Is it too late for common sense to prevail?
Discussion
Given the continuing rise in speed-camera use, police speed checks, congestion charging, reliance on statistics etc, is it too late for common sense to prevail?
The government only appear to be interested in figures and control, as long as it looks good on paper, that's all that matters whether it's crime, the NHS or immigration.
Re: speeding and congestion charging, revenue is a huge factor in everything they do; they're not going to huge amounts of money in technology unless they're damn sure of getting it back and then some. I don't disagree with speed cameras in the right place but they're taking the p155.
Senior police officers are speaking out, see:-
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23416962-details/Police+chief:+We+focus+on+softer+crimes/article.do
Oh, and nurse-of-the-year resigns...
http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,91211-1288707,00.html
Copper hiding :-(
http://www.bbc.co.uk/looknorthyorkslincs/latest_stories/index.shtml
I sometimes wonder what sort of people implement the policies, and what bl00dy copper thinks it's right to hide behind a tree?! Surely any degree of professionalism and common sense would tell them that it's just plain-wrong and that they're p155ing off Joe Public?
What do you think, is it all about revenue and wanting us all to be faceless robots, are the British too soft? Where can we go to escape, it's only going to get worse with id cards...
Matt, Serial Number 2342jhsdkjxckj34-qisd232452-bl00dy-fed-up
The government only appear to be interested in figures and control, as long as it looks good on paper, that's all that matters whether it's crime, the NHS or immigration.
Re: speeding and congestion charging, revenue is a huge factor in everything they do; they're not going to huge amounts of money in technology unless they're damn sure of getting it back and then some. I don't disagree with speed cameras in the right place but they're taking the p155.
Senior police officers are speaking out, see:-
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23416962-details/Police+chief:+We+focus+on+softer+crimes/article.do
Oh, and nurse-of-the-year resigns...
http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,91211-1288707,00.html
Copper hiding :-(
http://www.bbc.co.uk/looknorthyorkslincs/latest_stories/index.shtml
I sometimes wonder what sort of people implement the policies, and what bl00dy copper thinks it's right to hide behind a tree?! Surely any degree of professionalism and common sense would tell them that it's just plain-wrong and that they're p155ing off Joe Public?
What do you think, is it all about revenue and wanting us all to be faceless robots, are the British too soft? Where can we go to escape, it's only going to get worse with id cards...
Matt, Serial Number 2342jhsdkjxckj34-qisd232452-bl00dy-fed-up
Edited by mattski on Thursday 18th October 00:02
Edited by mattski on Thursday 18th October 00:13
vonhosen said:
What do I think.
Was the person the copper behind the tree caught speeding ?
oo dear VH,Was the person the copper behind the tree caught speeding ?
lets ignore the central issue again and pick up a speeding related one.
Please take your head out of the sand your fingers out of your ears and say . .
deep breath . . .
yes targets have screwed everything up.
Just like the leading officer here . .
"Criminals are escaping justice because police and prosecutors are focusing on soft targets, a leading police officer warned today.
Government targets are making officers and the Crown Prosecution Service "skew" their operations towards easy results" Bob Quick, the chief constable of Surrey told the Evening Standard.
mark69sheer said:
vonhosen said:
What do I think.
Was the person the copper behind the tree caught speeding ?
oo dear VH,Was the person the copper behind the tree caught speeding ?
lets ignore the central issue again and pick up a speeding related one.
Please take your head out of the sand your fingers out of your ears and say . .
deep breath . . .
yes targets have screwed everything up.
Just like the leading officer here . .
"Criminals are escaping justice because police and prosecutors are focusing on soft targets, a leading police officer warned today.
Government targets are making officers and the Crown Prosecution Service "skew" their operations towards easy results" Bob Quick, the chief constable of Surrey told the Evening Standard.
It was a traffic officer wasn't it ?
vh - so are you suggesting that report is wrong or that it's fair game for a traffic copper to hide behind a tree? If so, I think you're talking b0ll0cks. What they he did not only sucks but, in my humble opinion, quite clearly contravines the ACPO guidlines which state the following ;-
The handheld devices, on occasions, have the appearance of a firearm. It is therefore important that this fact is borne in mind when operating such units. The operator must be clearly visible to the public and the target vehicle throughout the check.
The handheld devices, on occasions, have the appearance of a firearm. It is therefore important that this fact is borne in mind when operating such units. The operator must be clearly visible to the public and the target vehicle throughout the check.
Edited by mattski on Thursday 18th October 00:25
A lot of the enforcement we do is covert. If we follow a car and check its speed on vascar, it's more or less covert to the subject car. Covert evidence collation is valuable as it is an indicator of what normally happens when we are not present - it deals with the real offence there and then rather than a somewhat sanitised version.
If I gain intel about some kid who screams down a particular road at a certain time of day at plenty miles per hour potentially endangering vulnerable road users, I'll secrete myself somewhere to fully evidence the offence and hopefully deal with it there and then.
I have also been on checks on foot where we were completely overt to traffic in one direction, but covert to traffic in the other direction, primarily to stop them flashing. The intention is to deal with the drivers we are visible to, however drivers travelling in the other direction at excessive speeds are also dealt with, generally those over 50mph (in the 30 limit) which is indeed excessive for the location, and the enforcement times.
Might not be popular to all, but I can live with myself, and justify my actions to anyone.
If I gain intel about some kid who screams down a particular road at a certain time of day at plenty miles per hour potentially endangering vulnerable road users, I'll secrete myself somewhere to fully evidence the offence and hopefully deal with it there and then.
I have also been on checks on foot where we were completely overt to traffic in one direction, but covert to traffic in the other direction, primarily to stop them flashing. The intention is to deal with the drivers we are visible to, however drivers travelling in the other direction at excessive speeds are also dealt with, generally those over 50mph (in the 30 limit) which is indeed excessive for the location, and the enforcement times.
Might not be popular to all, but I can live with myself, and justify my actions to anyone.
iaha said:
A lot of the enforcement we do is covert. If we follow a car and check its speed on vascar, it's more or less covert to the subject car. Covert evidence collation is valuable as it is an indicator of what normally happens when we are not present - it deals with the real offence there and then rather than a somewhat sanitised version.
If I gain intel about some kid who screams down a particular road at a certain time of day at plenty miles per hour potentially endangering vulnerable road users, I'll secrete myself somewhere to fully evidence the offence and hopefully deal with it there and then.
I have also been on checks on foot where we were completely overt to traffic in one direction, but covert to traffic in the other direction, primarily to stop them flashing. The intention is to deal with the drivers we are visible to, however drivers travelling in the other direction at excessive speeds are also dealt with, generally those over 50mph (in the 30 limit) which is indeed excessive for the location, and the enforcement times.
Might not be popular to all, but I can live with myself, and justify my actions to anyone.
That all sounds like good quality policing to me.If I gain intel about some kid who screams down a particular road at a certain time of day at plenty miles per hour potentially endangering vulnerable road users, I'll secrete myself somewhere to fully evidence the offence and hopefully deal with it there and then.
I have also been on checks on foot where we were completely overt to traffic in one direction, but covert to traffic in the other direction, primarily to stop them flashing. The intention is to deal with the drivers we are visible to, however drivers travelling in the other direction at excessive speeds are also dealt with, generally those over 50mph (in the 30 limit) which is indeed excessive for the location, and the enforcement times.
Might not be popular to all, but I can live with myself, and justify my actions to anyone.
The grey area is the 40mph dual carriageways and the fifty roads etc etc not the 30 limits.
Lots of harmless looking 40mph duals catch people out.
I would like to know why repeater signs are so small surely they should be bigger.
And I have excellent eyesight at distance
iaha said:
A lot of the enforcement we do is covert. If we follow a car and check its speed on vascar, it's more or less covert to the subject car. Covert evidence collation is valuable as it is an indicator of what normally happens when we are not present - it deals with the real offence there and then rather than a somewhat sanitised version.
If I gain intel about some kid who screams down a particular road at a certain time of day at plenty miles per hour potentially endangering vulnerable road users, I'll secrete myself somewhere to fully evidence the offence and hopefully deal with it there and then.
I have also been on checks on foot where we were completely overt to traffic in one direction, but covert to traffic in the other direction, primarily to stop them flashing. The intention is to deal with the drivers we are visible to, however drivers travelling in the other direction at excessive speeds are also dealt with, generally those over 50mph (in the 30 limit) which is indeed excessive for the location, and the enforcement times.
Might not be popular to all, but I can live with myself, and justify my actions to anyone.
Except in our neck of the woods, I think too much emphasis is placed on those liveried vans parked over the (quiet) M6 or at the top of the hill on the crawler lane section of the A66 between Keswick and Penrith!If I gain intel about some kid who screams down a particular road at a certain time of day at plenty miles per hour potentially endangering vulnerable road users, I'll secrete myself somewhere to fully evidence the offence and hopefully deal with it there and then.
I have also been on checks on foot where we were completely overt to traffic in one direction, but covert to traffic in the other direction, primarily to stop them flashing. The intention is to deal with the drivers we are visible to, however drivers travelling in the other direction at excessive speeds are also dealt with, generally those over 50mph (in the 30 limit) which is indeed excessive for the location, and the enforcement times.
Might not be popular to all, but I can live with myself, and justify my actions to anyone.
I'd much rather there were actual Police on the roads.
Why are 30 zones such holy cows? Fair enough in town centres and by schools, but there's tons of areas that are 30 for no good reason at all. Big wide roads around industrial estates, or ones where there's nothing on one side of the road and no reason to cross.
And hiding from traffic so that they can't flash other motorists... Do you, grown men, sit around planning this stuff?
And hiding from traffic so that they can't flash other motorists... Do you, grown men, sit around planning this stuff?
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