Crappy Motorway Policing
Discussion
mk6fiesta said:
When I got level with the BiB it was clear to see that it wasnt even a TrafPol,
With the exception of the trafpol (but not always) the ability of the average copper to drive is no better than joe public. In most circumstances it is worse as they drive with impunity. They reflect the spread of joe public motoring from good to nuptie.
Probably find he wasn't even authorised to use blue lights so would struggle to stop you. Had a nuptie panda driver follow me for miles until I stopped at home, stand up argument and eventually he left.
bluepolarbear said:
With the exception of the trafpol (but not always) the ability of the average copper to drive is no better than joe public. In most circumstances it is worse as they drive with impunity. They reflect the spread of joe public motoring from good to nuptie.
Probably find he wasn't even authorised to use blue lights so would struggle to stop you. Had a nuptie panda driver follow me for miles until I stopped at home, stand up argument and eventually he left.
I can understand why you might thing that...but I must beg to differ in 99% of cases. The training given to even beat panda drivers is far in excess of any advanced training on public roads available to MoP. In this current climate of 'beat the bobbies'...any chink in the armour must be attended to...so nowadays beat bobbies are failing driving courses if they are not up to standard. If they continue to fail, they will not be allowed to use police vehicles.
As for blue light use...only special constables in my force aren't allowed blue light use. All panda drivers can use blue lights to stop vehicles or to proceed through traffic on an emergency call.
The class 1/advanced driving ticket that Trafpol, response drivers and Armed Response hold, is without doubt the highest possible driving certificate available. To achieve the standard...an average 160 hours of high-speed driving has to be maintained at the appropriate level. Many officers fail the course; as there is too much riding on an unsuitable driver falsely receiving the certificate.
Streetcop said:Didn't know you were a comedian Street
The training given to even beat panda drivers is far in excess of any advanced training on public roads available to MoP
Here's the reality of the situation from your own colleagues:
A sergeant said:
most Panda Drivers have only a one day test involving two hours of driving, in place of the old four weeks course
A serving officer said:
The A1 is covered by drivers without traffic training or experience. If lucky, they have had a one day course in coning accidents and basic safety
I can hear John Lyon laughing from here.
I know they are not real Police, but our local CSO, about whose attrocious driving I have already posted, has done it again.
Pulled out from behind a lorry parked in a layby on the offside carriageway, in front of the car in front of me, then when he had negotiated her, she pulled across in front of me. If she can lip read she will be aware I was not best pleased.
If Streetcop had seen her I think they would have been having a "little chat".
Not a good PR really.
Pulled out from behind a lorry parked in a layby on the offside carriageway, in front of the car in front of me, then when he had negotiated her, she pulled across in front of me. If she can lip read she will be aware I was not best pleased.
If Streetcop had seen her I think they would have been having a "little chat".
Not a good PR really.
Streetcop said:Fair play to that Street but 2 weeks and 3 days is hardly the pininacle of MoP advanced driver training. There are folk who've been on IAM, RoSPA, HPC, Security Services avoidance and evasion, all sorts of stuff. At the moment it's highly likely that a UK civilian (John Lyon) is the most highly trained and qualified advanced driver in western europe. Unless PH knows different...
None of that is the case in my force...Panda drivers can't drive until they've completed a 2 week and 3 day course...
Streetcop said:
I can understand why you might thing that...but I must beg to differ in 99% of cases. The training given to even beat panda drivers is far in excess of any advanced training on public roads available to MoP.
Lol, lol, lol.
You've obviously never been to Humberside. They've only just bothered to train up some traffic cops after an absence of x number of years.
Come and have a look at the standard of driving if you want a laugh. With the Cheif Constable being the second biggest laughing stock in the country it's to be expected really.
'Oh we deleted it.'
turbobloke said:
None of that is the case in my force...Panda drivers can't drive until they've completed a 2 week and 3 day course...
Fair play to that Street but 2 weeks and 3 days is hardly the pininacle of MoP advanced driver training. There are folk who've been on IAM, RoSPA, HPC, Security Services avoidance and evasion, all sorts of stuff. At the moment it's highly likely that a UK civilian (John Lyon) is the most highly trained and qualified advanced driver in western europe. Unless PH knows different...
Perhaps I flowered it up....but the 2 weeks and 3 days that they get is adequate for the duties that they perform. That course doesn't licence them to pursue, and if the don't come up to scratch by the middle of the 3rd week, they wont even be entered for the test.
There's so much 'covering your arse' at the moment in the police, that they'd much rather have a grievance procedure started against them by a pissed of probationary constable that allow them onto the roads where they cause an accident.
I had the same thing a while ago on the A38 - posted it on here somewhere.
I was driving down the A38 doing a GPS (had a snooper) indicated 70MPH and I started to overtake a marked police car that was doing probably 67MPH.
The Panda car as I was overtaking suddenly started to match my speed and I got up to 75-80 to complete my overtake manuvre as per the highway code when he swerverd in front of me
I pulled back into the left lane after narrowly missing the central reservation and he pulled back in and started to do 65-68 again.
He pulled off a couple of juntions later, looked over and gave the "nono" finger sign. Young guy cant have been more than 26 or so.
Not exactly professional is it...
I was driving down the A38 doing a GPS (had a snooper) indicated 70MPH and I started to overtake a marked police car that was doing probably 67MPH.
The Panda car as I was overtaking suddenly started to match my speed and I got up to 75-80 to complete my overtake manuvre as per the highway code when he swerverd in front of me
I pulled back into the left lane after narrowly missing the central reservation and he pulled back in and started to do 65-68 again.
He pulled off a couple of juntions later, looked over and gave the "nono" finger sign. Young guy cant have been more than 26 or so.
Not exactly professional is it...
So. Having identified the car as a police car and then dismissing the fact it is not a Traffic car, you decide to ignore the uniform presence and exceed the limit to get past him!
You were taking the piss, that is why you got gesticulated at! The limit is 70mph!
If people cannot respect the fact that there is a marked Police vehicle travelling at the limit because they feel that the crew are unable to deal with the situation because it is only a ...... not a ......, then they deserve everything they get!
Why did you not wait until the Police car had left the motorway before you decided to break the law?
For your information, it only takes 2 officers to make an opinion that you were breaking the speed limit for you to be prosecuted. They need no special equipment and no calibrated speedo. They do not even have to be in a vehicle to do this!
Regardless of what you think is a safe progreesive speed for traffic to travel on the motorway, there was a law enforcement presence in the vicinity and it is their job to uphold that law.
They are at liberty to drive at the speed limit or near to it to get to their destination as much as anyone else.
If they had decided to drive faster as they may well have done without blue lights, they would attract criticism i.e. 'one rule for them....' If they chose to stick to the actual limit, they are criticised for holding everyone up! They cannot win unless they are relegated to driving at 50mph on motorways so truck drivers can pass them and car drivers can shoot by at 80-90 mph with impunity!
What about the person that has recently been prosecuted for speeding and is sitting patiently behind the Police vehicle at 70mph when YOU drive past it exceeding the limit and the Police driver does nothing to stop you?
The patient driver then records the number of the Police vehicle and your number and complains that the Police neglected their duty to deal with a speeding motorist!
STICK TO THE LIMITS WHEN A MARKED VEHICLE IS TRAVELLING ON A MOTORWAY/DUAL CARRIAGEWAY WHATEVER IT APPEARS TO BE. You are inviting trouble if you do not and you are most definately taking the piss!!!
You were taking the piss, that is why you got gesticulated at! The limit is 70mph!
If people cannot respect the fact that there is a marked Police vehicle travelling at the limit because they feel that the crew are unable to deal with the situation because it is only a ...... not a ......, then they deserve everything they get!
Why did you not wait until the Police car had left the motorway before you decided to break the law?
For your information, it only takes 2 officers to make an opinion that you were breaking the speed limit for you to be prosecuted. They need no special equipment and no calibrated speedo. They do not even have to be in a vehicle to do this!
Regardless of what you think is a safe progreesive speed for traffic to travel on the motorway, there was a law enforcement presence in the vicinity and it is their job to uphold that law.
They are at liberty to drive at the speed limit or near to it to get to their destination as much as anyone else.
If they had decided to drive faster as they may well have done without blue lights, they would attract criticism i.e. 'one rule for them....' If they chose to stick to the actual limit, they are criticised for holding everyone up! They cannot win unless they are relegated to driving at 50mph on motorways so truck drivers can pass them and car drivers can shoot by at 80-90 mph with impunity!
What about the person that has recently been prosecuted for speeding and is sitting patiently behind the Police vehicle at 70mph when YOU drive past it exceeding the limit and the Police driver does nothing to stop you?
The patient driver then records the number of the Police vehicle and your number and complains that the Police neglected their duty to deal with a speeding motorist!
STICK TO THE LIMITS WHEN A MARKED VEHICLE IS TRAVELLING ON A MOTORWAY/DUAL CARRIAGEWAY WHATEVER IT APPEARS TO BE. You are inviting trouble if you do not and you are most definately taking the piss!!!
Hi Gone - whilst I agree with your sentiments, I think that if I was a trafpol, I'd be a trifle insulted at motorists 'pretending' to obey all the limits, knowing full well that if I wasn't there, they'd all be doing 90! I've gone past a few trafpols and pandas at various times, at about 80mph.....if the conditions are appropriate. They don't seem to be too worried. Maybe it's just that they can't be bothered to fill out the forms, but I like to think that our boys in blue act with discretion and are really sat there at 65mph, waiting for those people who are tail gating etc and are not even observant enough to notice a fully liveried traffic car on the inside lane.
J.
J.
So. If a marked car is doing 70 mph on the inside lane of a m/way with a queue of cars behind it, is the best advice available to simply join the queue until the marked car pulls off the m/way?
Then increase speed to the usual totally safe 85 mph?
What is the point of "pretending" 70 mph is the correct speed by not overtaking the marked car? Is it just to show respect to the police? Everyone knows 70 mph is way too slow, especially at night when the roads are quite empty.
Then increase speed to the usual totally safe 85 mph?
What is the point of "pretending" 70 mph is the correct speed by not overtaking the marked car? Is it just to show respect to the police? Everyone knows 70 mph is way too slow, especially at night when the roads are quite empty.
Mr E said:
Because a whole bunch of frustrated drivers staked up at 69.5mph is sooo much safer than normal free flowing traffic.
My pet hate.
From my POV, it is incredibly dangerous ; not only does traffic bunch up, but because everyone is more or less going at the same speed it's very difficult to make space to perform maneouvres.
What do trafpol think ?
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