hato encounter
Author
Discussion

supermono

Original Poster:

7,464 posts

279 months

Tuesday 17th July 2007
quotequote all
had a chat with one yesterday he and his buddy were parked up outside a hospital restaurant and caught me glancing at his million dollar land cruiser.
'highway police' he said with his chest poked out. i said but you're not police though are you?
'no but we have most of the powers of police like stopping and directing traffic...'

not wishing to get involved i nodded sagely and wandered off. i've not spoken to one yet who's honest about their highly useful yet mundane and nearly powerless role.

can't they filter out these power crazed types?

sm

jwo

989 posts

280 months

Tuesday 17th July 2007
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probably not, it's only these powered crazed people that want to do the job!

Sheriff JWPepper

3,851 posts

235 months

Tuesday 17th July 2007
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Is it just me that suspects that this encounter was doomed before it even began? wink

Bing o

15,184 posts

250 months

Tuesday 17th July 2007
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Yet more justification for not giving everyone a uniform - you just need to go to the states to see what a bad idea it is giving any old joe soap a uniform...

MilnerR

8,273 posts

289 months

Tuesday 17th July 2007
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Bing o said:
Yet more justification for not giving everyone a uniform - you just need to go to the states to see what a bad idea it is giving any old joe soap a uniform...
If that had been in the states he'd have probably pulled out is federal issue 9mm and popped a cap in your ass.. biggrin

Never had a bad experience with a HATO so I can't comment, but I think that intimating that your are a police officer is a serious criminal offence if you do not hold the office of constable.

Vaux

1,558 posts

247 months

Tuesday 17th July 2007
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supermono said:
'highway police' he said with his chest poked out. i said but you're not police though are you?
'no but we have most of the powers of police like stopping and directing traffic...'
He's a tit. Call HA contact numbers: 08457 504030 or 01213358300 and complain. Give them the time and location and they should be able to figure out who it was.

ATG

23,835 posts

303 months

Tuesday 17th July 2007
quotequote all
oh, bless him. His Mum's ever so proud of his uniform and makes him a nice cup of cocoa each night while he's polishing his boots. To go with the rest of their powers perhaps they should be backed up by a response car staffed by HATOs packing water pistols? They could even have a SWAT team armed with super soakers.

p.s. the thing you described as "poking his chest out" was actually him preparing himself to launch a steel piercing nipple attack in the event that you turned out to be hostile. Lucky you behaved yourself!

Edited by ATG on Tuesday 17th July 10:14

RaksP

760 posts

235 months

Tuesday 17th July 2007
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tank

Flintstone

8,644 posts

278 months

Tuesday 17th July 2007
quotequote all
Vaux said:
supermono said:
'highway police' he said with his chest poked out. i said but you're not police though are you?
'no but we have most of the powers of police like stopping and directing traffic...'
He's a tit. Call HA contact numbers: 08457 504030 or 01213358300 and complain. Give them the time and location and they should be able to figure out who it was.
Do it. Do it!!

I have no axe to grind with those doing the job properly but this mentality needs nipping in the bud before they start to believe their own bullshit.

M5Dave

829 posts

240 months

Tuesday 17th July 2007
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Vaux said:
supermono said:
'highway police' he said with his chest poked out. i said but you're not police though are you?
'no but we have most of the powers of police like stopping and directing traffic...'
He's a tit. Call HA contact numbers: 08457 504030 or 01213358300 and complain. Give them the time and location and they should be able to figure out who it was.
Why on earth would you even contemplate making an official complaint about something this trivial.

I often wonder who's on the power trip when I read posts like this.

Vaux

1,558 posts

247 months

Tuesday 17th July 2007
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M5Dave said:
Why on earth would you even contemplate making an official complaint about something this trivial.

I often wonder who's on the power trip when I read posts like this.
Trivial? I thought impersonating a Police Officer was against the law?

What's wrong with feeding back any good or bad issues/concerns?

Flintstone

8,644 posts

278 months

Tuesday 17th July 2007
quotequote all
Vaux said:
M5Dave said:
Why on earth would you even contemplate making an official complaint about something this trivial.

I often wonder who's on the power trip when I read posts like this.
Trivial? I thought impersonating a Police Officer was against the law?

What's wrong with feeding back any good or bad issues/concerns?
Me too. If someone is prepared to tell the public they are the same as a BiB it makes me wonder what they think their powers are.

havoc

33,495 posts

266 months

Tuesday 17th July 2007
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I have to say I agree with that - we need proper BiB with proper training AND powers, not budget-wannabe-BiB.

Oh...the HATO was probably after all that 'glory' that the police get! hehe

davido140

9,617 posts

257 months

Tuesday 17th July 2007
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Bing o said:
Yet more justification for not giving everyone a uniform - you just need to go to the states to see what a bad idea it is giving any old joe soap a uniform...
yes problem is they tend to strap a gun to thier hip at the same time...

Good example, immigration officers, over here they are civil servants. over there they are tooled up, jack booted riot police (almost) yikes

joe soap in a uniform = bad, joe soap with a shooter = damn scary.

Edited by davido140 on Tuesday 17th July 15:04

DucatiGary

7,765 posts

256 months

Tuesday 17th July 2007
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Sheriff JWPepper said:
Is it just me that suspects that this encounter was doomed before it even began? wink
your done for SM, police see flash car = assumption takes the role of factual evidence truth and common sense does a runner to.

your right about the fools though, 18 grand a year to drive a rangie and play "im the important one" everyday.

I cant think of any more satisfactory position to be in for the enourmus 18 grand a year salary.

its like some security guards . . . . . but thats another story.

Bing o

15,184 posts

250 months

Tuesday 17th July 2007
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DucatiGary said:
its like some security guards . . . . . but thats another story.
Bouncers too....

Sheriff JWPepper

3,851 posts

235 months

Tuesday 17th July 2007
quotequote all
DucatiGary said:
Sheriff JWPepper said:
Is it just me that suspects that this encounter was doomed before it even began? wink
your done for SM, police see flash car = assumption takes the role of factual evidence truth and common sense does a runner to.

your right about the fools though, 18 grand a year to drive a rangie and play "im the important one" everyday.

I cant think of any more satisfactory position to be in for the enourmus 18 grand a year salary.

its like some security guards . . . . . but thats another story.
It's clear that some posters on here have an irrational dislike of HATOs and seek to justify it at every opportunity.

Given the nonsense you've just posted I include you as one of those.



Edited by Sheriff JWPepper on Tuesday 17th July 15:23

Nick_F

10,598 posts

277 months

Tuesday 17th July 2007
quotequote all
HATOs are great. Thanks to them I have only seen one police car in my last 3,000 miles of motorway driving.

Suits me guv.

djohnson

3,687 posts

254 months

Tuesday 17th July 2007
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I've posted this before however south bound down the M1 a few months back a HATO vehicle in lane 1 sees me 'making progress' (shall we say) in lane 3 and moves from lane 1 through the busy lane 2 and into to lane 3 at about 60 mph into my path. This causes me to slow. He then proceeds in lane 3 for some distance at 60 mph blocking my progress. Since no one (including me) would pass him on the inside this caused some slowing of all the traffic.

The execution of his lane changes was sharp and clearly a deliberate attempt to slow me down. Now it may have been that he had a report of debris in lane 3 further along and was trying to do me a favour. However it may have been a case of 'look at that 911 driver making progress, lets do something about that.'

jezzaaa

1,951 posts

290 months

Tuesday 17th July 2007
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Nick_F said:
HATOs are great. Thanks to them I have only seen one police car in my last 3,000 miles of motorway driving.

Suits me guv.
I agree...at the moment, the worse they do is make muppets who can't see properly slow down thinking they're Traf Pol. It's what powers the Govt will start giving them in future that worries me. I am assuming that at some point their Rangie's will be equipped with the video equipment and VASCAR and they'll be able to do you for speeding. Let's hope not, eh.