Police drivers trained?
Discussion
For my sins, I live in Bedfordshire. Recently, I've noticed a spate of appalling driving by marked police cars. I couldn't tell you if they were traffic cars or something else, because I'm not that interested.
Waiting at a red light, a police car pulls up next to me in the 'right only' lane. He then decides to drag race me across the junction, leaving before the lights are even amber! No lights on, no sirens...what a marvellous example to set everyone.
The other problem I've seen a couple of times is a pack of police cars chasing the police helicpoter all over the countryside. Trouble is, they seem to find it hard to look up at the helicopter, whilst keeping an eye on the road. I now tread very carefully if the chopper is about, I was nearly clipped by a police 4x4 who was on the wrong side of the road!
Is it ever worth complaining when you see things like this, or should I just be grateful that I've seen a police car at all?
Waiting at a red light, a police car pulls up next to me in the 'right only' lane. He then decides to drag race me across the junction, leaving before the lights are even amber! No lights on, no sirens...what a marvellous example to set everyone.
The other problem I've seen a couple of times is a pack of police cars chasing the police helicpoter all over the countryside. Trouble is, they seem to find it hard to look up at the helicopter, whilst keeping an eye on the road. I now tread very carefully if the chopper is about, I was nearly clipped by a police 4x4 who was on the wrong side of the road!
Is it ever worth complaining when you see things like this, or should I just be grateful that I've seen a police car at all?
HeeBee,
Bad Police driving is deplorable. We are supposed to be setting the example. I know what you mean though, I have seen it myself. Mainly in towns by the more junior officer.
You know the type...just been given the uniform/power and a marked Police Vehicle and no training!
Probably a failure of the Force. It takes a while for officers to get on driving courses and 'Enhanced' and 'Advanced' ones are like rocking horse doodoo! Let alone 'Basic' and 'Standard' ones.
With regards to the helicopter. It is unlikely the units were chasing the 'copter (unless it had been stolen that is!!
), but that it was pursuing someone else and guiding the ground units in from a 'safe' distance away.
From what other people have said on this Forum, sounds like you are lucky to see marked cars at all!
Rgds
Bad Police driving is deplorable. We are supposed to be setting the example. I know what you mean though, I have seen it myself. Mainly in towns by the more junior officer.
You know the type...just been given the uniform/power and a marked Police Vehicle and no training!
Probably a failure of the Force. It takes a while for officers to get on driving courses and 'Enhanced' and 'Advanced' ones are like rocking horse doodoo! Let alone 'Basic' and 'Standard' ones.
With regards to the helicopter. It is unlikely the units were chasing the 'copter (unless it had been stolen that is!!
), but that it was pursuing someone else and guiding the ground units in from a 'safe' distance away. From what other people have said on this Forum, sounds like you are lucky to see marked cars at all!
Rgds
Good point about the stolen chopper thing! On two or three occasions, I've seen several (5+) cars tearing around the countryside, and they seem to be controlled by the helicopter. This is in a fairly rural area, where I guess the chopper is useful for keeping a track on a person/car/bike. However, they seem to need to keep an eye on the chopper too, to work out exactly where to go, and that seems to lead to some slightly dubious cornering techniques...
Scared the hell out of me one morning: it was very early, and just as the lights changed for me, these cars hurtled across the junction, with lights flashing. 1 minute later they came back towards me...then they overtook me...then came back towards me again!
Do they have relay races??
Scared the hell out of me one morning: it was very early, and just as the lights changed for me, these cars hurtled across the junction, with lights flashing. 1 minute later they came back towards me...then they overtook me...then came back towards me again!
Do they have relay races??
No relay races I'm afraid, HeeBee. But we do like to get our Battons out now and then!
Sounds like poor control by the Air Observer
. Should be positionong some cars ahead of suspect and just have one or two follwing behind to avoid 'Keystone(?) Cops' shananigins.
It might well have been a training day for TPAC/pursuit or something similar, but they still don't need to look up at the 'Parrafin Budgie' if he is doing a good commentary.
Rgds
Sounds like poor control by the Air Observer
. Should be positionong some cars ahead of suspect and just have one or two follwing behind to avoid 'Keystone(?) Cops' shananigins. It might well have been a training day for TPAC/pursuit or something similar, but they still don't need to look up at the 'Parrafin Budgie' if he is doing a good commentary.
Rgds
Had something similar myself on numerous occasions. Driving certain cars gets you noticed by the BiB. On more than one occasion I've been overtaken and then cut up by a panda car which proceeded to travel at about 5 mph below the speed limit on an open road, good weather, no traffic. No way was I taking the bait. Two second rule and trundle along, g'day officer. Robocop, haven't police driving courses been hit by the cutbacks in recent years? Could explain why these things are seemingly more frequent.
And of course - because they are such a rare sight - they are all the more noticeable when you do see them 
Which makes a weak undertained BiB driver stand out all the more...
Cousins in family who are BiBs keep telling that it was drummed into them during training that they are "amabssadors of the Law and the Force" and thus they have to "set shiny example on and off duty."
Of course - they are getting on a bit now now - so has this standard also "died death" along with trafpol and proper police 
training, standards?
Which makes a weak undertained BiB driver stand out all the more...
Cousins in family who are BiBs keep telling that it was drummed into them during training that they are "amabssadors of the Law and the Force" and thus they have to "set shiny example on and off duty."
Of course - they are getting on a bit now now
- so has this standard also "died death" along with trafpol and proper police training, standards?turbobloke said:
Robocop, haven't police driving courses been hit by the cutbacks in recent years? Could explain why these things are seemingly more frequent.
I think every Force is financially under strain now, and one of the first things to suffer are driving courses especially the Basic and Standard driving courses. Because most people who join have got a basic licence, the job can get away with that initially and shove 'em out on the street.
However, Trafpol and the specialist departments will still do their Advanced Course because it is a pre-requisite of the task. A Trafpol who is not Advanced usually has to pair up with a senior collegue. He can drive the Cars on patrol and respond blues and twos while he is awaiting his Advanced Course, but in our force only Advanced Drivers can carry out a full pursuit - in light of all the bad press about Police pursuits I think.
We should still set the example though
Hope this helps
Rgds
Heebee said:
I couldn't tell you if they were traffic cars or something else, because I'm not that interested.
You need to know whether a police car is Trafpol or not....ie: video cameras, radar, vascar...makes a whole lot of difference if you are stopped for an offence. Information is power and you as a driver, need it...
Heebee said:
Is it ever worth complaining when you see things like this, or should I just be grateful that I've seen a police car at all?
Don't bother complaining...it wont get you anywhere....I will apologise on their behalf to you..
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