Sensible Policing?
Discussion
Driving with my 16 year old son at night on the M20 earlier this week and making progress. Most of the traffic is flowing between 85-95 leptons.
We pull into lane 3 doing 90-95 leptons to overtake MLM, and the car that's been behind us for a while does the same, but he then swiftly closes to within 10 feet of the boot. Potential boy-racer or muppet alert? As son is in the car and he'll be driving within a few months, he asks what you should do in this situation. We gently back off, increasing the distance to the car in front to improve stopping distances.
Just at this point, doing 90-ish leptons, we pass into a lamp-posted section of the M20. A glance in the mirror, oh bugger, it says "POLICE" on the bonnet of the car behind - the car 10 feet off my bumper. As we pass MLM, we return to the left lane, decreasing the leptons a bit. Policeman comes alongside, nods, and takes off.
To all you traffic police on here, is this normal behaviour? If you see someone a little over the limit but driving sensibly, do you do this? What was the tail-gating move all about?
We pull into lane 3 doing 90-95 leptons to overtake MLM, and the car that's been behind us for a while does the same, but he then swiftly closes to within 10 feet of the boot. Potential boy-racer or muppet alert? As son is in the car and he'll be driving within a few months, he asks what you should do in this situation. We gently back off, increasing the distance to the car in front to improve stopping distances.
Just at this point, doing 90-ish leptons, we pass into a lamp-posted section of the M20. A glance in the mirror, oh bugger, it says "POLICE" on the bonnet of the car behind - the car 10 feet off my bumper. As we pass MLM, we return to the left lane, decreasing the leptons a bit. Policeman comes alongside, nods, and takes off.
To all you traffic police on here, is this normal behaviour? If you see someone a little over the limit but driving sensibly, do you do this? What was the tail-gating move all about?
If it's the middle of the night, you're on a national limit or motorway and if your car checks out as being MOT'd and insured then I tend to give people a quick flash of the grill strobes and, if they slow down, that'll be all.
I might follow to the next junction but won't pull you.
I won't, as a rule, pull you below 90 on the motorway anyway. Unless you're committing another offence. I'm in the business of catching criminals who use vehicles to travel, not of turning people who use vehicles into criminals.
Can't comment on the tailgating, not something i'd do.
I might follow to the next junction but won't pull you.
I won't, as a rule, pull you below 90 on the motorway anyway. Unless you're committing another offence. I'm in the business of catching criminals who use vehicles to travel, not of turning people who use vehicles into criminals.
Can't comment on the tailgating, not something i'd do.
thehappyotter said:
I won't, as a rule, pull you below 90 on the motorway anyway. Unless you're committing another offence. I'm in the business of catching criminals who use vehicles to travel, not of turning people who use vehicles into criminals.
Fair play to you sir, and that is exactly the reason why we need more trafpol and less gatso.
Jasandjules said:
Fair play to you sir, and that is exactly the reason why we need more trafpol and less gatso.
Please won't someone think of the revenue. There are many hundreds, if not thousands of people who work for the SCPs. They are essentially unemployable in any other role and depend on you the motorist to pay their mortgage for them every month. More trafpol and less cameras would mean safer roads, it would lead to more crims being caught, it would be a worthy investment. However, all this good would come at the expense of SCP employees, these are some of the most vulnerable people in society, they have no skills, no personality and no real hope. 
thehappyotter said:
If it's the middle of the night, you're on a national limit or motorway and if your car checks out as being MOT'd and insured then I tend to give people a quick flash of the grill strobes and, if they slow down, that'll be all.
I might follow to the next junction but won't pull you.
I won't, as a rule, pull you below 90 on the motorway anyway. Unless you're committing another offence. I'm in the business of catching criminals who use vehicles to travel, not of turning people who use vehicles into criminals.
Can't comment on the tailgating, not something i'd do.
You sound like the kind of TrafPol we need to clone and put more of on the road! I might follow to the next junction but won't pull you.
I won't, as a rule, pull you below 90 on the motorway anyway. Unless you're committing another offence. I'm in the business of catching criminals who use vehicles to travel, not of turning people who use vehicles into criminals.
Can't comment on the tailgating, not something i'd do.
Well done to you sir.Edited by eltax91 on Wednesday 8th August 12:56
I do exactly the same. However, people always end up pulling on to the hard shoulder anyway, which does rather mess the cunning speed warning plan up!
TBH the "Tailgating" move may simply have been to read your numberplate and/or as a gentle reminder to the DOZY CHAP IN FRONT TO SPOT THE POLIS! :big grin:
TBH the "Tailgating" move may simply have been to read your numberplate and/or as a gentle reminder to the DOZY CHAP IN FRONT TO SPOT THE POLIS! :big grin:
Edited by carrotchomper on Wednesday 8th August 18:41
thehappyotter said:
If it's the middle of the night, you're on a national limit or motorway and if your car checks out as being MOT'd and insured then I tend to give people a quick flash of the grill strobes and, if they slow down, that'll be all.
I might follow to the next junction but won't pull you.
I won't, as a rule, pull you below 90 on the motorway anyway. Unless you're committing another offence. I'm in the business of catching criminals who use vehicles to travel, not of turning people who use vehicles into criminals.
Can't comment on the tailgating, not something i'd do.
If you are plod and not a troll (sadly, they do post here now and again) then it's really good to see a plod with a good attitude ! I might follow to the next junction but won't pull you.
I won't, as a rule, pull you below 90 on the motorway anyway. Unless you're committing another offence. I'm in the business of catching criminals who use vehicles to travel, not of turning people who use vehicles into criminals.
Can't comment on the tailgating, not something i'd do.
That's the way it used to be when people had some respect for the police and would be nice to see that return. Mrs Otter says I do rather resemble a troll when i've just woken up after a night on the beer but i'm not one on the internet that's for sure. If you pm me i'll send you my work email address so it can be verified that at least one of us is decent!
We're obviously all different and I am a big believer in discression so I won't critisise collegues who have lower tollerences to speed. My personal opinion is that it's not, in itself, inherently dangerous given the right contitions and a driver of a decent standard.
If you're driving dangerously or without due care then i'll deal with it less kindly but speed by itself doesn't fulfil either of those offences in my reckoning.
If a driver slows after receiving a warning then my very presence has acheived what a ticket would do but builds up trust from the public too as a bonus.
I do expect people to slow when i'm behind them in return, I had a bloke come past me on the M1 a few weeks ago at 115 on the vascar. I followed him for 3 miles gave him a few flashes of the headlights and a couple of blasts of siren and grill strobes, more than enough for a driver who is paying propper attention to see but he carried on. He was reported for summons which I think is fair enough.
We're obviously all different and I am a big believer in discression so I won't critisise collegues who have lower tollerences to speed. My personal opinion is that it's not, in itself, inherently dangerous given the right contitions and a driver of a decent standard.
If you're driving dangerously or without due care then i'll deal with it less kindly but speed by itself doesn't fulfil either of those offences in my reckoning.
If a driver slows after receiving a warning then my very presence has acheived what a ticket would do but builds up trust from the public too as a bonus.
I do expect people to slow when i'm behind them in return, I had a bloke come past me on the M1 a few weeks ago at 115 on the vascar. I followed him for 3 miles gave him a few flashes of the headlights and a couple of blasts of siren and grill strobes, more than enough for a driver who is paying propper attention to see but he carried on. He was reported for summons which I think is fair enough.
thehappyotter said:
If it's the middle of the night, you're on a national limit or motorway and if your car checks out as being MOT'd and insured then I tend to give people a quick flash of the grill strobes and, if they slow down, that'll be all.
I might follow to the next junction but won't pull you.
I won't, as a rule, pull you below 90 on the motorway anyway. Unless you're committing another offence. I'm in the business of catching criminals who use vehicles to travel, not of turning people who use vehicles into criminals.
Can't comment on the tailgating, not something i'd do.
excellent attitude, its people like you sir who can help regain the trust in the police the public have lost.I might follow to the next junction but won't pull you.
I won't, as a rule, pull you below 90 on the motorway anyway. Unless you're committing another offence. I'm in the business of catching criminals who use vehicles to travel, not of turning people who use vehicles into criminals.
Can't comment on the tailgating, not something i'd do.
as for the tailgating, i had a police car almost under the back of my landrover once as i drove down the road. the reflective part of my plate had gone an odd shade of yellow & couldnt be read at night (always passed mots though so i never changed it) & he had to get that close to read it.
thehappyotter said:
I do expect people to slow when i'm behind them in return, I had a bloke come past me on the M1 a few weeks ago at 115 on the vascar. I followed him for 3 miles gave him a few flashes of the headlights and a couple of blasts of siren and grill strobes, more than enough for a driver who is paying propper attention to see but he carried on. He was reported for summons which I think is fair enough.
Please tell me he didn't overtake a marked Trafpol car at that rate of knots... DWDCA if ever I saw it!!MilnerR said:
Please won't someone think of the revenue. There are many hundreds, if not thousands of people who work for the SCPs. They are essentially unemployable in any other role and depend on you the motorist to pay their mortgage for them every month. More trafpol and less cameras would mean safer roads, it would lead to more crims being caught, it would be a worthy investment. However, all this good would come at the expense of SCP employees, these are some of the most vulnerable people in society, they have no skills, no personality and no real hope.
Plenty of vacancies for the unskilled in Poland I hear. Forums | Speed, Plod & the Law | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff