The police, what do they actually do?
The police, what do they actually do?
Author
Discussion

chris_w

Original Poster:

2,571 posts

290 months

Monday 8th October 2007
quotequote all
Right, I'm not anti-plod by any stretch but when I phone you up to report a neighbours burglar alarm going off in the middle of the night I do not expect to be told that 'it is not Met policy to attend to burglar alarms'. I'm sorry? People go to the trouble of installing a device purely for the detection of intruders (probably on the advice of the police) and now they won't attend to them as a matter of policy?

Apparently only systems that contact the police directly will be responded to, can anyone explain this? Are these systems somehoe less prone to false alarms than the others???

Parrot of Doom

23,075 posts

265 months

Monday 8th October 2007
quotequote all
Did you go and see what the problem was?

cronk-flakes

3,480 posts

284 months

Monday 8th October 2007
quotequote all
Go batter the intruder... They will sure as hell turn up then...

catso

16,535 posts

298 months

Monday 8th October 2007
quotequote all
chris_w said:
The police, what do they actually do?


rolleyes

Asterix

24,438 posts

259 months

Monday 8th October 2007
quotequote all
Could have said you heard a scream - I wonder if they would have come then

chris_w

Original Poster:

2,571 posts

290 months

Monday 8th October 2007
quotequote all
Parrot of Doom said:
Did you go and see what the problem was?
Yes, nothing to see from the outside.

ehyouwhat

4,606 posts

249 months

Monday 8th October 2007
quotequote all
Parrot of Doom said:
Did you go and see what the problem was?
Aside from normal moral obligations, why the hell should he? Isn't that the job of the police? Wouldn't the OP actually be putting themselves at undue risk to check the situation out - something that the police are actually paid to do?

Not suggesting we should all be selfish and ignore things like this, I would probably try and check a situation out if I was unsure what was going on. But surely the police are there to attend things like this, regardless of false alarms and suchlike?

trickywoo

14,271 posts

261 months

Monday 8th October 2007
quotequote all
In answer to the title question: Drive around in cars for a bit and if its night shift, haul in some drunks.

Very little else AFAIK.

Brother Mycroft

843 posts

230 months

Monday 8th October 2007
quotequote all
chris_w said:
Right, I'm not anti-plod by any stretch but when I phone you up to report a neighbours burglar alarm going off in the middle of the night I do not expect to be told that 'it is not Met policy to attend to burglar alarms'. I'm sorry? People go to the trouble of installing a device purely for the detection of intruders (probably on the advice of the police) and now they won't attend to them as a matter of policy?

Apparently only systems that contact the police directly will be responded to, can anyone explain this? Are these systems somehoe less prone to false alarms than the others???
Should have told them you are going over there with your 12gauge and that you will 'phone them back when you return from making sure the place is safe.

You will [for sure] had some attendence then!

Gylen

10,217 posts

248 months

Monday 8th October 2007
quotequote all
Message in a Bottle

Roxanne

So Lonely

Every Breath You Take

Are probably their best known hits.

andy_s

19,857 posts

290 months

Monday 8th October 2007
quotequote all
chris_w said:
The Police - what do they actually do?
An interesting question - grab a cup of coffee and have a read through some of this...


Inspectors Blog

97octane

2,203 posts

254 months

Monday 8th October 2007
quotequote all
Not much except eating doughnuts & drinking beer looking at our local plod. And plod is a very good description - they are all busting out of their vests and look as tough a hundred yards of chasing some little scrote would have them on their knees gasping.
Don't they have fitness medicals any more?

qube_TA

8,405 posts

276 months

Monday 8th October 2007
quotequote all
Gylen said:
Message in a Bottle

Roxanne

So Lonely

Every Breath You Take

Are probably their best known hits.
Walking On the Moon too.

Off to see them next Tuesday.


RobM77

35,349 posts

265 months

Monday 8th October 2007
quotequote all
catso said:
chris_w said:
The police, what do they actually do?


rolleyes
Has anyone else noticed that camera vans are only seen in dry weather with good visiblity? Surely if they wanted to increase safety on the road they'd come out when it was most dangerous. Curious though that they're only seen in perfect conditions when it is more likely that people will be breaking the speed limit (probably safely), and therefore they will generate the most revenue. Absolutely bugger all to do with road safety frown

telecat

8,528 posts

272 months

Monday 8th October 2007
quotequote all
RobM77 said:
catso said:
chris_w said:
The police, what do they actually do?


rolleyes
Has anyone else noticed that camera vans are only seen in dry weather with good visiblity? Surely if they wanted to increase safety on the road they'd come out when it was most dangerous. Curious though that they're only seen in perfect conditions when it is more likely that people will be breaking the speed limit (probably safely), and therefore they will generate the most revenue. Absolutely bugger all to do with road safety frown
Mainly because Laser's don't work properly in "wet" conditions. The Rain and fog act cause the beam to diffuse and refect.

RobM77

35,349 posts

265 months

Monday 8th October 2007
quotequote all
telecat said:
RobM77 said:
catso said:
chris_w said:
The police, what do they actually do?


rolleyes
Has anyone else noticed that camera vans are only seen in dry weather with good visiblity? Surely if they wanted to increase safety on the road they'd come out when it was most dangerous. Curious though that they're only seen in perfect conditions when it is more likely that people will be breaking the speed limit (probably safely), and therefore they will generate the most revenue. Absolutely bugger all to do with road safety frown
Mainly because Laser's don't work properly in "wet" conditions. The Rain and fog act cause the beam to diffuse and refect.
How about busy conditions then? The only times I seem to come across them are at 8am on a Sunday morning or something like that. When there's actually more traffic about and thus a greater risk of an accident occuring they're not around.

Mahatma Bag

27,590 posts

310 months

Monday 8th October 2007
quotequote all
catso said:
chris_w said:
The police, what do they actually do?


rolleyes
Why have a camera warning sign a metre from the van itself?


zcacogp

11,239 posts

275 months

Monday 8th October 2007
quotequote all
May I refer the OP to my thread with a very similar title, of a couple of months ago, here:

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...


Oli.

maxrider

2,481 posts

267 months

Monday 8th October 2007
quotequote all
RobM77 said:
How about busy conditions then? The only times I seem to come across them are at 8am on a Sunday morning or something like that. When there's actually more traffic about and thus a greater risk of an accident occuring they're not around.
RobM77 in "I'm years behind in not realising that scamera vans are only out to make money and all to do with safety" shocker.

RobM77

35,349 posts

265 months

Monday 8th October 2007
quotequote all
Mahatma Bag said:
catso said:
chris_w said:
The police, what do they actually do?


rolleyes
Why have a camera warning sign a metre from the van itself?

Legally obliged to put the sign up, and having it there is going to give the least warning to motorists.

Actually, whilst I strongly oppose the draconian enforcement of blanket speed limits at the expense of proper road safety (i.e. catching dangerous drivers!), I've always thought it strange how the police have to mark up their vans and cameras in bright yellow and give us warning - surely this is about catching people! If, for instance, I was planning to catch a drug dealer, I'd dress to blend in!