Reckless and pointless police driving.

[Fusion-Ed]

Ok try and picture this, for anyone who knows the area this happened on the Brighton road in South Croydon - between the traffic lights at Whitgift school and South Croydon bus garage. For those who don't know the area, its a long straight built up road with bus lanes on each side and multiple junctions on both the left and right.

Now to the point of what happened. Sitting in the passenger seat of my friends car, we pulled away from the set of traffic lights going South from Croydon. The road in front of us being clear as we were at the front of the lights. In the distance coming towards us is a white Astra police car with all its bells and lights flashing (nothing unusual round here). A hundred or so meters in front of us is a car about to make a right turn across us, (bear in mind this cop car is still hurtling towards this car on the wrong side of the road) fortunately this driver sees this cop car and stops just as it was about to make its manoeuvre, it does this just as the police car rather than cutting in behind this car went straight past it, then pulled in left in front of the car turning right. It then swerved left in front of us (from its point of view) and back on to the the correct side of the road and on it went.

Amazing we thought what bad driving, they must have been in a real hurry, I looked at my friend in a bit of disbelief and we continued on. 1/4 mile up the road we now hear another police car coming back up behind us and we pulled over outside South Croydon bus station to let this one pass, but it didn't, it screeched to a stop beside us wound its window down and the female cop driver then said to us both "do you have a problem with my driving?!" She continued "I thought I saw you making signs at us as we passed" My thoughts were WHAT THE HELL, and my friend just said "No, no problem at all" The female driver then said "oh must be my eyesight as I am getting on a bit". Her male counterpart said nothing during this. In amazement neither of us said anything else and she then proceeded to race off again with her lights and sirens on, do a 180 degree U turn across a pedestrian crossing and raced back of down the main road going in the other direction.

I am still trying to pick up my jaw from the floor. I am stunned/angry etc beyond belief that they:
1, Felt it was necessary to rush like that down the main road in the first place diving that badly, (I did however give them the benefit of the doubt had it been for a possible gun/knife maniac in Croydon - likely!)
2, Had enough time to divert from what ever it was they were doing to come and question us on what we thought of her driving, obviously putting my benefit of the doubt right out of the window.
and
3, had the nerve to accuse us of doing something we definitely had not done, and additionally putting so many extra people on the road at risk.

So this PC I assume is from Fairfield Croydon Police station, you need to re-think your priorities on the road and do something useful with your time rather than showing off (as is the only reason both of us could put this down to) rather than putting myself friends and other road users at risk for absolutely no reason or benefit of anyone that I could see at all.

<still not a happy chappy> I would love to have the CCTV from that part of the road, it would make interesting viewing for everyone concerned...

[RaksP]

MATE PLEASE GO BACK TO THE ROAD AND ASK ALL THE SHOPS FOR THEIR CCTV AND THEN SEND THIS TO THE POLICE! THIS TYPE OF SHIT SHOULD NOT BE TOLERATED! DID YOU GET THE REG NUMBER OF THE PO-PO CAR?

[Fusion-Ed]

Nice caps lol.

No I didn't but I got a pretty good look of the female cop (no not like that to the perv's out there!!). There is no shop cctv that I'm aware, that would see that, its mostly residential on that particular stretch, but there IS plenty of council cctv there, probably 5-6 or so cameras in that short space alone - not that there would be a hope in hell of getting seeing any of it.

[tvrgit]

Don't see anything wrong with the first incident - how do you know that she wasn't allowing for the van turning right in her driving plan?

Bit surprised she came back though if all you did was look amazed - they must be used to seeing people who don't necessarily see the full picture of where they are going and why.

[Fusion-Ed]

I didn't mention van anywhere...

To your points however: If she had allowed for the car, she could have turned in behind it. I shall make an assumption that she saw the large space in front of the car turning right and in front of us and decided to use this instead. It would have appeared visibly an easier straight line manoeuvre even though it carried a greater risk.

The obvious assumption for people who do not know me is of course that myself or my friend /must/ have done something to initiate her response. That was not so. However when even considering that possibility I still find it hard to believe that she felt her time was spent diverted to us than what ever emergency she was supposed to be attending. This is perhaps what bothers me most.

[aw51 121565]

When is the full moon?

Serious Question - referring to the alleged behaviour of the police and not the original poster.

People have been 'on edge' all day today at work - the full moon is tonight. People I have dealings with at work (public and colleagues, especially the former) also respond to the new moon too, which rather messes this little theory up .

[ukwill]

If you feel it was out of order, why don't you go the police station and make a complaint?

I fail to see on what grounds a copcar on a shout would avert their journey (which was apparently important enough to require blues/two's) to turn around, in order to go back and query another road users interpretation of their driving. I'd be querying that for sure.

Edited by ukwill on Tuesday 31st July 00:15

[TPS]

RaksP said:

MATE PLEASE GO BACK TO THE ROAD AND ASK ALL THE SHOPS FOR THEIR CCTV AND THEN SEND THIS TO THE POLICE! THIS TYPE OF SHIT SHOULD NOT BE TOLERATED! DID YOU GET THE REG NUMBER OF THE PO-PO CAR?

Here we go again.You should be telling him to demand they be sacked according to your last bib pop.

The shops will not supply the tapes to anyone other than the police due to data protection laws etc.The op if he feels he needs to can put in a complaint about this incident though.

On a seperate note there called police not po-po and also you will find the caps lock key to the left on your key board.

[Fusion-Ed]

ukwill, please understand that I have exactly the same thoughts as you. This is what I still cannot work out. Which ever way I look at it, it does not make any sense.

I have decided I am going to contact said police station tomorrow.

[fastfreddy]

When you go to the station, ask them if Section 59 applies to the Police...

[Fusion-Ed]

Hahaha. I am half expecting the be harassed for the rest of my life after querying this. I know of a few people who have had S.59s and some have made a formal complaint against the officer who issued them and as a result had the S.59 dropped and the officer a telling off.

[torres del paine]

Police acting like a bunch of juvenille school leavers - now there's a first.

Turning round to give a bit of verbal on an alledged call just smacks of bullsh1t to me.

Report it.

[Richard C]

Has anyone thought that a few years ago no-one would have questioned police driving and no police officer would have stopped to ask a MoP what they might or might not have thought about the police driving.

Now we are sufficiently polarised to be

a) aggrieved and angry that the police drive in a manner that would get an MoP prosecuted when there is no apparent need for such behaviour

b) the police feel sufficiently insecure to find it necessary to threaten MoP or even worry about what the MoP might have indicated

Clearly we have moved into a US and THEM society which is highly counterproductive. Who’s fault is that then ?

[Jasandjules]

I just cannot believe that an officer on a shout would take the time out to go back and complain. Definately need to report her.

[Mr_annie_vxr]

Jasandjules said:

I just cannot believe that an officer on a shout would take the time out to go back and complain. Definately need to report her.

Its seems odd. However no officer is going to react unless there is something to react with. Some sort of action to get the reaction. Unless she was a mind reader.

[torres del paine]

Mr_annie_vxr said:

Jasandjules said:

I just cannot believe that an officer on a shout would take the time out to go back and complain. Definately need to report her.

Its seems odd. However no officer is going to react unless there is something to react with. Some sort of action to get the reaction. Unless she was a mind reader.

Even if she did, so what? What could she have seen - she certainly would not have heard anything? And why did she u-turn and go in for a provocative ticking off ON A CALL? It all sounds like a lot of nonsense to me and is another example of a jumped up law enforcer with a chip on her shoulder. Not good.

Edited by torres del paine on Tuesday 31st July 11:21

[Mr_annie_vxr]

torres del paine said:

Mr_annie_vxr said:

Jasandjules said:

I just cannot believe that an officer on a shout would take the time out to go back and complain. Definately need to report her.

Its seems odd. However no officer is going to react unless there is something to react with. Some sort of action to get the reaction. Unless she was a mind reader.

Even if she did, so what? What could she have seen - she certainly would not have heard anything? And why did she u-turn and go in for a provocative ticking off ON A CALL? It all sounds like a lot of nonsense to me and is another example of a jumped up law enforcer with a chip on her shoulder. Not good.

Edited by torres del paine on Tuesday 31st July 11:21

She could have seen offensive gestures, the 'wr sign' or 'the bird'. Its unlikely she would react to nothing. I did say it was strange but then I was not there. It may be that she has a particular low tolerence towards public order offences.

Its not just her who would appear to have a chip on her shoulder.

[Zod]

Mr_annie_vxr said:

torres del paine said:

Mr_annie_vxr said:

Jasandjules said:

I just cannot believe that an officer on a shout would take the time out to go back and complain. Definately need to report her.

Its seems odd. However no officer is going to react unless there is something to react with. Some sort of action to get the reaction. Unless she was a mind reader.

Even if she did, so what? What could she have seen - she certainly would not have heard anything? And why did she u-turn and go in for a provocative ticking off ON A CALL? It all sounds like a lot of nonsense to me and is another example of a jumped up law enforcer with a chip on her shoulder. Not good.

Edited by torres del paine on Tuesday 31st July 11:21

She could have seen offensive gestures, the 'wr sign' or 'the bird'. Its unlikely she would react to nothing. I did say it was strange but then I was not there. It may be that she has a particular low tolerence towards public order offences.

Its not just her who would appear to have a chip on her shoulder.

Assuming all of this happened exactly as described, if the call she was on was urgent enough to drive in the manner described, how could she possibly have had time to turn back, stop and remonstrate?

[Mr_annie_vxr]

Zod said:

Mr_annie_vxr said:

torres del paine said:

Mr_annie_vxr said:

Jasandjules said:

I just cannot believe that an officer on a shout would take the time out to go back and complain. Definately need to report her.

Its seems odd. However no officer is going to react unless there is something to react with. Some sort of action to get the reaction. Unless she was a mind reader.

Even if she did, so what? What could she have seen - she certainly would not have heard anything? And why did she u-turn and go in for a provocative ticking off ON A CALL? It all sounds like a lot of nonsense to me and is another example of a jumped up law enforcer with a chip on her shoulder. Not good.

Edited by torres del paine on Tuesday 31st July 11:21

She could have seen offensive gestures, the 'wr sign' or 'the bird'. Its unlikely she would react to nothing. I did say it was strange but then I was not there. It may be that she has a particular low tolerence towards public order offences.

Its not just her who would appear to have a chip on her shoulder.

Assuming all of this happened exactly as described, if the call she was on was urgent enough to drive in the manner described, how could she possibly have had time to turn back, stop and remonstrate?

As I said depends what she saw or thought she saw. I said it was strange to come back there and then. I may have taken the index down and dealt with later.
If the call had been cancelled she may have come back. Without asking her its not possible to know. I can only give possible explenations to circs I will never be able to tell you the officers version.
There are always two sides as they say.

[Zod]

Mr_annie_vxr said:

There are always two sides as they say.

Hence my introductory words.