What would you do?, one rule for us etc....
Discussion
Going home from work last friday, using a rat run to avoid a part of the north circular, behind me was a police transit van, with a pc driving and a wpc passenger.Was sitting in a queue crawling past Palmers Green Lbrary waiting to cross Green Lanes. Eventually got to front of queue with van still behind me. Halfway into the pedestrian sequence, I hear/see Blues ans two's and said transit passes me and crosses the lights. My immediate reaction was that he was on a shout, but when I eventually moved off and crossed the lights, and joined the Queue for the North Circular, half mile on, the Transit was sitting in the Queue also. When we entered North Circular, he was driving normally.
Now this annoyed me somewhat, he obviously, was'nt on a shout, was he showing off to the wpc?. I don't know.
Point is, If he had seen joe public doing the same, I suggest that he (joe public) would have been pulled at least. How can we respect the law when it seems to be flouted, as in this case.
I took the Reg number of the van, and thought I would report this, however, it's now Monday, and it's just a memory, and I don't abide by grassing someone up.
However it's still bloody annoying to see this type of thing happen.What would you do?
Now this annoyed me somewhat, he obviously, was'nt on a shout, was he showing off to the wpc?. I don't know.
Point is, If he had seen joe public doing the same, I suggest that he (joe public) would have been pulled at least. How can we respect the law when it seems to be flouted, as in this case.
I took the Reg number of the van, and thought I would report this, however, it's now Monday, and it's just a memory, and I don't abide by grassing someone up.
However it's still bloody annoying to see this type of thing happen.What would you do?
I will give you an explanation to what may have happened. I may not be right in this case but it would normally be the case.
When you are dispatched to an incident which requires immediate attendance, the use of warning equipment is advisable for nothing less than self protection, should you get involve in any sort of conflict on the road. In most cases it is essential to aid progress through busy and congested lanes.
When you start to make progress, you pose a considerable risk to yourself and other road users. To try and make progress without warning equipment operating is foolish in the extreme.
When a unit is dispatched to an immediate committment, they may be a considerable distance from that incident.
If another unit is close to that incident and arrives there first, then they usually state over the radio that they do not require any further assistnce at that incident and they are capable of resolving it.
For the second unit to then continue under the use of warning equipment would be unjustifiable.
All accidents that are within the vicinity of a police vehicle, whether the Police vehicle has been actually damaged or not are recorded as POLACCS for statistical reasons. This would include scenarios like a Police vehicle waiting with warning equipment operating at a junction where it was about to proceed through a red light. It may well be staionary waiting for traffic on green to give way. If one car stops to give way and the one behind that rear ends him/her because he/she has not been paying attention, the Police vehicle must not continue on its journey but wait for a more senior officer to attend the scene.
The legal definition of Road Traffic Accident is
OWING TO THE PRESENCE OF A MOTOR VEHICLE ON A ROAD, DAMAGE OR INJURY IS CAUSED TO ANY OTHER VEHICLE OR PERSON.......
In the above scenario, the Police vehicle is on the road and owing to its presence, an accident has then occurred. Therefore, the driver of the Police vehicle will have to be spoken to and give an explanation as to why he/she was at the junction displaying warning equipment.
By now I would think you will be following the logic of this.
Sometimes we are dispatched to an incident that some one else gets to a lot quicker than the back up unit.
Having been cancelled over the radio system, the only proper course of action is to turn off the warning equipment and drive to the normal conditions.
To fail to do so may well put you on offer for a charge of at least driving without reasonable consideration and certainly a disciplinary offence, if a VICINITY POLACC or ACTUAL POLACC (as they are refferred to )occurs as a result.
I however, on receiving a cancellation, normally continue to the next side street and disappear down that before turning them all off, so that I do not give the impression that you may have got from the incident that you have described.
I hope this may shed a little more light on the matter, but would say that if you are that aggreived by what happened, then you should report the incident and get an official explanation as I may not be correct in my efforts to appease your disquiet.
When you are dispatched to an incident which requires immediate attendance, the use of warning equipment is advisable for nothing less than self protection, should you get involve in any sort of conflict on the road. In most cases it is essential to aid progress through busy and congested lanes.
When you start to make progress, you pose a considerable risk to yourself and other road users. To try and make progress without warning equipment operating is foolish in the extreme.
When a unit is dispatched to an immediate committment, they may be a considerable distance from that incident.
If another unit is close to that incident and arrives there first, then they usually state over the radio that they do not require any further assistnce at that incident and they are capable of resolving it.
For the second unit to then continue under the use of warning equipment would be unjustifiable.
All accidents that are within the vicinity of a police vehicle, whether the Police vehicle has been actually damaged or not are recorded as POLACCS for statistical reasons. This would include scenarios like a Police vehicle waiting with warning equipment operating at a junction where it was about to proceed through a red light. It may well be staionary waiting for traffic on green to give way. If one car stops to give way and the one behind that rear ends him/her because he/she has not been paying attention, the Police vehicle must not continue on its journey but wait for a more senior officer to attend the scene.
The legal definition of Road Traffic Accident is
OWING TO THE PRESENCE OF A MOTOR VEHICLE ON A ROAD, DAMAGE OR INJURY IS CAUSED TO ANY OTHER VEHICLE OR PERSON.......
In the above scenario, the Police vehicle is on the road and owing to its presence, an accident has then occurred. Therefore, the driver of the Police vehicle will have to be spoken to and give an explanation as to why he/she was at the junction displaying warning equipment.
By now I would think you will be following the logic of this.
Sometimes we are dispatched to an incident that some one else gets to a lot quicker than the back up unit.
Having been cancelled over the radio system, the only proper course of action is to turn off the warning equipment and drive to the normal conditions.
To fail to do so may well put you on offer for a charge of at least driving without reasonable consideration and certainly a disciplinary offence, if a VICINITY POLACC or ACTUAL POLACC (as they are refferred to )occurs as a result.
I however, on receiving a cancellation, normally continue to the next side street and disappear down that before turning them all off, so that I do not give the impression that you may have got from the incident that you have described.
I hope this may shed a little more light on the matter, but would say that if you are that aggreived by what happened, then you should report the incident and get an official explanation as I may not be correct in my efforts to appease your disquiet.
Thanks for the detailed reasoning Madcop, I guess I'm not that aggrieved now, as I said it's now a couple of days ago. From your explanation, I would say that the situation could be marginal, and being a fair minded type of bloke, I'll give it the benefit of the doubt.
As always; nice to see a balanced view from your "side of the fence".
Regards
Big Rumbly
I'll give it the benefit of the doubt. As always; nice to see a balanced view from your "side of the fence".
Regards
Big Rumbly
quote:
The legal definition of Road Traffic Accident is
OWING TO THE PRESENCE OF A MOTOR VEHICLE ON A ROAD, DAMAGE OR INJURY IS CAUSED TO ANY OTHER VEHICLE OR PERSON.......
Cheers Madcop, this has cleared up the issue of why it is always the car driver's fault if a pedestrian jumps out in front of them and is run over.....
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