When a traffic Officer..........
Discussion
About 3 years ago I worked in our police ops room.
We took incoming calls, both 999 and regular.
A miffed chap phoned to complain about the attitude of the police officer who had pulled him over.
He was pulled or speeding. He was almost in tears. Initially he was being b
ked for speeding and told to slow down ( 30 limit area and doing mid 30's). No ticket being given, just a telling off. The chap decided to argue back. He persisted until the officer got really fed up. The car was then checked over and faults found...lights etc. Tickets were given for each offence. That was when he called to register a complaint!
I asked him if he was speeding and he said yes. I then put it to him that as he was just getting a ticking off initially that he should have just taken it on the chin and left it. The fact he decided to get argumentative and "emotional" was his fault . He then realised his mistaken attitude was the crux. My advice was to accept his error and learn from it. He declined to make a complaint after having the facts explained to him realising his mistake and recognised the initial leniency shown. Hard evidence was easy to compile and the conversation recorded. The tickets had been written out.
Why do some people who clearly know they are in the wrong make things worse for themselves?
We took incoming calls, both 999 and regular.
A miffed chap phoned to complain about the attitude of the police officer who had pulled him over.
He was pulled or speeding. He was almost in tears. Initially he was being b
ked for speeding and told to slow down ( 30 limit area and doing mid 30's). No ticket being given, just a telling off. The chap decided to argue back. He persisted until the officer got really fed up. The car was then checked over and faults found...lights etc. Tickets were given for each offence. That was when he called to register a complaint!I asked him if he was speeding and he said yes. I then put it to him that as he was just getting a ticking off initially that he should have just taken it on the chin and left it. The fact he decided to get argumentative and "emotional" was his fault . He then realised his mistaken attitude was the crux. My advice was to accept his error and learn from it. He declined to make a complaint after having the facts explained to him realising his mistake and recognised the initial leniency shown. Hard evidence was easy to compile and the conversation recorded. The tickets had been written out.
Why do some people who clearly know they are in the wrong make things worse for themselves?
Edited by sospan on Friday 23 September 18:35
Ken Figenus said:
I think it really unfair that he didn't ask you if you thought you were bl00dy Roger Clark?!...............
You're showing your age there! - I seriously doubt the officer would have a clue who Roger Clarke was!Today it would more likely be:
"Who do you think you are?.......Lewis bloody Hamilton?"4rephill said:
You're showing your age there! - I seriously doubt the officer would have a clue who Roger Clarke was!
Today it would more likely be:
"Who do you think you are?.......Lewis bloody Hamilton?"
That reminds me of a story in Tom Wisdom's 1967 book 'High Performance Driving For You' (a great read). A certain driver was making excellent progress along the road one Christmas week, despite the very icy conditions and the falling snow. He happened to pass a police car at a significant differential, whereupon the somewhat annoyed officers lit up the blues and twos and pulled him over for a 'chat'. Today it would more likely be:
"Who do you think you are?.......Lewis bloody Hamilton?"It went something along the lines of "These roads are bloody trecherous and you're going far too fast. Who on earth do you think you are?". The reply came "Well my name is Sterling Moss, and if you'd driven more to the nearside instead of over the crown of the road, the grit and muck in the guttering would have given you a lot more grip and a good bit more speed and stability...". They let him go apparently.
I have been in the situation twice in the last 10 years.
Taking the extreme piss up the A10 to Kings Lynn with an 04 Mondeo hanging on for dear life. Termed out he was a copper, who lit me up once it got to 40, into Kings Lynn ( which I had dropped to)
His words were " Nice car, they go well, but don't take the piss eh?" Now I didn't think he was a decent fella because he let me off, I just thought he had enjoyed himself as much as I had.
Second occasion, I got wrote up for 85 so I could get the tea and biscuits. Give me a traffic copper anyday, because they like driving as much as we do. Or,some of us at least.
Taking the extreme piss up the A10 to Kings Lynn with an 04 Mondeo hanging on for dear life. Termed out he was a copper, who lit me up once it got to 40, into Kings Lynn ( which I had dropped to)
His words were " Nice car, they go well, but don't take the piss eh?" Now I didn't think he was a decent fella because he let me off, I just thought he had enjoyed himself as much as I had.
Second occasion, I got wrote up for 85 so I could get the tea and biscuits. Give me a traffic copper anyday, because they like driving as much as we do. Or,some of us at least.
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