillance vans mounted with ANPR cameras across London in the hopes of evading attacks, but the vans are being targeted as well. Some have been spotted covered in graffiti with their tires slashed, while others have been completely covered in tarp.
The group is being widely cheered by its compatriots, including media personality and political commentator Katie Hopkins. Over 4,000 people have joined a Facebook group to report ULEZ van sightings.
