NIP - wrong registration

[Shappers24]

Just received a NIP from Surrey police this afternoon, claiming my civic was caught doing 38 in a 30. This was a surprise given the car was in Newport, South Wales on the day in question.

Have checked the photographic evidence online and initially thought the plates had been cloned. My reg plate ends in OYM. On closer inspection of the photo, the plate of the car caught actually ends OYW, an easy mistake to make if you just make a cursory glance at the picture. Have checked details, and sure enough the plate which ends in OYW also belongs to a silver civic... identical in spec it looks like to my car.

Helpfully Surrey police phone lines are only open until 1pm each day so will have to leave it till Monday to get in touch.

Does anyone know how much of a pain it will be to get the NiP cancelled? They letter talks about needing to go to magistrates court to contest it, which I ideally would like to avoid. Not sure what evidence I can provide to prove the car was elsewhere....

Thanks in advance!

[Pericoloso]

Just ask them to study the pic closer.

not your reg ,not you or your car ,the end.

[No ideas for a name]

Shappers24 said:

Helpfully Surrey police phone lines are only open until 1pm each day so will have to leave it till Monday to get in touch.

You could be really helpful and not reply until 14 days have passed.

[S11Steve]

Email them - [e-mail] - with the PCN number in the subject line. Ask them to check the details of the PCN against the images, you'll get an email back confirming it's cancelled in 3-4 days.

This happens a lot more than you would probably like to believe - we get a few each week, although it is often W and M that are misread, or B and D.

[surveyor_101]

No ideas for a name said:

You could be really helpful and not reply until 14 days have passed.

NIP served within 14 days if the reg is wrong with that affect the validity? Assuming the right person got it?

[No ideas for a name]

surveyor_101 said:

NIP served within 14 days if the reg is wrong with that affect the validity? Assuming the right person got it?

But the right person didn't get it.
This NIP has gone to someone who owns a car with a similar registration.

[spookly]

No ideas for a name said:

Shappers24 said:

Helpfully Surrey police phone lines are only open until 1pm each day so will have to leave it till Monday to get in touch.

You could be really helpful and not reply until 14 days have passed.

That would be doing someone a nice favour :-)

That'd prevent them from issuing a NIP to the correct driver within the 14 day timescale.

Not sure of the legality of not responding to the S172 request when it isn't even your car that was speeding and they are just being numbnuts.

[No ideas for a name]

spookly said:

Not sure of the legality of not responding to the S172 request when it isn't even your car that was speeding and they are just being numbnuts.

Though it sounds daft, probably best to formally reply to the S172 stating that you have no idea who the driver is.... and the reason, along the lines of it isn't a car you have anything to do with.
If you don't reply, I can see a small possibility of a technical offence of failure to provide details - which would of course be a bit mad.

[ghe13rte]

Shappers24 said:

Just received a NIP from Surrey police this afternoon, claiming my civic was caught doing 38 in a 30. This was a surprise given the car was in Newport, South Wales on the day in question.

Have checked the photographic evidence online and initially thought the plates had been cloned. My reg plate ends in OYM. On closer inspection of the photo, the plate of the car caught actually ends OYW, an easy mistake to make if you just make a cursory glance at the picture. Have checked details, and sure enough the plate which ends in OYW also belongs to a silver civic... identical in spec it looks like to my car.

Helpfully Surrey police phone lines are only open until 1pm each day so will have to leave it till Monday to get in touch.

Does anyone know how much of a pain it will be to get the NiP cancelled? They letter talks about needing to go to magistrates court to contest it, which I ideally would like to avoid. Not sure what evidence I can provide to prove the car was elsewhere....

Thanks in advance!

Send the whole thing back. Insert a cover note to say: "The registration on my car is OYM, the car in the image provided is OYW.
Please make the arrangement to remove me from your database and send the ticket to the keeper of the correct vehicle.
Regards
Shappers24

[CastroSays]

Ignore it.
Let them take you all the way to court.
Trundle along V5 in hand.
Present your case.
Case dismissed and the Safety Camera Partnership will be out a few bob and you'll have struck a righteous blow for everyone who has ever been fined by these s.

[anonymous-user]

Er.... , you do understand how public services (including courts) are funded, don't you? Maybe you don't pay any tax, but, er, if you do...

PS: That's before you factor in the waste of the OP's time and money in engaging in pointless litigation when a simple letter or email or phonecall will solve the problem.

[ghe13rte]

CastroSays said:

Ignore it.
Let them take you all the way to court.
Trundle along V5 in hand.
Present your case.
Case dismissed and the Safety Camera Partnership will be out a few bob and you'll have struck a righteous blow for everyone who has ever been fined by these s.

Then 6 points will follow.

[Johnnytheboy]

ghe13rte said:

CastroSays said:

Ignore it.
Let them take you all the way to court.
Trundle along V5 in hand.
Present your case.
Case dismissed and the Safety Camera Partnership will be out a few bob and you'll have struck a righteous blow for everyone who has ever been fined by these s.

Then 6 points will follow.

For....?

[No ideas for a name]

Johnnytheboy said:

For....?

Failure to provide the details requested in the S172.

[Johnnytheboy]

No ideas for a name said:

Johnnytheboy said:

For....?

Failure to provide the details requested in the S172.

Ah gotcha. So plead not guilty, rather than ignoring it.

[Stoofa]

Johnnytheboy said:

Ah gotcha. So plead not guilty, rather than ignoring it.

You don't plead guilty or not guilty on an S172. They are simply asking for the driver details of a vehicle.
The easiest way for the OP to make all this go away is to call them up, explain that the numberplate on the picture has been misread - it'll all be sorted within 5 minutes.

[No ideas for a name]

Johnnytheboy said:

Ah gotcha. So plead not guilty, rather than ignoring it.

No, return the notice, filled in. Stating you do not know who was driving because you are not the RK, and you have no knowledge of the car.

Can't remember the wording.. but if not the RK, you have to give details 'reasonably in your power' to give or something like that.

It is an academic point really - telling the ticket office it is a mis-read will *probably* result in no further action.
BUT, I believe technically the S172 is still live and replying correctly will close that loop.

[Shappers24]

Thanks for all the advice. Very useful. I missed some small print on the the S172 which states:

“If you claim to be unable to identify the driver and/or the information you have does not fit either part 1 or 2 of the enclosed form, please use the reverse of this form or a separate piece of paper to explain and ensure this is returned with the S172 so we can consider your response fully”

I think that’s the way forward, my Information certainly doesn’t fit identifying who was driving as I have no idea, what with it not being my car! whilst a phone call will probably sort it, there is still a S172 which needs responding to; even if that’s with a covering note encouraging them to check the photo.

[Red 4]

DELETED: Comment made by a member who's account has been deleted.

Yeah, 'course you did.

P.S. you have 28 days to reply to a s.172 request. Not 14 as you said.

You're confusing that with serving a NIP.

Hard of learning, eh ? My irony meter just exploded.

As did my bullstometer.

Edited by Red 4 on Friday 6th July 19:14

[kestral]

Shappers24 said:

Just received a NIP from Surrey police this afternoon, claiming my civic was caught doing 38 in a 30. This was a surprise given the car was in Newport, South Wales on the day in question.

Have checked the photographic evidence online and initially thought the plates had been cloned. My reg plate ends in OYM. On closer inspection of the photo, the plate of the car caught actually ends OYW, an easy mistake to make if you just make a cursory glance at the picture. Have checked details, and sure enough the plate which ends in OYW also belongs to a silver civic... identical in spec it looks like to my car.

Helpfully Surrey police phone lines are only open until 1pm each day so will have to leave it till Monday to get in touch.

Does anyone know how much of a pain it will be to get the NiP cancelled? They letter talks about needing to go to magistrates court to contest it, which I ideally would like to avoid. Not sure what evidence I can provide to prove the car was elsewhere....

Thanks in advance!

I would go to court and make them look complete fools.

You phone them and they will say to themselves "thank god he told us, an easy mistake on our part"

It's an easy mistake to go slightly over the speed limit also.