Speed trap rant
Discussion
Taking my son to his football on Sunday morning and travelling through Motherwell to Hamilton. As you leave Motherwell on Hamilton road there is a steep down hill and there at the bottom of it parked up was a marked police 5 series with the hairdryer pointing out the window.
They were parked up roughly where the wheelie bin is on the left hand side
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&a...
Thankfully I was only doing about 35 on my speedo and they didn't pull me over but come on, 9.25am on a downhill empty deserted road on a Sunday, where is the safety aspect in that!!!
I usually stand up for the police and scamera vans to a certain extent, if you don't see them then it proves in many cases you were going too fast or not paying attention, but unless this was some sort of training exercise, then I can only assume it was a revenue making exercise!
They were parked up roughly where the wheelie bin is on the left hand side
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&a...
Thankfully I was only doing about 35 on my speedo and they didn't pull me over but come on, 9.25am on a downhill empty deserted road on a Sunday, where is the safety aspect in that!!!
I usually stand up for the police and scamera vans to a certain extent, if you don't see them then it proves in many cases you were going too fast or not paying attention, but unless this was some sort of training exercise, then I can only assume it was a revenue making exercise!
It's Key Performance Indicators, all filth have them now, gotta do so many folk for various offenses, or they get a bolloking!
Sad but true, it's madness, although we don't expect much discression from the traffic polis, there is also very little from regular woody plod who also stand at the side of the road with the speed guns!
Decent members of the public are losing out here, however, public support for the filth is at an all time high...... Go figure!
Sad but true, it's madness, although we don't expect much discression from the traffic polis, there is also very little from regular woody plod who also stand at the side of the road with the speed guns!
Decent members of the public are losing out here, however, public support for the filth is at an all time high...... Go figure!
It's a view of "people are breaking the law, we know they are, go out and catch them"
And they do, up to their target for the month/quarter or however they work, and still don't catch everyone breaking the law.
Fact is, speed limit is there, go over it and you're committing a crime. Morality doesn't even come into it.
Discretion left the war on motoring a long, long time ago.
Question is, what can we do about it?
And they do, up to their target for the month/quarter or however they work, and still don't catch everyone breaking the law.
Fact is, speed limit is there, go over it and you're committing a crime. Morality doesn't even come into it.
Discretion left the war on motoring a long, long time ago.
Question is, what can we do about it?
I got done with a similar scenario, outskirts of Dunfermline, middle of the night, 30mph arterial road two mins from Motorway, even when I pulled in I thought "breath testing, only sensible reason for officers roadside at this time on a road like this". No, radar gun by his side, only vehicle and human in sight bar them, 43 in a 30, points & fine!
Not a traffic cop but there are targets, Key Performance Indicators! (not just traffic offences)
If all the cops make their targets, senior officers get a ten grand bonus per year, it's driven by local govt......... Never known what's in it for the regular cops though, I know most I speak to are annoyed about it but still seem to play along!
If all the cops make their targets, senior officers get a ten grand bonus per year, it's driven by local govt......... Never known what's in it for the regular cops though, I know most I speak to are annoyed about it but still seem to play along!
johnycarrera said:
It's Key Performance Indicators, all filth have them now, gotta do so many folk for various offenses, or they get a bolloking!
Sad but true, it's madness, although we don't expect much discression from the traffic polis, there is also very little from regular woody plod who also stand at the side of the road with the speed guns!
Decent members of the public are losing out here, however, public support for the filth is at an all time high...... Go figure!
Rubbish!Sad but true, it's madness, although we don't expect much discression from the traffic polis, there is also very little from regular woody plod who also stand at the side of the road with the speed guns!
Decent members of the public are losing out here, however, public support for the filth is at an all time high...... Go figure!
n/a
His response is not applicable OJ!
I have first hand experience of what I said, over 16 years of it, it's not private information, it's been public debate in the papers for a while, KPIs are with us, they can be a good thing with regards to offences that cause a real public nuisance, but the application of them is really lacking now........ That's a really long boring story........ Back to the next run thread!!!
I have first hand experience of what I said, over 16 years of it, it's not private information, it's been public debate in the papers for a while, KPIs are with us, they can be a good thing with regards to offences that cause a real public nuisance, but the application of them is really lacking now........ That's a really long boring story........ Back to the next run thread!!!
Craigie said:
Taking my son to his football on Sunday morning and travelling through Motherwell to Hamilton. As you leave Motherwell on Hamilton road there is a steep down hill and there at the bottom of it parked up was a marked police 5 series with the hairdryer pointing out the window.
They were parked up roughly where the wheelie bin is on the left hand side
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&a...
Thankfully I was only doing about 35 on my speedo and they didn't pull me over but come on, 9.25am on a downhill empty deserted road on a Sunday, where is the safety aspect in that!!!
I usually stand up for the police and scamera vans to a certain extent, if you don't see them then it proves in many cases you were going too fast or not paying attention, but unless this was some sort of training exercise, then I can only assume it was a revenue making exercise!
That is bad!! It is a very steep hill and to keep to 30 in any car you have to be on the brakes for most of it and very easy to creep over. They were parked up roughly where the wheelie bin is on the left hand side
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&a...
Thankfully I was only doing about 35 on my speedo and they didn't pull me over but come on, 9.25am on a downhill empty deserted road on a Sunday, where is the safety aspect in that!!!
I usually stand up for the police and scamera vans to a certain extent, if you don't see them then it proves in many cases you were going too fast or not paying attention, but unless this was some sort of training exercise, then I can only assume it was a revenue making exercise!
I agree with the OP. Why a sunday? Any week day is fine as there is a school directly off the road and very busy road. Problem is on a weekday at peak times when kids are about the traffic will be crawling both ways!
There have always been targets in traffic, dressed up in different ways and names. Paying senior officers a bonus to make junior officers catch 'offenders' is terrible. What happens? Easy pickings for low level offences and all more serious stuff left as wont get results! What would you rather do to get to 100? 50x2 or 2x50! That is where the police loose out. I have been the victim of crimes of theft and dishonesty about 20-25 times in my life through various businesses. Has anyone ever been caught? No. Any feedback? No. Any great interest? Not really!
I support the police and what they do. I support our laws and what they do. I just wonder if someone somewhere is hitting a target but missing the fight completely!
Paul
xx
National targets do not exist, within my force they do not exist, individual teams may have targets but only as a means of measuring an individual's workload.
The only certainty is, there are so many poor drivers and those who believe road traffic laws are for others, that detecting offenders is really not a difficult task.
For the record I do not sit in my car or hide behind objects with a laser! Most drivers are so inattentive they do not see me in my dayglow jacket at the side of the road - I am sure the PH collective can be excluded from that rather sweeping statement though
)n/a
not applicable said:
National targets do not exist, within my force they do not exist, individual teams may have targets but only as a means of measuring an individual's workload.
The only certainty is, there are so many poor drivers and those who believe road traffic laws are for others, that detecting offenders is really not a difficult task.
For the record I do not sit in my car or hide behind objects with a laser! Most drivers are so inattentive they do not see me in my dayglow jacket at the side of the road - I am sure the PH collective can be excluded from that rather sweeping statement though)
n/a
and the bold bit is exactly where the efforts of the traffic police should be focused rather than on folk who safely stray above a number.The only certainty is, there are so many poor drivers and those who believe road traffic laws are for others, that detecting offenders is really not a difficult task.
For the record I do not sit in my car or hide behind objects with a laser! Most drivers are so inattentive they do not see me in my dayglow jacket at the side of the road - I am sure the PH collective can be excluded from that rather sweeping statement though
)n/a
While I can understand why folk get annoyed with the perceived easy pickings of speeders I'd love to see the traffic guys get back to the good old days where you never knew when you would see one and drove accordingly rather than you never see one period! Hence IMO why there are supposedly so many unlicensed/drunk/uninsured/stolen/unsafe etc cars & drivers on the road they know the risk of being stopped/caught is well worth the risk
Lets be honest when did you last get "pulled" on a safety check?
On a similar vein I was amazed on Sunday driving to Croft 3 cars parked at side of road on M74/M6 with BIB in attendance and no vans on overbridges usually the only police presence you see is a van on the occassional bridge
Lets be honest when did you last get "pulled" on a safety check?
On a similar vein I was amazed on Sunday driving to Croft 3 cars parked at side of road on M74/M6 with BIB in attendance and no vans on overbridges usually the only police presence you see is a van on the occassional bridge
I stay literally round the corner from that location, and I always ensure I am sticking to 30mph going down that hill as the Trafpol are there every second day and constantly pull people for speeding.
They should go out on a Sunday night when it gets dark, they will see umpteen numpty boy racers flying down that hill.
They should go out on a Sunday night when it gets dark, they will see umpteen numpty boy racers flying down that hill.
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