How do the Police contact insurance companies?

[Puggit]

When a car is stopped for suspected no-insurance and the BiB contact an insurance company, do they sit in the queue and announce themselves as PC XYZ from ABC Force - or do they have their own phone numbers in a big phone book?

No reason to ask except for personal interest having seen it happen many times on Road Wars etc.

[wasted years]

They have a list of Police only numbers for most insurance companies.

[Piglet]

How does the Data Protection Act sit with BiB asking for information on a policy?

Presumably if a policyholder is there they give their consent for the insurers to talk to the BiB but what if they aren't (or is that not likely to happen?)

[timskipper]

I don't think DPA applies in the course of Fighting Crime!

Edited by timskipper on Tuesday 18th December 11:08

[wasted years]

timskipper said:

I don't think DPA applies in the course of Fighting Crime!

Edited by timskipper on Tuesday 18th December 11:08

Exactly - special exemption.

[Piglet]

How do they prove that though or don't they have to?

[bimsb6]

www.askmid.com

[mel]

They say they are PC XYZ from whatever constabulary and then they give the insurance company the details you have given them, the insurance company then either confirm insurance is in place or say no sorry no insurance. When it happened to me the copper then said can you give the full address for the keeper (i'd just moved house and had different addresses on licence and insurance certificate) but the guy at Direct Line was obviously on the ball for Data Protection, or identity theft scams because he said "No sorry, but if you tell me the address you've got I can confirm it" he basically told the copper nothing new only confirmed what I had told him.

[insanojackson]

Generally by using the wondourous invention called the telephone!

[goskins17]

When we ring Insurance companies, we either have a police only number, or ring the public number. Some companies ask to talk to the policy holder as they are present and then give us the details. Some companies will just say yes or no to is there a policy in force.

Must are very helpful as it does keep the cost to them down.

[JamesFiesta]

Also, the motor insurers database (midas??), which holds details of policies on vehicles, level of cover, named drivers etc... all the things that a police officer would need to know in checking a vehicle is up together.

Police are regulated when using this and PNC and get periodic checks to confirm that a check was done lawfully.