Police and taking details...

[Duff-Man]

I don't really see how it is less valid, in fact, all we've got is 1 sided perspective from the people had bad experience with the police. If anything, we need someone who's had good dealing with the police in these instances to balance things out.

Well, you are arguing that it's not unreasonable for the police to randomly stop people, and take down their details (which are used for God-knows-what, recorded God-knows-where and perhaps left on a CD on a train).

A few years ago I would have thought more along the lines that you do, but actual experience has changed my perspective.

...on the other hand it has given me renewed appreciation for the fact we live in a society with limited police powers. I would hate to live in a police state where officers had broad-reaching powers to do whatever they felt like to you.

 

[D.Roberts]

it makes me realy annoyed to as all us do gooders get stick etc but like this police camara action they catch these criminals driving with no licence,insurance and a ban then all they do is give em a further 3 years ban wow that will work NOT there driving on a ban dumb ass then fine em £100 wow they saved that not insuring it or taxing it or moting it so yeah thats works.

 

[Raymond Lin]

Well, you are arguing that it's not unreasonable for the police to randomly stop people, and take down their details (which are used for God-knows-what, recorded God-knows-where and perhaps left on a CD on a train).

A few years ago I would have thought more along the lines that you do, but actual experience has changed my perspective.

...on the other hand it has given me renewed appreciation for the fact we live in a society with limited police powers. I would hate to live in a police state where officers had broad-reaching powers to do whatever they felt like to you.

No, I do believe in privacy, but such details they are taking down, as i have stated, is not a secret.

 

[Meatball]

Well, you are arguing that it's not unreasonable for the police to randomly stop people, and take down their details (which are used for God-knows-what, recorded God-knows-where and perhaps left on a CD on a train).

A few years ago I would have thought more along the lines that you do, but actual experience has changed my perspective.

...on the other hand it has given me renewed appreciation for the fact we live in a society with limited police powers. I would hate to live in a police state where officers had broad-reaching powers to do whatever they felt like to you.

They don't just stop people willy nilly, at least they shouldn't do. The stop people who they believe to be acting suspiciously. All stop and accounts are put onto a computer back and base. All officers have access to is all their previous stop & accounts .

 

[Andelusion]

What's wrong with Leeds? Got something to say!?

 

[GSDog]

Under what circumstances would a police officer ask for details when the person was not being viewed as a criminal (other than as a witness)?

If the person is acting suspicious (that doesn't mean they are being viewed as a criminal) or if a crime has taken place in the area and they are looking for a suspect matching the description, etc.

They certainly weren't just performing a local census... It's the attitude of the officers which implicitly assumes guilt.

Just because an officer asks for your details it doesn't mean they view you as a criminal.

Maybe I'm being harsh. It's just that since I moved here I feel like I've been stopped an inordinate number of times, and the one time I actually went to the police voluntarily (I was mugged at gunpoint) I felt like I was a bit let down. I made my way to the local police station (Beeston), gave a seven page report, and then never heard anything back again.

I never used to have negative feelings towards the police.

I'm not surprised that you have negative feelings towards the police if you have had bad experiences.
You should have complained if you never heard anything back from your crime report, especially with such a serious crime.

 

[Duff-Man]

They don't just stop people willy nilly, at least they shouldn't do. The stop people who they believe to be acting suspiciously. All stop and accounts are put onto a computer back and base. All officers have access to is all their previous stop & accounts .

Not to drag the issue out, but the only thing I've been doing when I've been stopped is walking home at a late hour. Nothing else. I guess being out at a late hour might be considered suspicous, but isn't that stretching it a bit?

Well... when I was stopped aged 17 I was with my mates and drunk as hell... I think one of them was carrying the top of a bus stop as well, so that was a pretty reasonable stop But at least recently I've not been doing anything other than walking and minding my own business.

 

[Meatball]

Not to drag the issue out, but the only thing I've been doing when I've been stopped is walking home at a late hour. Nothing else. I guess being out at a late hour might be considered suspicous, but isn't that stretching it a bit?

Well... when I was stopped aged 17 I was with my mates and drunk as hell... I think one of them was carrying the top of a bus stop as well, so that was a pretty reasonable stop But at least recently I've not been doing anything other than walking and minding my own business.

That does seem to be stretching it a bit but I wasn't there at the time to be fair to the officer. Maybe that area was being targeted by burglary recently?

it makes me realy annoyed to as all us do gooders get stick etc but like this police camara action they catch these criminals driving with no licence,insurance and a ban then all they do is give em a further 3 years ban wow that will work NOT there driving on a ban dumb ass then fine em £100 wow they saved that not insuring it or taxing it or moting it so yeah thats works.

You shouldn't be angry at the police for that, be angry at the criminals themselves. It's inevitable that innocent people get caught up in it, it's unavoidable. That's not the officers fault, they're trying to find the people who are up to no good. Surely it's a good thing they're being pro-active and stopping people? Would you rather they just walk past John Smith lingering on the street corner?

And with their punishments, again that's not up to the police. I would rather they received (very light) sentences then none at all.

 

[platinum87]

ive been searched once and had my details checked twice

however i wont say any more or im pretty sure id have admitted to a crime.

to the OP. well so they are wrong but mabye you look shifty, either way a few minutes is a minor delay and if you come of overly nice they might just not bother wasting time on you.

 

[uknowist]

Under what circumstances would a police officer ask for details when the person was not being viewed as a criminal (other than as a witness)? They certainly weren't just performing a local census... It's the attitude of the officers which implicitly assumes guilt.

Maybe I'm being harsh. It's just that since I moved here I feel like I've been stopped an inordinate number of times, and the one time I actually went to the police voluntarily (I was mugged at gunpoint) I felt like I was a bit let down. I made my way to the local police station (Beeston), gave a seven page report, and then never heard anything back again.

I never used to have negative feelings towards the police.

Yeah your right. Its the attitude you get from them when this happens to you, and then when you actually have a reason for the police to be called they're useless, just file it away.. this is why a lot of people dont like the police. Yes I rely on them before someone goes on saying "yeah but they'll be the first person you'll call if your house was burgled" etc, its their attitude to policing is what annoys me.

 

[jakeke]

It's not that big of a deal really, I'm sure it's more sensible for them to be thorough and not miss something which could potentially solve a crime. Having said that, if it happened to me I'd feel exactly the same at first .

 

[GSDog]

Yeah your right. Its the attitude you get from them when this happens to you, and then when you actually have a reason for the police to be called they're useless, just file it away.. this is why a lot of people dont like the police. Yes I rely on them before someone goes on saying "yeah but they'll be the first person you'll call if your house was burgled" etc, its their attitude to policing is what annoys me.

Who is "them" exactly?
You make it sound like every single police officer (~140,000 or so?) is useless with a bad attitude, which isn't true.
Some police officers are idiots but the majority aren't.

 

[Azagoth]

I'll tell you what really riles me about the Police. It's the way a spotty youth in a uniform can refer to me as "son", as in "Come on Son, move along".

Son? I'm twice your age, and anyway it's either Mr. *insert name here* or Sir to you, you arrogant little ****!

 

[D.Roberts]

That does seem to be stretching it a bit but I wasn't there at the time to be fair to the officer. Maybe that area was being targeted by burglary recently?



You shouldn't be angry at the police for that, be angry at the criminals themselves. It's inevitable that innocent people get caught up in it, it's unavoidable. That's not the officers fault, they're trying to find the people who are up to no good. Surely it's a good thing they're being pro-active and stopping people? Would you rather they just walk past John Smith lingering on the street corner?

And with their punishments, again that's not up to the police. I would rather them get them (very light) sentences then none at all.

no m8 please dont get me wrong ive been stopped loads of times i realy dont mind i have nothing to hide at all i actual feel good when im stoped as i know im fully legal in every way and yes i should be chuffed about that i work hard for what i have like loads of u and there is a few cops i meet i can have a laught with but not all.did u read what happend to my better half?.

but what im anoyed with is when they do stop and catch the scum of the earth eg the bloke with drugs,no licence,insurance lets be honest they get nothing a ban and a fine well half of em are driving on bans any way and well £200 fine is nothing when they have saved on insurance and sell bloody drugs.

 

[GSDog]

but what im anoyed with is when they do stop and catch the scum of the earth eg the bloke with drugs,no licence,insurance lets be honest they get nothing a ban and a fine well half of em are driving on bans any way and well £200 fine is nothing when they have saved on insurance and sell bloody drugs.

The police don't give out sentences... I'm sure that most officers would want much harsher punishments/sentences.

 

[uknowist]

Who is "them" exactly?
You make it sound like every single police officer (~140,000 or so?) is useless with a bad attitude, which isn't true.
Some police officers are idiots but the majority aren't.

On minor crimes I do think they're a bit crap tbh, and I think their attitude is crap a lot of the times when they come up to you like what happened to the OP.

 

[Meatball]

no m8 please dont get me wrong ive been stopped loads of times i realy dont mind i have nothing to hide at all i actual feel good when im stoped as i know im fully legal in every way and yes i should be chuffed about that i work hard for what i have like loads of u and there is a few cops i meet i can have a laught with but not all.did u read what happend to my better half?.

but what im anoyed with is when they do stop and catch the scum of the earth eg the bloke with drugs,no licence,insurance lets be honest they get nothing a ban and a fine well half of em are driving on bans any way and well £200 fine is nothing when they have saved on insurance and sell bloody drugs.

No I didn't, I'll look back . It's the most annoying thing to see people get away with petty sentences, nothing they can do about it other than gather up as much evidence as possible and even that doesn't work .

 

[D.Roberts]

ok well fair point.

but there is a major flaw in the justice system full stop .

 

[D.Roberts]

i mean that poor farmer who got robbed god knows how many times then he got peed of with it and decided to shoot the **** i say fair play to him he did not ask for him to be on his propery.

i tell u this i have kids if someone comes in my house at night etc stealing things creeping around i have kids they wont be walking out i tell u this.

 

[stoofa]

actually, you can refuse a breathaliser test, but you have to go back to the station then and have a blood alcohol test instead. Mainly because the law is written in a way that it's blood alcohol content that is the deciding factor, also because breathaliser tests aren't fully accurate (e.g. you can fail them if you've used mouthwash)

Actually you do not have a right to insist on supplying a sample of blood or urine instead. If you fail to supply a breath specimen at the station you will committed an offence, unless you have a reasonable excuse. Being too drunk or unfit to supply the necessary breath specimen is NOT a reasonable excuse. A medical condition which prevents you from supplying enough breath for the machine to sample may be a sufficient excuse. If you have such a condition you must advise the police at the time.

The only time you must be offered a blood or urine test is if the breath sample comes back between 40 & 50 micrograms.
At this stage you must be offered either/or - again not your choice.
If you are offered blood and refuse then the police are allowed to rely on the breath test.