Police in the South - Idiots!!

alexp-j · Post by **alexp-j** » 08 May 2005, 04:14

Came down to Dover for the weekend and was driving from Folkestone to Dover on the A20 at about 6 this evening doing 70. (i was actually doing 70!!)
T5 Cop car goes past pulls in in front and drops to about 65 then keeps speeding up, then slowing down, speeding up, slowing down a couple of times. So i overtake the cop car at about 68 and carry on. Dutch registered Range Rover goes flying past. Cops ignore that.
Next thing is blues & 2s are on behind me. [:0]
so i pull into the layby & get out.
Goes a bit like this:
Me: Can I help?
PC1 (old bloke): no response.
Me: Can I help?
PC1 (now with head under rear of the car): Your rear ride height is too low.
Me: That's standard height, I haven't lowered the car.
PC2 (young bird) : Yes I can't get my hand between the tyre & the wheel arch.
Me: Yes, that's standard. (it's a 5-door 309 GTi after all)
PC1: You've put wider tyres on.
Me: No they're std. mad.gif
PC1: OK calm down. Could you pop the bonnet.
Me: OK
PC1 (Undoing PAS fliud cap looking at steering rack): Can you wiggle the steering wheel. then can you turn full lock.
PC1 (sarcastic tit): Do you know anything about cars?
Me: Yes, I do.
PC1: (wiggling brake fliud resovior almost to breaking point) Ah, you see that (pointing at the small weep of break fliud that's on every 13 yr old pug break reservior seal and passes every MOT) That's leaking & dangerous.
Me: It's not leaking because the level is at MAX & doesn't ever drop. OK, but I'll get new seals on it as soon as possible anyway.
PC1: OK, put your lights on.
Me: [:(!] (thinking WTF?) Ok here we go: Side, dipped, high beam.
PC1 (AKA titface): your foglights shouldn't come on with the high beam.
Me: Actually they're std factory fit aux driving lights. (Quick explanation about what the 4 lights on the front of a 309 actually are & how they are controlled!!)
PC1: I beg to differ. (sarcastic arse)
Me: OK
PC1: Where do you live?
Me: Northampton
PC1: That's a bit far from here. (OK, Mr perceptive. State the bleeding obvious!!)
(Since when is it illegal to drive out of your county?) [:(!]
He then books me for a 7 day producer for insurance & MOT and i've got to get a bit of paper stamped by an MOT tester to prove that my non-existent but extremely dangerous brake fault has been cured, within 14 days.
PC1 (In super patronising voice): Make sure that when you pull out on the carriageway you make sure that you have a big gap in the traffic to pull out to:
Me: Oh, So you mean I shouldn't go crashing into the other traffic?
PC1: Yes exactly. See you later.(tit)
Me: I hope not!!
WHAT A BANKER!! [:(!]
OK my problems:
Why the hell didn't he stop the Dutch car?
Oh yeah, I forgot the dutchman wont pay the fine and will just bugger off home. And the young guy in the Gti must be easy pickings?
If my ride height looked low why the hell did he not ask me what was in the boot granted that I'm heading in the direction Dover docks?
Oh yeah, he wasn't that bothered whether I had Osama Bin Ladin in the boot!! Just wanted to find something wrong and he wasn't going to stop until he found something.
This all comes after being told to slow down by a copper in an unmarked car in Surrey. I was doing about 75 on the M25. Cop car then hoons off at about 85 [:0] Which is illegal because they're only supposed to break the speed limit when they've got lights/siren on?
What a load of crap!! [:(!]

fastandfurryous · Post by **fastandfurryous** » 08 May 2005, 04:38

I bet you never got that kind of grief when driving the Diesel one!
As with all professions or groups of people; some coppers are @rseholes, others are really nice people.
It sounds like this copper knew a *little* bit about motahs, which makes him a dangerous thing indeed. It also sounds like he had a superiority complex going on, which makes him even more of a t0$$er.
I had a similar experience (with a local kn0b-head in a panda car) once with my Fiat X1/9. He couldn't understand why I was driving with the roof off in the middle of february, and seemed to think he could tell me that it was dangerous! Had I not the experince I have now, I would have probably told him to go forth and multiply. Thankfully I didn't, but I still drove off with the roof off, and thouroughly p1$$ed him off by accelerating harder than his Ford Escort could [:D]
When he asked if you knew anything about cars, I'd have been inclined to ask him the same question back! [:D]
David.

alexp-j · Post by **alexp-j** » 08 May 2005, 04:50

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by fastandfurryous

I bet you never got that kind of grief when driving the Diesel one!
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
funnily enough no problems with the Diesel. Only stopped once in 2 1/2 years. That wasn't even the car but a copper thought I looked like someone else!!

Homer · Post by **Homer** » 08 May 2005, 04:59

I presume his PC number is on the producer?
Get something from the MOT station showing there was never any fault with the car and stick in a formal complaint.
Some useful info on fog/driving lamps here which may be worth printing off to help out if you come across another dozy Plod.

Homer · Post by **Homer** » 08 May 2005, 05:05

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by alexp-j

Cop car then hoons off at about 85 [:0] Which is illegal because they're only supposed to break the speed limit when they've got lights/siren on?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
This is a common misconception.
They can break the speed limit when "on police business" which covers a multitude of things but not getting to the service area before their coffee goes cold.[:o)]

fastandfurryous · Post by **fastandfurryous** » 08 May 2005, 05:10

I haven't been pulled over in a few years now, but late teens/early 20's was a different matter, and it always depended on the car I was driving at the time. One particular evening, driving the Nova Kit car, I was pulled over 3 times in the space of about 30 miles and an hour and a half. Conversley, I've never been pulled over in a 405. I also had a Rover SD1 once... never pulled over. Cavalier 2.0i (both a MK2 and a MK3) pulled over every couple of weeks. X1/9: pulled over a fair few times. Renault 9 (pile of Sh1te): never pulled over.
On most occasions though, simply getting out of the car, and saing "good evening" to the officer has completely dissipated the situation. Only on one occasion has a copper ever been a bit narky with me, and that was the X1/9 incident above.
Been in a car while a friend was pulled over once though. He was bricking it, and made a huge mistake: When asked "what's in the boot" (of a Mini) he replied "Fuel tank, Battery,...." which the copper took as being sarcastic. He then opens the boot to see a holdall, and asks "what's in that" The bag had a change of clothes and a tennis raquet in it. The reply from my friend, stupidly, was "Recreational Gear" (at the time "Gear" was a local slang for Cannabis!) 10 minutes later once he's been through everything in the car, asked all manner of questions, and taken our details, we were allowed to continue.... except that I was now driving, as Mark (friend) was shaking so badly he couldn't drive!!

alan s · Post by **alan s** » 08 May 2005, 05:22

When I have problems with smartassed public servants (ie) coppers, transport dept, council offcers etc particularly when I know they are just pumping up their own ego, I take it to the "powers that be" and ask, no I demand, an explanation.
What formal mechanical qualifications did that officer have? What was the reason you were stopped and others breaching the law weren't? Is it not 'entrapment' for an officer to speed up and slow down to get a car to overtake just to be able to pull them over? Why were you not asked to open the boot given the location you were stopped in? and a thousand other reasons to do it.
Send it to the officer in charge of the Police Station he was assigned to. Send a cc to your local MP along with a covering letter asking if this is Government policy and if so why is it not made public. I'd say after the latest election, there'd be a lot of very nervous politicians at present contemplating life after politics so here's your chance to keep them as honest as can be expected.
The result of all this is that the Politician will not be impressed at having one of the local constituents making noises that could embarrass him and the Police, so he'll possibly ask the Police Minister for a report on Government Policy. The Police Minister will not be impressed that he has to spend time answering a letter of this type and will contact the local OIC who you wrote to. By this stage, the OIC will have informed Plod #1 that there's been a complaint and query lodged and will insist that he files a report outlining his actions and why he did what he did. By this time, the Minister will have had a liason officer on the phone giving the OIC and #1 a bit of a grilling and will ask for more detail if the copper hasn't done the report in enough detail. By this time #1 with some help from Plod #2 (who was the one giving out the specifications using her hand) will have spent about 3 hours punching a keyboard. When the answer filters down the chain of caommand and back to the Minister who will doubtless try to cover for his lackys, it will be full of misinterpretations and bullrubbish and they always catch themselves out by trying to lie to cover for themselves. Look at it closely and respond pointing out any discrpencies and ask for clarification, which means another couple of hours on the keyboard and hassles all round.
None of these guys like being hassled; they don't go to work to have problems, they usually go there to make problems so this is a real pain. Now whilst it may not solve this problem, think about the end result which will be either, next time this pair of twits have nothing to do, they'll go to the pub instead of hassling motorists or they'll get a black mark against their name and instead of this helping with a future promotion it means it will be just that much longer before they stand a chance of getting one.
Either way, the motorist wins due to letting these types know that there's laws in any country and both sides have to obey them.
Alan S

Kowalski · Post by **Kowalski** » 08 May 2005, 05:55

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Homer

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by alexp-j

Cop car then hoons off at about 85 [:0] Which is illegal because they're only supposed to break the speed limit when they've got lights/siren on?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
This is a common misconception.
They can break the speed limit when "on police business" which covers a multitude of things but not getting to the service area before their coffee goes cold.[:o)]
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
They can break the speed limit only with good reason. For most police officers this means when they're responding to an emergency, for traffic officers it additionally means when in pursuit.

Homer · Post by **Homer** » 08 May 2005, 07:42

From another forum visited by a number of police officers.
<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">The laws state that for Policing purposes, the speed limit can be ignored. That covers all manner of reasons when progress is required without blue lights and sirens.
<ul>[*]That includes driver training (which is not an emergency)
[*]It includes surveillance work (which is not an emergency)
[*]It includes general patrol work if there is a good reason for doing it (which is not an emergency)
[*]It includes transporting a violent prisoner back to custody (which is not necessarily an emergency although it could be)
[*]Following another speeder (which is not an emergency) to get a check on the target, the Police are exempt from the rule when they do so.
[*]They are exempt from limits when trying to catch up with a vehicle/person which they see in the distance which may be similar to a suspect vehicle for a crime either at that time or in the past.
[*]If they attend crimes in progress with everything going, it tends to give the game away and the perpetrator can make good his/her escape!
[*]They are exempt from limits if they are late for a court hearing (stated case).
[*]They are not exempt from limits if the chips are getting cold or the Chief Constable is standing on the 'Tee' having forgotten his No 1 wood!</ul><hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

fastandfurryous · Post by **fastandfurryous** » 08 May 2005, 07:51

And I am sure that most traffic officers would be the first to agree that when the conditions do not dictate that they can ignore the speed limit, that all police officers should be setting the example rather than breaking the law. In some cases, officers do this, but in others (and all too often) they don't, which is wrong. It's usually the local panda cars that are seen as the worst offenders in this case.

Post by **martyhopkirk** » 08 May 2005, 13:42

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by fastandfurryous

"Recreational Gear" (at the time "Gear" was a local slang for Cannabis!)<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"> Good job you were not ooop north, Gear is the acepted term for Heroin. Police would probably have been playing Matthew Corbett to his Sooty with a rubber glove.[:0]
Best way to deal with police is be polite, say yes officer, no officer, three bags full officer. If your guilty then they may let you off with a rollocking - which is not pleasant but cheaper than a fine, if not then you have nothing to fear - even if you get a HORT form - remember you can name the station you take your stuff too, so even if you are in the depths of darkest Ormskirk and come from Eastbourne you can present it at a nick near you.
Last police tug I got was for driving a scruffy car (seriously). Young WPC tugged me as the registration was apparently declared SORN (it wasnt - there being a valid tax disc in the window). 5 Minutes chat, look over the car and she left laughing at the slogan on my plates which refered to my feelings regarding a certain Citroen Dealership.
Yes, like anywhere some can me total Ar$$h!0£s, but the majority I have met through work and play have been sound indivuduals doing an unpleasant job. The last thing they need is someone winding them up. Would you be a copper?

oilyspanner · Post by **oilyspanner** » 08 May 2005, 15:20

I go for the yes sir no sir three bags etc approach to the law, I have however seen both sides of the coin, I was once stopped in a Reliant Robin, I kid you not I did once own one of those disgusting things[V]
to which I had added a TURBO badge[:D] the WPC wrote down the model as Reliant robin 750 turbo, her colleague quietly pi**ed himself with silent laughter. on the whole they are usually pretty straight people but you do find the occasional one who gets a bit power crazed then they can be a problem, my personal least favourites are factory security rent a plods, I now get to deal with a lot of these and some are spectacular, earlier this year I was working in the Bentley motors factory, getting in in the mornings was usually a case of them finding me on their computer database and me signing in, then one morning Mr A Hilter was on duty, he decided to go for a little public humiliation rather than sticking to procedure and started off with a raised voice and apparent anger?? he began to backpedal a bit when I calmly asked him for his name and number so that the company would know who was responsible for the factory being unable to reopen due to his actions,He carried on with raised voice, I then told him that I do not come to work to be verbally abused but that if he would like to step off the premises we could have a discussion about it[}:)] at that moment one of the Bentley managers who I was working for arrived and vouched that I was who I said I was and defused the situation, I think its the uniform that does it. power corrupts
Stewart

OwenP · Post by **OwenP** » 08 May 2005, 15:33

I've had a couple of good ones recently,
Driving a couple of friends home from the pub one friday night before xmas, I was then going on home.
Pulled away from some lights which changed a couple of seconds after I got there, enough time for me to put handbrake on and take car out of gear, lights had only just gone red.
Got pulled over, not sure where the police car had been.
PC: I've stopped you because you pulled away a bit slowly I thought you might be letting me leave, so I didn't see you drive. Have you had anything to drink.
Me: No, a couple of pints of lemonade and a pint of tap water.
PC: Right can you step out of the car please.
PC: Is this your car? (patronising voice) (405 TD Estate, and I'm 20 at the time)
Me: yes
PC: Do you own it?
Me: Yes
PC: Is it registered to you?
Me: (getting a liitle peeved now) Well it b****y should be. (I had been perfectly polite till this point.)
Now on pavement
PC: Have you had a drink?
Me: Only the lemonade and water.
PC: Where are you going?
Me: Cemaes (little village about 25 miles away)
PC: Where have you come from?
Me: The Tap and Spile.
PC: Oh yes we get a lot of drink drivers there. (in sort of knowing tone of voice)
Standard reading of if you fail to give etc.
Me: yeah ok no problem. (thinking just get on with it and be disapointed)
Give breath test. After 30 seconds ish.
PC: it nornmally shows up immediately, but can take 40 seconds.
After 2 minutes. Stayed on green. never even wavered.
PC: OK I'll just have to take some details.
Goes and gets pad and pen.
All this time the other guy is looking round the car. Think I rather irritated them not being able to book me. All this time my two passengers are still in the car. I don't object to being breathalised, I object to being treated like I've done something wrong just cause I'm not driving the standard young person's car.
The other good one was after my crash when they needed a third car cause the first two who turned up to sort the traffic didn't have a breath kit. Although fair play to the first cop who turned up, he wasn't going to bother cause he couldn't smell alcohol and could see that my description of what had happened was roughly right, but his supervisor or whatever overuled him.

weety · Post by **weety** » 08 May 2005, 16:28

PC1 (now with head under rear of the car): Your rear ride height is too low.
lucky for PC2 you werent driving a BX or it would have been ..... 'your ride height is to low and i cant seem to get my hand out now'

alexp-j · Post by **alexp-j** » 08 May 2005, 17:02

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by weety

PC1 (now with head under rear of the car): Your rear ride height is too low.
lucky for PC2 you werent driving a BX or it would have been ..... 'your ride height is to low and i cant seem to get my hand out now'
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
If I'd been driving a citroen I'd have said "What height would you like officer?"
I'll just pull this lever. [:D]