Tugged, accused and eventually go, left with sour taste..
- Thread starter Justintime
- Start date
Associate
- Joined
- 23 Nov 2008
- Posts
- 1,339
- Location
- UK
What has happened to "innocent until proven guilty"? 
A couple of weeks ago I was involved in a pretty nasty smash, completely and utterly my fault, which could have ended up a lot worse than it was. The police who attended were nothing but polite, courteous and sympathetic. They didn't even ask how fast I was going at the time. I waited in their patrol car (since it was -3 outside) and talked about police work, web hosting, etc and just made light of the situation until the recovery arrived. If they were in any other service industry I'd have given them a generous tip.
However, their PNC was down at the time and I was given a producer. The local police who I dealt with were rude and condescending. I explained that my documentation had been ejected out of the car in the crash (with most of my belongings) and they weren't the least bit interested. If I couldn't produce an original MOT certificate I was going to get a summons despite the car having a valid MOT, despite the entire MOT system being computerised. In the end I went to the desk with a printout from the VOSA website and after more condescension and beligerance they eventually conceded, after I had explained what the VOSA website was, that I wasn't a crook.
So... mixed experiences. I would imagine a lot of cops are tainted by the kind of people they have to deal with on a daily basis but, to be honest, some discretion and maturity is a requirement of the job. Their job is to protect people like us (ordinary, tax paying, law abiding people) from people who would seek to do us harm. Discerning which is which should be done with courtesy - innocent until proven guilty
.
However, their PNC was down at the time and I was given a producer. The local police who I dealt with were rude and condescending. I explained that my documentation had been ejected out of the car in the crash (with most of my belongings) and they weren't the least bit interested. If I couldn't produce an original MOT certificate I was going to get a summons despite the car having a valid MOT, despite the entire MOT system being computerised. In the end I went to the desk with a printout from the VOSA website and after more condescension and beligerance they eventually conceded, after I had explained what the VOSA website was, that I wasn't a crook.
So... mixed experiences. I would imagine a lot of cops are tainted by the kind of people they have to deal with on a daily basis but, to be honest, some discretion and maturity is a requirement of the job. Their job is to protect people like us (ordinary, tax paying, law abiding people) from people who would seek to do us harm. Discerning which is which should be done with courtesy - innocent until proven guilty
.
You're young, goes with the territory. Some coppers are dicks just like any human, most suffer an arrogance that comes from having some power in being the law, in being able to always be right at work. I have lots of close friends in the force, Chiefs down to bobbies, boys and girls and they all without fail have a certain way about them but most of the time they are dealing with the gutter dwellers of the world, stuff I never want to see or deal with so am glad they are there. Doesn't make it right of course, if you feel hard done take action for it is your right and some coppers need a verbal slap down now and again, for they are civil servants.
Think you mean "No, it's YOUR lucky day since I'm going to report you"
which is what I would have done especially since the officers need to get their eyes tested if they were sure they saw a mobile phone green light next to your ear.
We have similar threads like these every so often. There is always bad apples.
Coppers down my way are always been very good. Sometimes they talk a bit of rubbish about why they pull you over - for instance:
Once I was driving the Civic home at 3am in the morning after a gathering at a mates house and I spotted the police well early and was doing just under the speed limit anyway. They decided to pull me anyway. Just did the usual VIN and license checks which obviously came back ok. Only thing that bothered me was the reason.
Plod: We've had a lot of these cars get stolen in the area lately.
Me: What VTI-S' or VTI?
Plod: VTI-S' - exactly the same as yours.
Me: Thats strange as I only know of about 4 in sussex and I speak to them on the owners clubs. Not calling you a liar though
Just a load of rubbish. Would have preferred that they just said they thought I was suspicious driving home at that hour and wanted to check. I wouldn't have cared.
Another time I got pulled was for "pulling away at some lights too quickly". Didn't even go into VTEC. Claimed I was speeding which I denied politely:
Plod: You must have been speeding as we had to do 50mph to catch up with you.
Me: No offence but if I was doing the limit (40) then you would have to be going quicker than me to close the gap.
Coppers down my way are always been very good. Sometimes they talk a bit of rubbish about why they pull you over - for instance:
Once I was driving the Civic home at 3am in the morning after a gathering at a mates house and I spotted the police well early and was doing just under the speed limit anyway. They decided to pull me anyway. Just did the usual VIN and license checks which obviously came back ok. Only thing that bothered me was the reason.
Plod: We've had a lot of these cars get stolen in the area lately.
Me: What VTI-S' or VTI?
Plod: VTI-S' - exactly the same as yours.
Me: Thats strange as I only know of about 4 in sussex and I speak to them on the owners clubs. Not calling you a liar though
Just a load of rubbish. Would have preferred that they just said they thought I was suspicious driving home at that hour and wanted to check. I wouldn't have cared.
Another time I got pulled was for "pulling away at some lights too quickly". Didn't even go into VTEC. Claimed I was speeding which I denied politely:
Plod: You must have been speeding as we had to do 50mph to catch up with you.
Me: No offence but if I was doing the limit (40) then you would have to be going quicker than me to close the gap.
Brilliant one was my brother getting pulled on his bike for a front light apparently being out (Or something to that effect), anyway the bike was fine and all bikes are the same. Police man was adament that the bike was broken and wouldn't let my brother ride home, until an officer on a bike was called in to check it out and confirmed all was fine with the bike. Not even so much as an apology from either of them though :/
Soldato
- Joined
- 4 Aug 2008
- Posts
- 4,936
- Location
- Manchester.
I had a cop like this once, got stopped for no insurance, When he realised it was a computer error he started trying to tell me off for other stuff, and then was like "you are lucky" I said no, "you are wrong" It was like he was annoyed for me not breaking the law.
But another time I have had one that was really friendly but that probably cos I'm not black.
**** the police.
But another time I have had one that was really friendly but that probably cos I'm not black.
**** the police.
I had a cop like this once, got stopped for no insurance, When he realised it was a computer error he started trying to tell me off for other stuff, and then was like "you are lucky" I said no, "you are wrong" It was like he was annoyed for me not breaking the law.
But another time I have had one that was really friendly but that probably cos I'm not black.
**** the police.
Yay, the race card.
lol I would have made his ears bleed with that one.
coppers are ******. They hate being in the wrong. Then pull out bs like 'you can't speak to me in that tone'.... LOL think I just did 'chief'.
Me: Thats strange as I only know of about 4 in sussex and I speak to them on the owners clubs. Not calling you a liar though
Did you actually stick your tongue out?
Have to say I've only had two experiences and they have both been favourable actually.
Once I pulled out from a junction in front of some and they felt it was a bit close and stopped me. I was a bit tired and had just been asleep at my girlfriends house so they were fine with that and said 'just be careful'.
Second one I was doing 47 on a 40 dual carriageway (why is it 40?!) late at night with no other cars around and soon as blue lights came on I stopped (how did I not see the damn car!) and they just asked if I knew how fast I was going so I said I wasn't sure and they just told me to 'calm it down a bit' and let me go no problems after showing my licence.
Thumbs up from me
Once I pulled out from a junction in front of some and they felt it was a bit close and stopped me. I was a bit tired and had just been asleep at my girlfriends house so they were fine with that and said 'just be careful'.
Second one I was doing 47 on a 40 dual carriageway (why is it 40?!) late at night with no other cars around and soon as blue lights came on I stopped (how did I not see the damn car!) and they just asked if I knew how fast I was going so I said I wasn't sure and they just told me to 'calm it down a bit' and let me go no problems after showing my licence.
Thumbs up from me
Been pulled many times by the police and all times its been a joke, a couple spring to mind. I was driving to town after a footy match with one of my quite drunk mates in the car, driving down a bumbpy country road with drains each side and big pot holes/grass verge, and sensibly driving close to the middle of the road. For about half mile or so noticed a car behind me with its head lights either flashing me or just following the bumps, it then stuck it blue lights on so i stopped a bit further up the road where it was safe.
Police came out of the car started to swear at me for not stopping i told them i did as soon as i realised it was the police and told them i dont stop if a car was flashing me as there is no telling who it is. They then started acusing my mate of getting rid of his stash of drugs as he had no socks on (his was in with his footy kit) and that he threw them out of the window. They breath tested me which of i passed, then they started to ask questions if my friend could drive and if he had been drinking, I told them he could drive and he had been drinking but what this had to do with anything, and that is why i was driving, they even asked for him to take a breath test which he failed. I was then moaned as my courtesey car clock was an hour out and need to sort it?
In the end they said i was lucky as they could have done me for dangerous driving, they asked for my documents i showed them my driving licence, insurance and the note stating that the courtesey car was covered under the same policy as my insurance. This wasnt good enough as they wanted the actual document from the garage to say that this car was covered, they also asked for the M.O.T, which was strange as the car was a year old, i did point this out and was told not to be sarky. They gave me a producer and left, I had to do a 80 mile round trip to pick up the insurance the next with not so much as a thank you or a sorry for wasting my time.
Another amusing time i got stopped is we was on the way to my friends GF as she had left her purse at his, they started to follow us and my friend through his cigarette butt out of the window. On go the lights we stop and the poilce then acuse us of smoking drugs in the car and getting rid of them when we noticed them.
I did ask why we would bring attention to ourselves if was, then one of the coppers stuck there head in the car and said there was a funny smell in the car and we must have been smoking drugs. He looked quite embarassed when i pointed out my new vanilla air freshener was source of his "drug" smell lol.
Police came out of the car started to swear at me for not stopping i told them i did as soon as i realised it was the police and told them i dont stop if a car was flashing me as there is no telling who it is. They then started acusing my mate of getting rid of his stash of drugs as he had no socks on (his was in with his footy kit) and that he threw them out of the window. They breath tested me which of i passed, then they started to ask questions if my friend could drive and if he had been drinking, I told them he could drive and he had been drinking but what this had to do with anything, and that is why i was driving, they even asked for him to take a breath test which he failed. I was then moaned as my courtesey car clock was an hour out and need to sort it?
In the end they said i was lucky as they could have done me for dangerous driving, they asked for my documents i showed them my driving licence, insurance and the note stating that the courtesey car was covered under the same policy as my insurance. This wasnt good enough as they wanted the actual document from the garage to say that this car was covered, they also asked for the M.O.T, which was strange as the car was a year old, i did point this out and was told not to be sarky. They gave me a producer and left, I had to do a 80 mile round trip to pick up the insurance the next with not so much as a thank you or a sorry for wasting my time.
Another amusing time i got stopped is we was on the way to my friends GF as she had left her purse at his, they started to follow us and my friend through his cigarette butt out of the window. On go the lights we stop and the poilce then acuse us of smoking drugs in the car and getting rid of them when we noticed them.
I did ask why we would bring attention to ourselves if was, then one of the coppers stuck there head in the car and said there was a funny smell in the car and we must have been smoking drugs. He looked quite embarassed when i pointed out my new vanilla air freshener was source of his "drug" smell lol.
I've been pulled by a slightly silly police officer before. I was in St. Albans in the 330 and sped up exactly to the speed limit (40), but quite quickly. The office pulled me over and said she had to do 55 to catch up with me and did I realise this was a 40 zone. I said yes, I was doing exactly 40. She wouldn't have it, despite me explaining that to catch up with me she would have course be going faster than 40, and that a fighter jet could have done the speed of sound to catch up with me, but that would have no relation to how fast I was going. The finer points of physics were obviously lost on her and I received a producer.
At the bottom of the form she wrote her name - I had the pleasure of conversing with Constable Counts
At the bottom of the form she wrote her name - I had the pleasure of conversing with Constable Counts
fair enough for pulling you if they ''thought'' you where on a phone. everyone makes mistakes.
but the other stuff is just completely unnecessary and id point this out in a complaint
and then the 'lucky day' comment is just disgusting. the police used that on me once when they accused me of being a burglar as i was riding home from work
but the other stuff is just completely unnecessary and id point this out in a complaint
and then the 'lucky day' comment is just disgusting. the police used that on me once when they accused me of being a burglar as i was riding home from work
I've only been pulled over once (so far!). I heard a knocking noise from the front of my car at full lock, so I peeled off into a the local park's car park, well, coach park is a more accurate description - It's massive and nearly always empty, so it was the perfect opportunity to further investigate the noise. Wound on full lock to the left, and very slowly did a 360 degree rotation. No knock. Wound on full lock to the right and very slowly did a 360 degree rotation. no knock. I then notice that a late model blue Mondeo had pulled into the car park behind me. I didn't pay much attention other than stopping my manoeuvres (the car park is often used by learner drivers and the like, so I didn't want to confuse/scare anyone!)
I pulled over at the side of the car park, and started going through the CDs in my centre console, after a few seconds I heard "Stop! Put your hands on the steering wheel!". I stop, comply and check my Mirror to realize that this mondeo now had blue lights flashing away in the grille, with three plain clothed officers coming towards my car!
An officer swiftly came over, took the keys out of the ignition barrel and told me that this was a hotspot for stolen cars, and that my "erratic driving" had prompted them to believe that my car was stolen, fair enough, surely all I had to do was show them some documents and I'd be on my way, right? No. Despite having every single document a police officer could hope to see on a traffic stop (V5C, insurance, MOT, both parts of driving license, Passport and random letters addressed to me). I was asked "Why do I have so many documents on you? Do you have something to hide?"
I heard my name and address come over their radios just as they began to talk to me, so they'd obviously ran my car through the system to check who was the owner and if it was stolen. Surely the driving license alone would prove that I was who I said I was, and that it wasn't a stolen vehicle?
Anyway, After a while they gave up on that pony, and decided that this was ALSO a drug hotspot, and that they had reports of someone matching my description selling drugs in this area at this time (A chubby 18 year old with glasses selling drugs at 2PM on a friday afternoon in a 205 GTi? I doubt it...) , so me and my vehicle were going to be subjected to a full search. As they are doing the body pat down my jeans start to fall down slightly, I ask them if I can pull them up and am told no. Eventually It gets to the point where I'll be down to my boxers if I don't do something, so I pull them up anyway - I'm THEN warned that if I interfere with a police search again I'll be in cuffs...
The search of my car was even more of a joke, despite doing a through in depth search of every single area of my car (including my wallet!!!) when It gets to the glovebox the officer struggles, then asks how to open it "It's broken" I reply (It wasn't just locked) he says "Fair enough", and then searches my wallet, again!?
The final blow after the search - "Why do you have so many tools in your car".
Me: "I'm a mechanic..."
Po-Po: "Ahh, But you said it is your day off!"
Me: "It is..."
Po-Po: "So I'll ask again, why do you have so many tools in your car?"
Me: *Blank Stare*
Po-Po "Okay, Good luck finding your knocking noise."
I reckon It was cos I is black </racecard>
I pulled over at the side of the car park, and started going through the CDs in my centre console, after a few seconds I heard "Stop! Put your hands on the steering wheel!". I stop, comply and check my Mirror to realize that this mondeo now had blue lights flashing away in the grille, with three plain clothed officers coming towards my car!
An officer swiftly came over, took the keys out of the ignition barrel and told me that this was a hotspot for stolen cars, and that my "erratic driving" had prompted them to believe that my car was stolen, fair enough, surely all I had to do was show them some documents and I'd be on my way, right? No. Despite having every single document a police officer could hope to see on a traffic stop (V5C, insurance, MOT, both parts of driving license, Passport and random letters addressed to me). I was asked "Why do I have so many documents on you? Do you have something to hide?"
I heard my name and address come over their radios just as they began to talk to me, so they'd obviously ran my car through the system to check who was the owner and if it was stolen. Surely the driving license alone would prove that I was who I said I was, and that it wasn't a stolen vehicle?
Anyway, After a while they gave up on that pony, and decided that this was ALSO a drug hotspot, and that they had reports of someone matching my description selling drugs in this area at this time (A chubby 18 year old with glasses selling drugs at 2PM on a friday afternoon in a 205 GTi? I doubt it...) , so me and my vehicle were going to be subjected to a full search. As they are doing the body pat down my jeans start to fall down slightly, I ask them if I can pull them up and am told no. Eventually It gets to the point where I'll be down to my boxers if I don't do something, so I pull them up anyway - I'm THEN warned that if I interfere with a police search again I'll be in cuffs...
The search of my car was even more of a joke, despite doing a through in depth search of every single area of my car (including my wallet!!!) when It gets to the glovebox the officer struggles, then asks how to open it "It's broken" I reply (It wasn't just locked) he says "Fair enough", and then searches my wallet, again!?
The final blow after the search - "Why do you have so many tools in your car".
Me: "I'm a mechanic..."
Po-Po: "Ahh, But you said it is your day off!"
Me: "It is..."
Po-Po: "So I'll ask again, why do you have so many tools in your car?"
Me: *Blank Stare*
Po-Po "Okay, Good luck finding your knocking noise."
I reckon It was cos I is black </racecard>
Associate
- Joined
- 20 Mar 2007
- Posts
- 1,909
- Location
- Swansea Wales
You should have head butted him, that will have given then an excuse then.