Re:TV detector vans once prowled the streets of England
by SheinhardtWigCo on Tuesday January 19, 2021 @02:16AM
(#25830817)
I don’t believe there has been a single conviction based upon evidence gathered by these vans. They’re like lie detector machines - useful only as a tool to get people to confess. Same with the inspectors, they’re private citizens with no legal authority to enter a property without permission. Their purpose is to cultivate fear of prosecution, not to recoup lost revenue.
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Re:TV detector vans once prowled the streets of England
by tosteris on Tuesday January 19, 2021 @03:32AM
(#25831191)
> I don’t believe there has been a single conviction based upon evidence gathered by these vans
According to the article they were not intended for convictions but instead to get a search warrant and then gather evidence for a conviction.
So who knows how many convictions were started because of the vans. Though I agree that the fear factor probably did help more than the search warrants.