Definition of "Used for Police Purposes"
Discussion
Reading the sticky on "Blues and Twos", I was interested about the note regarding a car being described as under police control and referring to an example of a commandered taxi and it not needing to be the policeman driving it to enable the vehicle to exceed the speed limit (say) but still be defined as under police control.
Would that extend to your driving a car and being on the phone to Police control and being asked to follow a vehicle (and then exceeding the limit in the prcess of keeping up)?
You may say it would not happen, but it happened to me. A van driver undertook me and tried to force me into the path of an oncoming lorry - not very nice. Luckily I reacted swiftly and lumped on the brakes and allowed him through (Never swerve, always brake to avoid a collission my driving instructer told me - it's not 100% good advice, but 9/10 times it is). More to divert my anger than any real expectation anything could be done (my word against his etc) I dialed 999 (on my hands free of course). Immediately thinking I was wasting my time. However, I was asked to follow the van and keep a commentary of the vans progress, occupant description etc. I was even transferred across to another county force at the county boundary. 20 miles this kept up. I was conscious of the fact that I was being monitored, by my description of where I was, and potentially my GSM signal moving from cell to cell, so my speed could be calculated and was careful not to speed up to keep pace withe the van and eventually the van pulled away when the road got less busy.
But if I had exceeded the limit, would I have had immunity as I was in effect using the car for Police purposes, or under police control/instruction? And does any of the BiB have any idea what may have been going on? A fried who is a BiB said this was very unusual, but he is very careful not to discuss things like that in any detail, so we never got to go into it.
I cannot see this ever happening again so the information won't come to much use! But I'd be interested to know if this happens often or if this was a one off.
Would that extend to your driving a car and being on the phone to Police control and being asked to follow a vehicle (and then exceeding the limit in the prcess of keeping up)?
You may say it would not happen, but it happened to me. A van driver undertook me and tried to force me into the path of an oncoming lorry - not very nice. Luckily I reacted swiftly and lumped on the brakes and allowed him through (Never swerve, always brake to avoid a collission my driving instructer told me - it's not 100% good advice, but 9/10 times it is). More to divert my anger than any real expectation anything could be done (my word against his etc) I dialed 999 (on my hands free of course). Immediately thinking I was wasting my time. However, I was asked to follow the van and keep a commentary of the vans progress, occupant description etc. I was even transferred across to another county force at the county boundary. 20 miles this kept up. I was conscious of the fact that I was being monitored, by my description of where I was, and potentially my GSM signal moving from cell to cell, so my speed could be calculated and was careful not to speed up to keep pace withe the van and eventually the van pulled away when the road got less busy.
But if I had exceeded the limit, would I have had immunity as I was in effect using the car for Police purposes, or under police control/instruction? And does any of the BiB have any idea what may have been going on? A fried who is a BiB said this was very unusual, but he is very careful not to discuss things like that in any detail, so we never got to go into it.
I cannot see this ever happening again so the information won't come to much use! But I'd be interested to know if this happens often or if this was a one off.
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