Red police vans
Discussion
Now, I know that police cars for many regions seem to be turning silver. I was told that this is because they can't sell second hand white cars anymore, noone wants them, fair enough.
However, over the last year, when I've been down in London, I've noticed more and more red police vans. WHY?
Is this to fool people into thinking they are firemen/firewardens when sirens are on - so that people will actually let them through the traffic - this is all I can think of. I know I will always let the Ambulance of Fire Brigade through, even if I have to mount a kerb slightly too fast. But I will make the police wait until I am damn well ready (and not breaking any driving technicalities) due to the Police agrivating me on many previous occasions, and also the fact they are rarely doing anything as important as the other emergency sevices.
I know that paramedics all have green stripes now, because they say people let them through faster if they aren't mistaken for police, and it reduces the number of bricks thrown at them.
Is this the case?
Are the police becoming this hated?
Is potentially slowing fire engines down going to be a result of this?
Why don't the police try and stop peeing people off instead of disguising themselves. Is this a result of speed cameras etc..
(If I am wrong I thoroughly appologise).
Er, discuss...
However, over the last year, when I've been down in London, I've noticed more and more red police vans. WHY?
Is this to fool people into thinking they are firemen/firewardens when sirens are on - so that people will actually let them through the traffic - this is all I can think of. I know I will always let the Ambulance of Fire Brigade through, even if I have to mount a kerb slightly too fast. But I will make the police wait until I am damn well ready (and not breaking any driving technicalities) due to the Police agrivating me on many previous occasions, and also the fact they are rarely doing anything as important as the other emergency sevices.
I know that paramedics all have green stripes now, because they say people let them through faster if they aren't mistaken for police, and it reduces the number of bricks thrown at them.
Is this the case?
Are the police becoming this hated?
Is potentially slowing fire engines down going to be a result of this?
Why don't the police try and stop peeing people off instead of disguising themselves. Is this a result of speed cameras etc..
(If I am wrong I thoroughly appologise).
Er, discuss...
Pigeon said:
Without wishing to sound like a sanctimonious fart, how do you know the police car you obstruct isn't on a life-and-death mission?
On the flip side, why dont the police tell us what they are doing then there is no risk of anyone feeling that they are hiding behind things.
Obviously keep quiet things like covert missions and stuff but why dont they make the information publicly avaliable on what types of speed camera there are and how they work? Because if they did that people would know what to look out for and lose them money.
Who knows what wonderous money making scheme the CC's (apart from North Yorks
) will pull out their a
e next...feet said:
down in London, I've noticed more and more red police vans. WHY?
Like has been said...diplomatic protection squad.
feet said:
I can think of.
Say a lot...
feet said:
I know I will always let the Ambulance of Fire Brigade through, even if I have to mount a kerb slightly too fast. But I will make the police wait until I am damn well ready
Nice...lets hope if you are unlucky to find yourself getting the shit kicked out of you or your mother finds herself being passed between gang members, someone else has the same selfish attitude as you and hinders the police response...
feet said:
Why don't the police try and stop peeing people off
What? While people like you are still loose on the roads....
feet said:
Is this a result of speed cameras etc..
(If I am wrong I thoroughly appologise).
Er, discuss...
You are wrong and your apology isn't accepted...by me at least.
The Government decides on speed cameras ultimately. This forum, like others, wants more police numbers (presumably to pee you off) and not less, nor a change in behaviour. Only a reduction in camera numbers.
Street

feet said:
Now, I know that police cars for many regions seem to be turning silver. I was told that this is because they can't sell second hand white cars anymore, noone wants them, fair enough.
However, over the last year, when I've been down in London, I've noticed more and more red police vans. WHY?
Is this to fool people into thinking they are firemen/firewardens when sirens are on - so that people will actually let them through the traffic - this is all I can think of. I know I will always let the Ambulance of Fire Brigade through, even if I have to mount a kerb slightly too fast. But I will make the police wait until I am damn well ready (and not breaking any driving technicalities) due to the Police agrivating me on many previous occasions, and also the fact they are rarely doing anything as important as the other emergency sevices.
I know that paramedics all have green stripes now, because they say people let them through faster if they aren't mistaken for police, and it reduces the number of bricks thrown at them.
Is this the case?
Are the police becoming this hated?
Is potentially slowing fire engines down going to be a result of this?
Why don't the police try and stop peeing people off instead of disguising themselves. Is this a result of speed cameras etc..
(If I am wrong I thoroughly appologise).
Er, discuss...
What an idiot!
Edited so as not to be too abusive
>> Edited by Tonyrec on Wednesday 20th October 09:55
deeen said:
Yes but calling him names won't help a reasoned debate about why the public's respect for the police has fallen so far. I don't think you guys realise what an adverse effect the focus on irrelelevant speed limits has had on your reputation.
Personally i dont think its a reasonable debate. Its a complete load of old tat which is/was designed to get the response that it ultimately got.
If people respect for the Police has fallen because of 'irrelevant speed limits' then more fool them.
>> Edited by Tonyrec on Wednesday 20th October 09:51
Tonyrec said:
deeen said:
Yes but calling him names won't help a reasoned debate about why the public's respect for the police has fallen so far. I don't think you guys realise what an adverse effect the focus on irrelelevant speed limits has had on your reputation.
Personally i dont think its a reasonable debate. Its a complete load of old tat which is/was designed to get the response that it ultimately got.
If people respect for the Police has fallen because of 'irrelevant speed limits' then more fool them.![]()
>> Edited by Tonyrec on Wednesday 20th October 09:51
Which backs up the previous point.
Sorry TonyRec but I normally respect your opinon and yes maybe feet is a bit of an ar$e for blocking a police car (which I would not do personally) but it surely does describe the depth of feeling that is shown.
Tonyrec said:Dear oh dear that’s also a load of “tat”! The post was made out of ignorance, rather than to wind you up! He knows what the red cars are now - full stop.
Personally i dont think its a reasonable debate. Its a complete load of old tat which is/was designed to get the response that it ultimately got. If people respect for the Police has fallen because of 'irrelevant speed limits' then more fool them.
Regards Speed Scameras, I’m afraid it you who is disillusioned if you think respect for the Police Force (Service?) hasn't fallen. It has, you can't argue with the facts. You could do something about it but you can't argue with facts.
I understand the distinction between Police/Scamera Partnerships and Government) and I do not subscribe to the view that the police, can do nothing about the issue. You are in an ideal position to do something but it suites you not to because the chief of police do not want to ruffle any feathers that would get in the way of their Knighthoods.
The fact is that many roads are having their speed limits reduced to artificially low limits, cameras and vans then pop-up and the police accept it and in many cases are doing the work. If you (and I mean the police in the broadest sense) want our respect then let us see you publicly disagreeing with the partnerships and the government more often, else you will be seen as cohorts and nothing more than hypocrites, you can’t have it both ways. Sorry
Rich... Rich...
I know that the 'public' (and that includes me) seem to associate speed cameras and the like with the Police.
Why dont people complain to the people who pull the strings instead of, er...i know,the Police.
Taking 'cheap' shots at the Police doesnt do anyone any good and thats what i was replying too.
Believe it or not, but i do have some idea of what people think......and for the record, i dont support the use of cameras either.
>> Edited by Tonyrec on Wednesday 20th October 12:13
Why dont people complain to the people who pull the strings instead of, er...i know,the Police.
Taking 'cheap' shots at the Police doesnt do anyone any good and thats what i was replying too.
Believe it or not, but i do have some idea of what people think......and for the record, i dont support the use of cameras either.
>> Edited by Tonyrec on Wednesday 20th October 12:13
If its not speed limits then im sure the public will find something else to complain about to do with the police.
Sometimes it seems like we are stuck between a rock and a hard place.
With regards to telling the public what we do it makes good press to show the the police in bad light and even some of the good things we do for communites can be misinterprited into a bad light.... For example an arrest of known suspects who are known to be violent turns into a scrap with said suspects. Half the estate turns up to support said crooks. Press jump in with Violent arrest shocks, chav mother of 3 says she was shocked and dismayed at the level of force police used, and her kids saw everything (at 2am) in the street and she brings them up to respect the police (apart from being involved in alot of the crime that goes on herself).
Things that dont get reported were that 2 officers got headbutted, punched etc in effecting the arrest which resulted in 3 crooks banged up on remand for serious violent offences, burgalry and robbery. We released the details of the arrest and the press just went and did what they wanted and got the shock storey they wanted.
If you decide to obstruck a crew with blues then on your head be it, because as much as the public like to hate us we are still out there in some cases fighting to protect you from the scum and we get hurt doing it. We still go after the people that break into your houses, rob people, attack people, kill people.
If you want to obstruct just think "if i called the police what would i think about them being obstructed while trying to get to me to help?"
Sometimes it seems like we are stuck between a rock and a hard place.
With regards to telling the public what we do it makes good press to show the the police in bad light and even some of the good things we do for communites can be misinterprited into a bad light.... For example an arrest of known suspects who are known to be violent turns into a scrap with said suspects. Half the estate turns up to support said crooks. Press jump in with Violent arrest shocks, chav mother of 3 says she was shocked and dismayed at the level of force police used, and her kids saw everything (at 2am) in the street and she brings them up to respect the police (apart from being involved in alot of the crime that goes on herself).
Things that dont get reported were that 2 officers got headbutted, punched etc in effecting the arrest which resulted in 3 crooks banged up on remand for serious violent offences, burgalry and robbery. We released the details of the arrest and the press just went and did what they wanted and got the shock storey they wanted.
If you decide to obstruck a crew with blues then on your head be it, because as much as the public like to hate us we are still out there in some cases fighting to protect you from the scum and we get hurt doing it. We still go after the people that break into your houses, rob people, attack people, kill people.
If you want to obstruct just think "if i called the police what would i think about them being obstructed while trying to get to me to help?"
RichB said:
I understand the distinction between Police/Scamera Partnerships and Government)
Therein lies the other problem. RichB and most of us here know the distinction because we can be bothered to read and understand the difference.
General public and probably some of the newer posters do not know this, this leading to the ever increasing respect for the police. After all, when you get a NiP it has a police crest on it, therefore its all technically the same agency.
No one is going to bother writing letters of complaint to the police force because we all know that they will be ignored so who else is left - plod on the beat / in their cars....
Its only going to get worse

Hi Tony, I guess my post is symptomatic of my frustration. It seems to me that whilst at least 75% of the population disagree with the widespread use of speed cameras (in fact it's inappropriate speed limits that really gets me going) it seems only 0.75% do anything about it. I joined the ABD in order to learn more, since then I write to my MP and local paper whenever I can to argue the case against speed cameras, speed humps, road chicanes and narrowing, bus stops that block the road etc. I just feel that instead of simply absolving yourselves of responsibility the police could more overtly state their dissatisfaction with the whole situation and I never see or hear them doing that. Apart from the Chief Constable of Durham that is!. Rich...
I think a fair number of officers will agree with alot of you on camera partnerships and speed cameras, as we are all people too, and we are drivers.
The police i believe always have and always will for the time being "deal with things internally" we dont complain to the press or publicly, we complain to the federation. Who argue on our behalf.
Publicly we cannot be seen to be divided on certain laws or use of laws or their enforcement, Perhaps we should, that is not a decision that individual officers can make, that is why we have the federation (not sure how effective however) to argue on our behalf, as one whole group than multiple fragmented groups.
The police i believe always have and always will for the time being "deal with things internally" we dont complain to the press or publicly, we complain to the federation. Who argue on our behalf.
Publicly we cannot be seen to be divided on certain laws or use of laws or their enforcement, Perhaps we should, that is not a decision that individual officers can make, that is why we have the federation (not sure how effective however) to argue on our behalf, as one whole group than multiple fragmented groups.
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