Illegal firework campaign used fake web shops in Poland

[displayfireworks1]

I found this interesting in following up to something I posted in the Netherlands section of the forums.
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Officials have admitted this year’s anti-illegal fireworks campaign has been based on luring potential buyers to them from fake web shops based in Poland. More than 500 people who attempted to buy illegal fireworks via the web shops were sent a personalised video message featuring a police officer and warning them they were committing a crime. They were also sent a letter with the same warning. When the campaign was launched last month the police refused to give details of how they planned to track down buyers of illegal fireworks, leading some experts to suspect fake websites would be involved. The websites were managed by special safety foundation Stichting VeiligheidNL which is part of the government’s fireworks task force. PolicewomanHowever, a spokesman said the police had not been given direct access to the information. ‘The policewoman who recorded the messages only knew the initials of the people placing the orders,’ Cees Meijer is quoted as saying by Nos television. Mejier said the method used had been approved by the public prosecution department and there was no question of entrapment. The foundation considers the campaign a success for spreading unease among fans of illegal fireworks and showing it is no longer safe and anonymous to order them online. -

[PyroJoeNEPA]

So if the prosecuting officer says it is not entrapment--then it is not entrapment? Sounds like the way our own Justice Department buried the Fast & Furious scandal to cover their butts....make the law say what you want it to in order to facilitate your own agenda!! Big Brother is always watching. :-(

[Pyro-T]

If the police is doing his job according the legal ways can be discussed.
But the main problem will continue, unless something changes.

The issue is not trapping down Dutch kids who sell fireworks in Poland via the internet. It's about heavy >30gr flash bangers being shipped by regulair post to The Netherlands, and an increasement of heavy illegal foreworks in The Netherlands, coming from the Eastern Block. (Poland, Czech Rep., etc.)
Not only those fireworks are very dangerous, they sometimes are also used in an extra dangerous way. Like People in The Netherlands who use those fireworks to blow up post boxes, telefone booths, etc.

Like I wrote in a related topic about the Dutch Taskforce in fireworks; do not fight te problem, fight the cause. the EU government in Brussels should make a new law, preventing firework distrubitors in the EU to import such heavy fireworks, and punish them when the still do so.
Going to China and tell the factories that they must not export those fireworks to the EU will probably be translated as a joke. As long as the money comes in, the export will continue. (In my opinion)

[PyroJoeNEPA]

Pyro-T what is the largest bangers that are sold there in the black market? and are commercial 1.3g products an issue? I know they are sold everywhere illegally but was wondering if it was easy for them to be obtained via Parcel shipment? I can see the danger to people handling these packages and not being aware of the dangerous products in the packages!

[jamietje]

largest bangers tend to have 100gram sas, real fireworks freak will never order like this these have their connections.
we dont allow 1.3 products here as far as i know for the average joe that is, but people are able to get hughe cakes that will way anywhere from 15kilo up till 100kilo which contains a full show usually, those are not sent by post company´s offcourse and because you cant have them its a problem, but atleast those arent used to destroy things which im obviously against.
what they did however can also be callled fishing what isnt allowed.

example of such a box, the only issue i see with thise is that their needs to be a safety distance which cant be met in a normal area so people dont do it at all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNrmVov2SKk


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3hXi3jr-QE

Btw the heaviest bangers like cobra 6 which has 50gram if i remember correctly isnt even legal in italy where it comes from.
It´s proffesional fireworks for which you would need a license.

[Pyro-T]

Bangers coming in to The Netherlands via the illegal ways are getting more heavy each year.
Last year a certain banger should contain 127gr of pure flash powder.
Next to this there are Italian bangers in even sizes, aslo sold and used in the illegal circuits.
And for those who want more, use 3", 4", and even 5" salute shells, sometimes to shoot with a mortar, sometimes to light and throw away by hand. No, this is no joke...

In The Netherlands and most surrounding countries, consumers can only buy and use fireworks in the classifcation of maximum 1.4G. Next to this the amounth of powder in the fireworks in most EU countries is restricted. In The Netherlands for example 500grams for a cakebox, 40gr for a rocket, 2gr of flash powder in an effect, and bangers with about 5gr of gunpowder only, never flash powder bangers.

Just tonight I wrote in the news that the police supported a post package distributor with detection dogs. The first day that Polish and Czech trucks with post packages were checked they found about 10 post packages with illegal fireworks, send from Poland and the Czech Republic with Dutch destination addresses.
The Dutch government told the news that they will support the post package distrubitors with scanners, to scan all incoming packages. Again fighting the problem and not the cause, but it's a start.

On top of this the news told that the Dutch army provided the police with certain audio tracking devices. Those devices do tripple/triangulair meassurements on areas where fireworks are shot, and can track down the spot where the heavy illegal fireworks are shot. Initially itwas tested in two cities, but the test are looking good, so maybe this option will be used more often coming years.

[jamietje]

Where you read the post above, you would think we are located in jemen.

[PyroJoeNEPA]

On top of this the news told that the Dutch army provided the police with certain audio tracking devices. Those devices do tripple/triangulair meassurements on areas where fireworks are shot, and can track down the spot where the heavy illegal fireworks are shot. Initially itwas tested in two cities, but the test are looking good, so maybe this option will be used more often coming years.

This audio triangulation technology was developed by Israel several years ago to identify sniper fire location. The US military has used it for that purpose for quite a while. It is also used here in the USA by several police departments & from what I have heard there is quite an extensive data base of audio files that can differentiate & identify the sound pattern produced by both fireworks & gunshots. It's use is not widely publicized but I do know it is in use in Los Angeles. I'm sure there are a lot more cities using it. I can see it being a useful tool for law enforcement being able to know if someone simply lit off a few salutes or if someone was firing a semi or full auto gun when they were responding to a call out. I would not be surprised if the technology has been expanded & deployed for use in drones.

[PGH_Pyro]

Here in Pittsburgh, they are employing it in a high-crime neighborhood . It's called "Shot-Spotter" . Cost the city quite a lot of money and they were debating whether it'd work or not . I'm not sure how its going so far .