Just seen a cyclist arrested and taken away outside my office.

[Supersuperleeds]

I worded it carefully as I thought new guidance had been issued around it. If police are still going to clamp down on it then yes all cycling on pavements

Paul Boeteng from the home office decreed this in 1999 and police were re-issued with this advice in 2014 -

"It is important to remember that fixed penalty notices should not be issued to responsible cyclists who on occasion feel obliged to use the pavement out of fear of the traffic and show consideration to other pavement users when doing so.[3] This advice was re-issued to the police force in 2014 and was endorsed by the cycling minister Robert Goodwill.[4]"

per this site http://www.cyclelaw.co.uk/cycling-offences-cycling-on-the-pavement-and-other-pedestrianised-areas

 

[Crackle]

Just how close were you when this arrest was made?

Did the handcuffs hurt?

 

[PhilDawson8270]

Maybe but was not mentioned in the arrest. Is that normal?

Probably wouldn't get mentioned if it's not relevant, but, if the information is there. They could choose to protect themselves.

What's difficult to remember in these situations, is that the Police spend most of their time, dealing with untrustworthy criminals, who may be dangerous, and aggressive. So sometimes it may appear to be unreasonable when dealing with some cases.

This is of course, all opinion and conjecture, as I am not a Police officer.

 

[Markymark]

Just how close were you when this arrest was made?

Did the handcuffs hurt?

I'll let you know in 6 months if I'm well behaved...

It happend right outside the door.

 

[puffinbilly]

Have to agree - pleased with the police action - just last week I nearly knocked a guy down on a bike who had jumped the red light and obviously I wasn't expecting anyone to be coming from his direction. It left me shook up as it would have been a serious collision for the cyclist, but he went on his merry way......oblivious.

 

[mjr]

Have to agree - pleased with the police action - just last week I nearly knocked a guy down on a bike who had jumped the red light and obviously I wasn't expecting anyone to be coming from his direction. It left me shook up as it would have been a serious collision for the cyclist, but he went on his merry way......oblivious.

"look all around before emerging. Do not cross or join a road until there is a gap large enough for you to do so safely." (highway code) As any driver should have been taught while learning, that still applies at signal-controlled junctions.

If you watch a junction for a while (I've done a few for what I think was called AA Streetwatch), the numbers who don't look left or right as they cross is scary. The lights could be faulty, there could be an emergency vehicle that you couldn't hear/see because of the layout or any one of dozens of other legitimate reasons why you cannot proceed safely. Nevertheless, even if you weren't expecting him when IMO you should have been, well done for avoiding a collision

 

[MontyVeda]

[QUOTE 3930330, member: 9609"]paging top CC Cop @Drago - are you allowed to arrest someone for non payment of fines ? I always thought you could only arrest someone if the crime was an imprisonable offence, I presume you can't go to prison for jumping red lights but non payment of fines?[/QUOTE]
I reckon if one refuses to pay their fines, they'll face a few days/weeks inside... otherwise, who'd pay their fines?

 

[Drago]

If a court has issued a warrant for non payment, then in they come.

PS, thanks for the Top Cop flattery, but ive been happy languishing not far from the bottom for two and half decades, so I still do some real work.

 

[PhilDawson8270]

[QUOTE 3930330, member: 9609"]paging top CC Cop @Drago - are you allowed to arrest someone for non payment of fines ? I always thought you could only arrest someone if the crime was an imprisonable offence, I presume you can't go to prison for jumping red lights but non payment of fines?[/QUOTE]

One of my staff had a court fine payment go missing (had receipts for the payment too!). It was one that it had gone straight from his wages via NI number, and straight to the court.

He received a letter recently saying that it has not been paid, and he has 14 days to contact them, or a warrant for his arrest would be issued.

Needless to say, a few phone calls to them and they "found" the payment. But from this, I assume if the fine was issued by a court, then they could issue an arrest warrant for non-payment.

 

[Pale Rider]

[QUOTE 3930330, member: 9609"]paging top CC Cop @Drago - are you allowed to arrest someone for non payment of fines ? I always thought you could only arrest someone if the crime was an imprisonable offence, I presume you can't go to prison for jumping red lights but non payment of fines?[/QUOTE]

The legal notion of an 'arrestable offence' no longer exists, or at least not in the terms a police officer who retired a good few years ago would understand it.

Not that I claim to.

Seems this guy was arrested on a court bench warrant which can be issued for relatively minor matters, such as not turning up for a hearing which is a Bail Act offence.

Some stuff here from wiki which appears reasonably authoritative.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrestable_offence

 

[Brandane]

What's with all the softly softly nonsense on here?
Whoever he was, he owed a fine for something. No doubt he would have been given every opportunity to pay the fine previously, but he hasn't bothered to do so. He has just found out what the alternative is - get handcuffed (for Officer safety reasons) and taken down to sit in a cell until the fine IS paid by someone, or you have served the alternative jail term. No sympathy here, having had first hand experience of just how much Police time is wasted chasing up unpaid fines once warrants have been issued by the courts.

 

[Simpleton]

What's with all the softly softly nonsense on here?
Whoever he was, he owed a fine for something. No doubt he would have been given every opportunity to pay the fine previously, but he hasn't bothered to do so. He has just found out what the alternative is - get handcuffed (for Officer safety reasons) and taken down to sit in a cell until the fine IS paid by someone, or you have served the alternative jail term. No sympathy here, having had first hand experience of just how much Police time is wasted chasing up unpaid fines once warrants have been issued by the courts.

Agreed, cyclist gets stopped for RLJing, previous outstanding fine so it's down the nick.

Policing motorists on their phones, dangerous driving etc is a different issue imo.

 

[puffinbilly]

"look all around before emerging. Do not cross or join a road until there is a gap large enough for you to do so safely." (highway code) As any driver should have been taught while learning, that still applies at signal-controlled junctions.

If you watch a junction for a while (I've done a few for what I think was called AA Streetwatch), the numbers who don't look left or right as they cross is scary. The lights could be faulty, there could be an emergency vehicle that you couldn't hear/see because of the layout or any one of dozens of other legitimate reasons why you cannot proceed safely. Nevertheless, even if you weren't expecting him when IMO you should have been, well done for avoiding a collision

Too many assumptions made on your part - as to what I was doing or failing to do.
I had checked that my way was clear and the traffic stationary behind the red lights to my right and left and was three quarters over the junction when this idiot (yes cyclists can be idiots too) came flying through from my left hidden by a large truck at roughly 20 mph while I was doing 25-30mph, straight across the front of me. Even the most careful drivers sometimes can't compensate for others sheer idiotic behaviour.

 

[Dan B]

I worded it carefully as I thought new guidance had been issued around it. If police are still going to clamp down on it then yes all cycling on pavements

The guidance (which another poster has provided) doesn't make it legal, it just means the police are less likely to enforce the law. My question is why this is OK? By the same token, the Met don't enforce against car drivers entering ASLs - does it make it OK to break that law?

 

[Tin Pot]

What a waste of money, why couldn't the trial and execution have been carried out on the scene?