Can you report a police car ?

[olly]

Last night, there I was pootling along at 30mph (in a 30 limit), and a Focus comes up behind me (nothing new there on this road), but the car then overtakes (doing 35-40 at a guess). And what is the car ? A Focus patrol car, with 2 boys in blue inside. He didn't have the lights or sirens on, so therefore was breaking the law (wasn't he ?).

Is it worth me calling the local police station & reporting him (I have the reg of the car & the time, thanks to my passenger), or is it a waste of my breath & I'll just be told he was attending an incident & didn't have his lights/sirens on... ????

[lucozade]

thought about doing this many times. Even thought about going so far as to fit video recording equipment to my car. At least that way you have the evidence no matter what they say in reply.

Wouldn't bother unless you can really prove it, i.e. a witness, etc.

[stackmonkey]

AFAIK, the Bib are allowed to speed 'on police business', but I've reported them before now for other matters. Few years ago, I was stopped twice in half an hour by two separate officers in Cheshire. they asked me loads of questions very rudely, made a number of false insinuations, checked my car over (finding nothing wrong) and then drove off with a tail light out on each vehicle..... Given the attitude of the particular officers, I drove to nearest station and reported them, to point out the hypocrisy as much as anything.

[MajorClanger]

olly said:

Last night, there I was pootling along at 30mph (in a 30 limit), and a Focus comes up behind me (nothing new there on this road), but the car then overtakes (doing 35-40 at a guess)... He didn't have the lights or sirens on, so therefore was breaking the law (wasn't he ?).

One of the BiB will probably confirm, but from previous discussions it's not a legal requirement for a police car to use blues and twos when exceeding the speed limit whilst doing their job.

MC

[olly]

So in other words they can speed when ever they want, as long as they say they were on their way to a job if questioned ?

Would make for an interesting investigation if they hit something/someone while speeding, but not actually attending a real job.....

>> Edited by olly on Tuesday 30th December 09:16

[dustyC]

mungo said:

I personally think you are a very sad person with too much time on your hands if you do. From going out on observations with local plod around my area, they get these kind of complaints all the time and mostly from old fuddy duddy's with nothing better to do. They have a tough job to do - Let them get on with it for crying out loud!

I wonder what your future plans are?!

[M@H]

dustyC said:

mungo said: I personally think you are a very sad person with too much time on your hands if you do. From going out on observations with local plod around my area, they get these kind of complaints all the time and mostly from old fuddy duddy's with nothing better to do. They have a tough job to do - Let them get on with it for crying out loud! I wonder what your future plans are?!

Matt

[pies]

Olly, can I assume you will be volenteering your services to the talivan system, the one that lets civies operate speed guns on a part time basis

There are more important things in life

Besides i think if said officer had an accident he would have some serious explaining to do

[olly]

mungo said:

I personally think you are a very sad person with too much time on your hands if you do. From going out on observations with local plod around my area, they get these kind of complaints all the time and mostly from old fuddy duddy's with nothing better to do. They have a tough job to do - Let them get on with it for crying out loud!

Thanks ????

I'm obviously an old fuddy duddy & have too much time on my hands then (at 25)!

My point was, if the police are allowed to break any speed limit they want (when ever they want), it makes a ridicule of all their anti-speeding legislation...

[olly]

pies said:

Olly, can I assume you will be volenteering your services to the talivan system, the one that lets civies operate speed guns on a part time basis

Not at all - it's just on of my pet hates (people not sticking to 30 limits), and as it was quiet at work this week, I thought it'd make for a good post on gassing (as everyone was bound to join in)...

[pies]

You trolling us Olly

[olly]

mungo said:

Olly - You are missing my point. Don't be so small minded. Allow the police to go about their business without pathetic irrelevant complaints.

And your missing mine.... I think the police do a GREAT job, and am quite happy for them to go about their work. But if they want us to obey their laws, why can't they ?

[futie]

mungo said:

Olly - You are missing my point. Don't be so small minded. Allow the police to go about their business without pathetic irrelevant complaints.

It works both ways, though, doesn't it. If the motorist feels he/she is unfairly targetted for slightly exceeding the speed limit, it's totally understandable that your average motorist is going to feel hard done by when someone else speeds and gets away with it. If speeding is ok for plod, how come it's not ok for us?

Training you say .. yep, well if that's the case then perhaps we should all be trained up, get some sirens and flashing lights on our cars, then we'd all be allowed to do whatever speed we felt was safe, right?

[chassis]

There are many reason for police man not to use light and sound.
Sometime they want make progress in car without attention of light.
So Mr Oily it is none of hour business!
Let them do good job by themselve.

[dustyC]

I can see both sides of this argument.

The police (as a whole) are being hypocritical if they speed themselves when not necessary. When you have been pulled over by the police and had your own time wasted many times for no apparent reason it would make you want to report them for the slightest of errors.

If it was a perfect world and all police men and women were polite and courteous (as well as the criminals of course!) then perhaps people wouldnt feel inclinded to report wrongful speeding.

Im not saying the whole police force is bad. I have had more help that sarcasm in the past but I know of others that have had the opposite, and they arent so keen on the old bill.

I wouldnt report it, but Im a grumpy old man, its my job to just mumble to myself and do nothing about it!

[futie]

mungo said:

futie said: If speeding is ok for plod, how come it's not ok for us? If you called the police to your home during a violent robbery and the police arrived too late because they were adhering to the posted speed limit how would you feel then?

Bad. Thats why I feel that speeding is fine.

[Tafia]

mungo said:

Well Dusty mate even if I wasn't joining plod I still think it's a bloody small minded thing to do or even consider... [mrbeanvoice] Ahh!! That police car is doing 35 - 40 in a 30, OH NO! We must report him immediately... [/mrbeanvoice] Very very sad in my opinion!

So is it therefore equally sad if a civvy driver does 35 in a 30 under safe circumstances and then gets nicked by a hyena skulking in a Talivan 600 mts away?

Oh by the way, the ones in North Wales are all volunteers! How very brave of them.

Their colleagues, some of whom I know personally, have to face violence and thuggery on a daily basis whilst the Talivan operators sit on their bums peeing in a bucket and having tea and cakes provided by lil' ol' biddies who think needless persecution of their fellow subjects equates with "doing a great job"

[chassis]

futie said:

Bad. Thats why I feel that speeding is fine.

But you do not have good reason!
That is point we trying to make.
Good plod will tolerate some speed but if you remove piss out of plod then you get nicked with good reason.
If I become PC I will sort you lot out.

[dustyC]

mungo said:

futie said: If speeding is ok for plod, how come it's not ok for us? If you called the police to your home during a violent robbery and the police arrived too late because they were adhering to the posted speed limit how would you feel then?

Probably the same way as I would feel if I was rushing (in a safe but fast maner) to an emergency situation of mine and I got stopped by "oh so we think we are Nigel Mansel do we".

Im on the fence for this one. I think there is no right or wrong answer but Im sure there are probably some plod and politicains out there who claim speeding is dangerous and then do it themselves when not necessary.

Again I must state Im not claiming they are all like this, but we all know there are some.
One of them even won an award on Sunday. Wouldnt it be great if he got caught for speeding. Im sure most of us would like to report him
(is it Brunstorm? I forget his name even though I see it here on a daily basis!)

Edited: cos me spelling ain't wot it outta be.

>> Edited by dustyC on Tuesday 30th December 10:25

[futie]

mungo said:

From what I've been told they get so many complaints like that they don't really take it seriously anyway.

If only we had the same luxury!

To answer your question, though, mungo - no, I wouldn't report plod for breaking the law. But that's not to say I condone it. I trust that they have made a judgement call that driving dangerously is worth the risk- it is for the greater good.

I only wish that my judgement was valued as highly. Trouble is that you can't discuss the matter with a speed camera.