Police Escort VIP

Magic_x_uk · 24 Oct 2006 at 15:11

Just gone from North Derbyshrie to South Derbyshire to visit a family member, mainly on the A38, at around 10.40am this morning, passed coming towards me alltogether in a line 6 police motorbikes then 2 police cars then 2 dark coloured mercedes saloons then 2 more police cars behind them. They all had there blue lights on.

On the way back funnily enough passed them again going in the opposite direction around 2pm.

Either someone very important going to Derbyshire Police HQ at Ripley or god knows who it was.

Either way this must cost a small fortune having all these officers tied up doing this I would have thought.

Do they really need so many officers.

Biohazard · 24 Oct 2006 at 15:14

What a pointless thread.

If its Mr Bean no. If it is a visiting Head of State for example, yes.

:confused:

Samtheman1k · 24 Oct 2006 at 15:17

Would it not be more efficient to transport the VIP stealthily? Then you only need one X5 with blacked out windows (and maybe a second back up).

I agree though, it is a massive 'waste' of resources, particularly when I'm sure that they could be better utilised elsewhere...

IT Insider · 24 Oct 2006 at 15:28

If its a foriegn head of state then usually they pay for the cost of the security services - the british goverment doesnt give this away willy nilly..

Could have been a member of the royal family or anything.

In london you get used to seeing this - saw a row of maybachs (about 4) once driving along park lane and pulling into the dorchester hotel....apparently it was one of the royal family from Brunei. Must have had about 30 bikes and cars with blue lights but it was the plain range rovers that you knew had the real force inside!

The bill for the US Sec of State recently came to £250,000 - we are paying that one - but they pay for security when Blair goes over there....

Del Lardo · 24 Oct 2006 at 15:45

12 years ago for reasons that I don't want to go into I went to a funeral of a very good friend, the whole funeral procession was escorted by 8 bikes that shut off roads (for 30 secs as we went past) and 4 cars. Probably a very expensive exercise but occasionally for reasons that we'd never think of these things are very necessary even for normal people.

IT Insider · 24 Oct 2006 at 15:51

And that brings back memories too about 14 years ago - son of a Hells Angel, and a very good friend of mine from school died in a road accident.

Because of who is dad was, 2000 bikers turned up for the funeral procession and the police had every single road closed for them to pass through.

Did feel weird as EVERYbody turned to look......But who was being "protected"? 2000 hells angels dont NEED protection, that was more of an "escort"...

Sirrel Squirrel · 24 Oct 2006 at 18:37

I'd of chased them to see what happened

Caerdydd · 24 Oct 2006 at 19:01

IT Insider said:
But who was being "protected"? 2000 hells angels dont NEED protection

I'm gonna stick with "Everybody else"?

Will Gill · 24 Oct 2006 at 19:10

for the record its usually a jury, see them going through london in similar convoys all the time

Fr0dders · 24 Oct 2006 at 19:56

last time charles and camilla visited leicester for an oppenning of some sort they had an escort of exactly the same size. 6 bikes and 4 police cars with 2 black cars.

so im guessing royal family.

"andy" · 24 Oct 2006 at 20:29

last time i seen an escort like that it was for the president of ukraine when at the ritz.

was creepy guys in dark shades (who probably had many guns ) walking up and down the street for half an hour before he left lol

was like a scene from a film

Vertigo · 24 Oct 2006 at 21:15

A few years back when the G8 summit was in Birmingham, our offices were on the main route from the airport into town. We had an endless procession of motorcades go by.