Surrey traffic police self-report locations on Waze to get motorists to slow down

On Aug 30, 2022

Traffic police have admitted to using a loophole in the Waze navigation app in an attempt to get motorists to slow down and exercise more care on the roads.

Surrey Police Force hinted via Twitter cops ‘drop police markers on Waze at random points’ during a patrol to alert other drivers that they’re in the area.

The app operates like a free GPS navigation tool but also includes features which allows users to drop a pin at the location of parked police cars, accidents, traffic cameras and even potholes.

This alerts other motorists in the area of potential hazards as they approach the same location – meaning they can choose to take an alternate route or alter their driving to suit the conditions.

But by including locations they simply drive through on the server, Surrey Police are essentially tricking motorists into thinking they’re about to pass a stationary police officer when there is no car there.

Surrey Police Force hinted via Twitter cops ‘drop police markers on Waze at random points’ during a patrol to alert other drivers that they’re in the area

The app operates like a free GPS navigation tool but also includes features which allows users to drop a pin at the location of parked police cars, accidents, traffic cameras and even potholes

The aim is to encourage drivers – particularly those who are speeding – to slow down and take more care on the road.

On Monday, the Surrey Road Policing Twitter page shared a screenshot of the police pin drop function on Waze with the caption: ‘We definitely don’t drop police markers on Waze at random points on our patrol, nope – never.’

The tweet featured a winking emoji which indicated the opposite is true.

In a separate comment responding to queries about whether more than one person would need to point out a police car for it to show up on the app, the account wrote: ‘Double crewed car = two phones.’

The post attracted criticism from motorists who said the cheeky tactic is not in the spirit of the app.

‘Technically not false though,’ Surrey Police said in response. ‘We are there at that very specific point in time… Nowhere on Waze does it say the patrol has to be stationary.’

By including locations they simply drive through on the server, Surrey Police are essentially tricking motorists into thinking they’re about to pass a stationary police officer when there is no car there

Surrey Police said generally the warning lasts for between 10 and 20 minutes; noting that’s ’10 minutes of safer drivers’ on the roads

Cars that subsequently pass the area have the option to report the car or officers are no longer there, thus removing the notification from the server.

How does Waze work?

Users type their destination into the search bar and use the app like any other navigational system.

If the app is open on the drive, their phone will passively contribute to traffic and road data, but a user can also choose to share road reports on accidents, police cars, speed cameras or other hazards.

This gives other users a ‘heads up’ as they approach the area.

But Surrey Police said generally the warning lasts for between 10 and 20 minutes; noting that’s ’10 minutes of safer drivers’ on the roads.

In amongst the backlash were calls to actually increase traffic police – rather than ‘lying’ and ‘altering computer records’ in an attempt ‘to deceive others’.

‘We’re not responsible for the significant cuts to policing budgets over the years that decimated traffic units across the country,’ the Twitter account responded.

Home Office figures reveal the number of equivalent road policing officers has plummeted 22 per cent in the past seven years – from 5,237 across England and Wales in 2015 to 4,102 in March 2022.

President of British motoring association, AA, Edmund King, described the tactics of Surrey Police as ‘the equivalent of a modern day speed camera sign’.

‘With five deaths per day on our roads, it is difficult to argue with police tactics that potentially slow drivers down and save lives,’ he said.

‘Ultimately we would like to see more cops in cars to reduce broader crime but in the interim the police must do what they can to make roads safer.’

Waze has upwards of 50million users across 200 countries and is growing rapidly in popularity – particularly after Google acquired it in 2013 for a reported £1billion.

Waze has upwards of 50million users across 200 countries and is growing rapidly in popularity – particularly after Google acquired it in 2013 for a reported £1billion