Speeding Plod

[Imelda]

Speeding is irresponsible, speed kills, speeding must be made as socially unacceptable as drink driving blah blah blah....

So come on Plod, why exactly were you doing between 40 and 45 mph in your Land Rover Freelander (reg V898 ECD) through the 30mph limit in Sayers Common this morning at 8:56? No blue lights, no siren.

And while we are on the subject, why did you not bother to indicate left at the roundabout when you were entering the village?

Question is, should I follow this up, or will I just be stirring up trouble for myself.

[ap_smith]

Follow it up!

How quickly would plod 'follow it up' with you if we was hiding behind a bush with a LIDAR or behind you with VASCAR?

It's just a pity you can't issue him with a £60 fine and 3 points.

[CarZee]

On a matter of principle, I'd report it... these B*****ds give us a hard time - there are far too many coppers who adhere to the one rule for them, another for us mentality..

[plotloss]

Report it!

I was literally run off the road this morning on the way to work, overtaken by two coppers in an unmarked car with no lights/siren on a single lane road on the brow of a hill on a blind bend (Roundabout at the top of Wimbledon Hill for those who know it). I've just finished making an official complaint.

I do highly doubt however that anything will come of it, and the amount I get stopped is also probably set to sky rocket.

So much for their 14 week advanced driving course...

Matt.

[knowley]

What about when they are sat behind you at a red light. They stick their flashing lights and sirens on go through the red light.

Then 50 yards past the lights turn off the sirens etc... power abusing xxxxs.

[outlaw]

i rekon us driver`s should start a group and get a radar gun ans a cam and a van

and hide behind some bush`s and start snapping them

and all march down the CPS and demand they do them
or explain why not in front of the press

[relaxitscool]

There is no law to say you have to have blue lights and sirens on when attending an emergency. Sometimes a covert approach helps catch the criminal rather than giving them a mile head start when they here the sirens in the distance.

Re the turning the lights off after going through lights. Ever thought it is possible they have been cancelled going to the job en route...hence no need for lights+sirens anymore.....

>> Edited by relaxitscool on Tuesday 5th March 20:54

[Jason F]

I also had a situation on the M25 a few weeks back when I was travelling at 80mph only to suddenly discover I was being overtaken by a Land Rover with no Lights/Sirens and he fairly buggered off into the distance.

Relax, the reason people assume the worst is probably because we hear so often of speeding/dangerous driving offences being dropped when it is Plod driving. And I have a Police friend or two...

I quite often get behind local plod and watch as they gently pull away from me in the 30mph limit

[steve harrison]

Strangely enough, while looking for something entirely different I strayed across the following item in Hansard the other day.

www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm199900/cmhansrd/vo000713/text/00713w17.htm

- if you want to look it up yourselves.

quote

Speed Cameras

Ms Drown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police vehicles have activated speed cameras in (a) Wiltshire and (b) England and Wales in the last year for which figures are available. [130176]



Mr. Charles Clarke: The information is not available centrally.

unquote

[relaxitscool]

If a police vehicle goes through a camera and sets it off, the driver has to provide evidence that he / she was attending an emergency. Otherwise, its an fine and points as with everybody else.

[Jason F]

quote:
If a police vehicle goes through a camera and sets it off, the driver has to provide evidence that he / she was attending an emergency. Otherwise, its an fine and points as with everybody else.

I'm sorry but I regularly read of situations where Plod gets away with it...

In the same vein that Ministers cars aren't subject to the same Tax as us Plebs.....

[XPLOD]

Relaxitscool makes a very valid point. Sirens to warn the little scrote whose breaking into your car are unlikely to result in his arrest. Also, Police officers work on surveillance, in unmarked cars whereby blue lights and/or sirens may be considered a little showy!
Also, there are a number of other law enforcement agencies out there, who because of legal loopholes are not permitted to use blue lights, but nonetheless are required (and trained) to exceed speed limits etc... when required. E.g. Benefits Agency Investigators, HM Customs, to name a couple.

[relaxitscool]

quote:
I'm sorry but I regularly read of situations where Plod gets away with it...

Police Officers have an exemption to certain traffic regulatuions. Speed limits, keep left markers, red lights etc. But only when attending an emergency. If they set a camera off when not attending an emergency they are not exempt and will get points and a fine (I've seen a traffic officer stop and give a Panda driver a ticket for contravening a bus lane in the past). There is no argument here, those are the rules, nobody is above the law.

[mel]

There are also a lot that have blue lights and NO training on how to use them. One being NEMT (Nuclear Emergency Monitoring Team) who monitor submarines when in harbour, also Military EOD (Bomb Disposal) All sorts of toys from suped up V6 Trannie vans, V8 Land Rovers, V6 Omegas with lights under the grill, and even the blinky pot on your own car when on call (looks great on the dash of a Tiv) !!! No actual formal training required for any of these although most people do go on 2 day courses with local plod.

[relaxitscool]

You're right. I believe in the Met they have what are called two day drivers. They go on a basic two day course to ensure that they are competent behind the wheel. As such they place restrictions on what they can and can't do (don't quote me, I'm just going off info given by a colleague.) I think this only happens in the MET because of the sheer numbers of officers...or not

Panda drivers, or standard drivers normally undertake a 2 week course which is supposed to bring them up to IAM level, i.e driving to the system of car control.

Response and Traffic car drivers have to complete a 4 week advanced driving course. For comparison this is supposed to take you to a level where you can instruct IAM pupils (again not 100% sure.)

In addition, traffic officers, funds permitting then go on to receive TPAC (tactical pursuit and containment) training, the list goes on and on….

[CarZee]

quote:(I've seen a traffic officer stop and give a Panda driver a ticket for contravening a bus lane in the past)

I bet that guy's Mr Popularity down the station..

Still, as a poor persecuted motorist, I have to laugh

[Jason F]

quote:
There is no argument here, those are the rules, nobody is above the law.

I'm sorry, and I wish I was wrong, but if you read back through the papers you'll find quite a few cases lately that have turned up where a serving police officer or public official gets away with it whilst poor old mr normal gets nailed to the wall. Lets take for starters Mr Home Secretarys Driver. 100mph + = instant ban - Or no prosecution at all... Hmmm...

'Nobody is above the law' is something out of Judge Dread, not this country. Admirable idea though.

[relaxitscool]

I understand what you're saying but you're talking about isolated incidents involving people that attract the attention of the press. In cases like this we don't really know the full circumstances, and besides, it’s not just drivers of Home Secretaries, what about celebrities?

For instance did you know that if you broke the speed limit for what you considered and could prove was a genuine emergency, as a civilian, you could use this as a legitimate defence in court and in all likelihood get off. An example would be a driver taking a sick child to hospitol.

[outlaw]

quote:
I understand what you're saying but you're talking about isolated incidents involving people that attract the attention of the press. In cases like this we don't really know the full circumstances, and besides, it’s not just drivers of Home Secretaries, what about celebrities?

For instance did you know that if you broke the speed limit for what you considered and could prove was a genuine emergency, as a civilian, you could use this as a legitimate defence in court and in all likelihood get off. An example would be a driver taking a sick child to hospitol.

you said we got to prove it and them it still 50/50

they aint got to.

simple as that.

[steve harrison]

quote:
I understand what you're saying but you're talking about isolated incidents involving people that attract the attention of the press.

I'm actually more worried by the rather sloppy, careless driving exhibited by some (by no means all) of the routine patrol cars around our way. Little stuff - not indicating at roundabouts and junctions, tailgating (probably 'cos the poor sod in front is driving at 20mph to be on the safe side, it must be really frustrating driving a marked car and having everyone around you slow to a crawl), getting in the wrong lane, parking dangerously, using hand-held radios while driving - that sort of stuff.

Sets a bad example, that's all