UK Police – Dereliction of Duty

Are you getting fair treatment from the Police when making complaints about unsafe driver behaviour?


  • Total voters
    25
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I have voted no.

1. We don't have a cat in hell's chance of seeing a prosecution go through on the basis of a video like that. Let's assume the video in the OP got to court - the driver and/or solicitor would make mincemeat of it. That doesn't mean it's impossible - but it is ......... vanishingly unlikely!

Drivers like that have grown well used to the situation, don't give a monkeys, and take every advantage. Some from complacency, some for malicious devilment.

2. Police DO have a "light-weight" option however. Which could be used, and should be used?

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2002/30/section/59 -
59 Vehicles used in manner causing alarm, distress or annoyance
(1)Where a constable in uniform has reasonable grounds for believing that a motor vehicle is being used on any occasion in a manner which—

(a)contravenes section 3 or 34 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 (c. 52) (careless and inconsiderate driving and prohibition of off-road driving), and

(b)is causing, or is likely to cause, alarm, distress or annoyance to members of the public,

The power to seize the vehicle - as long as a warning has been issued.

No faffing around with measuring tapes and calibration. All the PC has to do is put his/her cap on when s/he watches the video clip - and pass the job of recording the incident and issuing the formal warning letter; part of it to clerical staff .... or even some of the tasks could go to volunteers.

All it would take - a month's trial. The local papers would hum. The radio phone-ins would sizzle. :evil::evil::evil:
 
OP
OP
TheVexatiousLitigant

TheVexatiousLitigant

Über Member
Location
Doncaster UK
Is it worth calibrating your camera. Film a tape measure from your centreline, at different distances.
Not for me, I have hard mounted cameras in the past and they don't last very long, to show the calibration is unaltered the mount would need to be custom build to only be able to hold the camera in the calibrated position. A helmet camera would be impossible to show calibration on.
What would be very easy is to hand the camera to the Police and have them record the passing car's window, door (whatever) from a similar angles and distances shown in the evidence and so determine a range of possible distances from the camera. to the car. There may be a days work involved the first time, but it would get faster each time. They could even hold a national database of cameras statistics. No idea what it would cost, but once they have worked out how much a human life is worth (they will actually have that worked out strange as it sounds to justify safety campaigns) they can then see if stopping dangerous behaviour around cyclists is worth doing (assuming a cyclists life is equal to the value they have for anyone else!)
Scratch that! Yes, it is worth calibrating, and is very easy to do, I am sure the Police could do this in order to convict, I would happily had in one of my many cameras for Police calibration.
 
Here's some numbers for you, West Midlands Police 2010, strength 8200 Police Officers. Projected strength by 2020...5000 Police Officers.
About 3000 calls to service a day to deal with.
There is so few RPU left it's laughable, the TPO (traffic process office) makes the decisions on accident books and is utterly swamped.
Some days there's no one to got to 999 calls, the odds of anyone looking at this are about nil.
Not saying it's right but that's the way it is.
 

screenman

Legendary Member
Here's some numbers for you, West Midlands Police 2010, strength 8200 Police Officers. Projected strength by 2020...5000 Police Officers.
About 3000 calls to service a day to deal with.
There is so few RPU left it's laughable, the TPO (traffic process office) makes the decisions on accident books and is utterly swamped.
Some days there's no one to got to 999 calls, the odds of anyone looking at this are about nil.
Not saying it's right but that's the way it is.

Projected numbers what about today? Is there a possibility that the police have more civvies on board?

I know very little about the Police other than the few I have cycled with over the years, but I am sure like in most other jobs there are some people who work hard and some who swing the leg.
 
Civilian staff were the first to get hammered. The scale of loss is staggering, the numbers are about 7000 Police Officers at the moment. Less FSI, less administration support. Less training(none) less Police stations (Google Police Station closure) less of everything except crime, which is continuing to rise.
As a simple test how many Police Officer, RPU ,dog units etc do you think are on duty for a reasonably sized city 350000-400000 population on a night shift?
 
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screenman

Legendary Member
No where near enough, all the one's I know retired early.

I know there are too few police, but as a civilian they do look like there were ways to cut costs without cutting staff numbers so hugely. I feel that over many years the l pay and benefits were getting too generous when compared with other trades.
 
Without wishing to hijack the thread..
Why too generous? Compared to what? Don't believe all that bollocks sprouted by the papers about 4 hours double time for taking a phone call and the rest of the made up shite.
Police pay 14.25% in pension contributions, have had the pension changed so 60 is the expected retirement age. Still fairly young but how is a 59 year old meant to deal with violent offenders? Every public service is getting shafted, but the pay off for the public is there are very few Police left to deal with the issues raised by the OP.
I wish I could track down every clown that cuts up a cyclist (including me) but it's just impossible now.
 

screenman

Legendary Member
They may pay in that amount but it is still not enough.

I hate the cut backs as much as you do.

How about backroom duty from 55 to 66.
 

screenman

Legendary Member
Unfortunately no back room left. Winsor recommendations and 25% budget cuts have seen to that.

I know of a couple of retired police who have gone back in civvy roles, this was my chain of thought.

I do feel though even though the benefits are generous those that were promised them should get them.
 
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