Monday 24th July 2006

Double standards on the roads?

Police warned about 124mph dash

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A52 this morning

Are there double standards on  the roads? A police officer who drove at 124mph in a 70mph zone was handed a written warning for his actions. This was just after he'd apprehended a motorist, who had refused a breath test -- and who was in the car at the time, being driven to the police station.

PC Newsome has been given a warning after the Independent Police Complaints Commission investigated a complaint that he drove at 124mph in a 70mph zone without adequate cause (see link below).

Paul Smith, founder of the Safe Speed road safety campaign said: "The public will rightly feel aggrieved that they are not afforded similar degrees of tolerance and discretion when they stray just a few mph over an unnecessary speed limit."

Smith said that cases like this cause the police public relationship to take a beating, not because of concern over the police officer's driving standards, but because:

1. Many drivers have been convinced that safety can be measured in miles per hour, even though this is without foundation. Five mph in the wrong circumstances is a deadly speed.
2. Many have been convicted of far smaller offences, and have every reason to expect that the standards applied to police officers should at least be comparable."

Links

• Original story: My shock at 124mph ride in police car
• Safe Speed

[fatboy b]

Seems to be a do as we say, not do as we do attitude in the police these days.

[Dr S]

some animals are more equal than others...

[angrys3owner]

[tony*t3]

I have no problem with justified speeding by the police - even the case last year of the guy 'evaluating' his new police car was OK by me. But honestly, this just sucks....

I often wonder when i see a police car being hammered on blues and twos - is it really justified, or is he late for his fish and chip supper....???

The fact that it was with a member of the public in the car should be a sackable offence - even if it was a scumbag.

[Gixer]

Fact of the matter is the police have already lost the respect of most of the public and finding this kind of thing in the press is only going to make matters worse. The police need to be cleaner than clean and need to be seen as providing a good public service before opinions change. Like anything else it only takes a minority to cause the damage and these days the press are looking for incidents just like this to cover their pages.

[chris_crossley]

My only real complaint is the way i have been treated by police for doing 5mph over the limit. In a situation where there was no danger. Purly over meeting targets and raising cash. The last time i was booked i refused to listen to the copppers rantings. Told him to book me and find a real job doing what we pay them for. Not the p1ss poor excuse for years of training to become a highway robber.

I have family members who are coppers and i admire them for putting them selfs in harms way. This on the other hand just annoys the hell out of me. Start catching the drunk/drugged up/tail gaiting half wits that pass as drivers.

Then you might be appreciated!

[bigjimmy]

tony*t3 said:

I often wonder when i see a police car being hammered on blues and twos - is it really justified, or is he late for his fish and chip supper....???

My dad was a copper in the mid 70's and this very thing happened to him. He was ordered to get to the chippy across town before it shut, to get the Super's dinner. This meant a blue light run all the way across Horsham.

[fidgits]

I realise this is an isolated incidence, but i frequently see marked police cars driving well over the limit without the blues & twos, infact I rarely see one obeying the speed limit...

and while some of these can be justified, i do find myself wondering how many?

As the article says, the Scamera partenerships are hammering into us that speed is lethal, so perhaps the police should take their public image slightly more seriously?

[havoc]

IIRC, the chappy refused to give a breath-sample on-site, so the copper wanted to get him back to the station double-quick to make sure he didn't evade prosecution through his blood-alcohol dropping.

On that basis, it IS understandable. Possibly not justifiable, but understandable - I am quite happy with coppers wanting to get drunk-drivers off the roads.

Just a thought before people castigate the chap completely...

[Hollywood Wheels]

havoc said:

IIRC, the chappy refused to give a breath-sample on-site, so the copper wanted to get him back to the station double-quick to make sure he didn't evade prosecution through his blood-alcohol dropping.

On that basis, it IS understandable. Possibly not justifiable, but understandable - I am quite happy with coppers wanting to get drunk-drivers off the roads.

Just a thought before people castigate the chap completely...

It sounds like a case of good pro-active Police work to me. No member of the public called the Police to a possible drink-driver, they saw him going quickly so pulled him over, saw he was pis*ed, and nicked him for refusing the breath test.

I work with people who now do NOTHING pro-active at all, and ONLY respond to 999 calls, that way they will get less complaints/paperwork/hassle/injuries/court on rest days/ and will normally be home on time after a 12hr shift. I'm begining to understand why they're like that now. Why the hell do traditional pro-active Police work when it gets you this kind of grief?

[Gixer]

chris_crossley said:

The last time i was booked i refused to listen to the copppers rantings.

I got nicked in Naishville last year. i was in a rush to get back to Atlanta for a flight home got caught 92 in a 75. It was a fair nick, I was speeding, I got caught, I got fined....sorted. No lecture, no being spoken down to like I was a child. No problem. In fact almost as an after thought as the trooper turned from my car window to walk back to his car he turned and said '....and slooooow down' after already saying the usuall have a nice day.

I've been pulled sooooooo many times on the bike that it must by now be well into 3 figures and yet I drive 60K in a car every year with no pull. Best one I remember was a group of us parked up chatting, cop car stops, young woman gets out and starts having a go at us for racing (we are parked), she starts taking down the details of all our bikes, what colour our leathers and hats were etc .... so determined to nick us for something, then the other cop (much older) gets out the car, walks over, spots one of my mates sitting on his bike that he obviously also knew and started chatting. You should have seen her face, she stopped what she was doing, stormed back to the car and slammed the door shut!!

Dosent take a brain surgeon to work out who was the best copper in the above er??

[LooseCannon]

[quote=havoc]IIRC, the chappy refused to give a breath-sample on-site, so the copper wanted to get him back to the station double-quick to make sure he didn't evade prosecution through his blood-alcohol dropping.

On that basis, it IS understandable. Possibly not justifiable, but understandable - I am quite happy with coppers wanting to get drunk-drivers off the roads.
quote]

Ditto. Read between the lines.

Edited by LooseCannon on Monday 24th July 12:03

[paulie-mafia]

This stinks. On Friday a court handed me a 56 day ban and £400 fine for doing 110mph on the motorway. This wasn't an emergency call, so he should therefore be prosecuted for doing 124mph.

[Al 450]

havoc said:

IIRC, the chappy refused to give a breath-sample on-site, so the copper wanted to get him back to the station double-quick to make sure he didn't evade prosecution through his blood-alcohol dropping.

On that basis, it IS understandable. Possibly not justifiable, but understandable - I am quite happy with coppers wanting to get drunk-drivers off the roads.

Just a thought before people castigate the chap completely...

That's all very well but what if he'd killed someone on the way back, would that speed be understandable then? Police drivers are well trained but subject to the same laws of physics as the rest of us.

91mph in a 40 zone is unnacceptable in virtually all circumstances, no chance of stopping for a pedestrian at all.

[fatboy b]

Gixer said:

Fact of the matter is the police have already lost the respect of most of the public and finding this kind of thing in the press is only going to make matters worse. The police need to be cleaner than clean and need to be seen as providing a good public service before opinions change. Like anything else it only takes a minority to cause the damage and these days the press are looking for incidents just like this to cover their pages.

Agreed. They also need a name & shame system that actually gets followed up. I was recently tail-gated by a 38 tonne lorry through a 30 limit. He was feet from my bumper, then started to overtake me - still in the 30. Then as he drew level with me started to turn towards me. I decided to get out of there quickly, but the same happened at the next 30 limit. I got his number, and phoned the local police station when I got work. Guess what - they didn't give a shit!

Also a few years ago now admitedly, my partner was driving though Birmingham with her handbag on the front passenger seat (not a great idea I know). While stopped at lights, 4 thugs smashed the passenger window, and nicked her bag. She went striaght to the police to report the incident. What did they do? They went round her car looking for faults so they could give her a ticket!

So it would seem that unless a copper actually sees a crime happen him or herself, then it didn't really happen.

So I'm sorry Lambo Cop, you're all tarred with the same brush.

Edited by fatboy b on Monday 24th July 12:21

[Harry52]

Just another case of our 2 faced police force

They wonder why 90% of the public dont reseprct them.

[potatoboy666]

First Link said:

Mr Cox, of Swallow Road, Woodville

lol how unfortunate

[Avalanche]

Last Friday's newspaper here: Same topic/different country

Except this guy is the Chief of Radars for Switzerland!
Great "excuse" though...

[Loose]

Generally the Police are losing if not lost the respect of motorists due to the actions of officers like these.. I don't just mean the plank who was doing 124mph, I'm mainly reffering to the planks boss.
The plank should be sacked! and if he wasn't his boss should be sacked.

In any other proffesion the the people who make the rules must adhere to them to show a good example to the rest of the workforce. If you don't you get sacked..
This is far worse, the Police are meant to be whiter than white, be fair and work as safely as possible for all our benifits.
This shear lack of respect for public safety and legislation is terrible.

I'm not questioning the fact that he has the skills to drive at those speeds with far less risk than average Joe.. Many of us have those skills, it seems that you only require a Police car to use them wether it's justified or not.

[fidgits]

havoc said:

IIRC, the chappy refused to give a breath-sample on-site, so the copper wanted to get him back to the station double-quick to make sure he didn't evade prosecution through his blood-alcohol dropping.

On that basis, it IS understandable. Possibly not justifiable, but understandable - I am quite happy with coppers wanting to get drunk-drivers off the roads.

Just a thought before people castigate the chap completely...

hmmm...

interesting point of view... however, failing to give a sample incures the same offence and potential sentance as if he had registered over the limit.

If he refused to give a sample at the roadside - its likely he would refuse back at the station also.

Thereby negating the need to get to the station as quickly as possible.