Traffic Police "Flexing"

[ToothbrushMan]

A bit of a follow on from the thread about the unmarked Astra in Glasgow and the manner of how it was being driven......

I was going home on Saturday night, it was about 11.30pm, roads were dry, traffic was light. I stopped at some lights in lane 1. I was at the front right by the lights. I saw some headlights approach and come up in lane 2. Had a quick glance over my shoulder as they hadnt pulled level. It was old bill in a marked 3 series.

Lights changed, no police car to be seen, I slip the clutch, drop it into 1st and begin to move off slow (as you do with the federals next to you) and managed to get about 20ft before they absolutely soared past me like they were on fire. Very smooth but quick. Thought.....they must have just got a call on the radio.....the dual carriageway straightened out just after a right hand bend when I thought they would be a dot on the horizon. I was doing 40-45mph in a 40 zone and gaining on them. WTF are they doing now - they'd slowed right down to about 30?

When they pulled away initially there were no blues and twos and they didnt have them on as they rounded the bend. Its like the coppers were bored almost and at the lights the one copper told his driver mate to gun it to amuse themselves and "blow away a member of the public in his souped up hatchback". Its a very purile way to think of the police acting in this way but youve got to ask yourself when the job is all "quiet" if some coppers do have a bit of a mess about with their cars to help pass the time......maybe the fleet manager instructed them to go out and blow the cobwebs out of the 3 series!

The fast pull off could be for a legit reason but whatever it was it got called off pretty damn fast. I even caught the feds up at the next island - they just didnt seem to be in the same rush as before and sauntered around the island then took a different route.

Anything like this happen to you? BTW I think the BMW must have been something like a 320T/325T or 330i as it looked fairly nippy, maybe they run 330d's I dont know. I would have loved to have given them a run though off the line but we all know where that would have led me.

[Hooli]

I'd say it was normal if it was unmarked. More unusual for them to think the public are thick enough to race a marked car.

[mnkiboy]

ToothbrushMan said:

Police car pulled away quickly.

Nice concise version for those with little time.

[R6VED]

Back in my police days we would occasionally test various aspects of the vehicle vigorously in deserted industrial estates in the middle of the night.

= handbrake turns and j-turn practise :-) also emergency stops and starts.

It can get pretty boring on a night shift mid week

[rix]

Police car approached the lights with 'Plan to go, prepare to stop' as per their training. In likelihood hadn't come to a halt so took the line of least resistance, lights changed, and overtook. Not necessarily in any hurry, just usual driving style.

[paintman]

ToothbrushMan said:

The fast pull off could be for a legit reason but whatever it was it got called off pretty damn fast. I even caught the feds up at the next island - they just didnt seem to be in the same rush as before and sauntered around the island then took a different route.

Not unusual - or the number of responses on the radio from nearer vehicles means there's no point in your continuing.
I've no doubt on a number of occasions when we've been cancelled en route & just turned off the blues - if we've even had them on, as they aren't always helpful or needed - & dropped back to normal speed that MOP have been left thinking WTF - same as yourself.

Edited by paintman on Tuesday 25th February 09:55