My First proper idiots.

[Vikeonabike]

VoaB

Please don't think my comments (or lee's I think) were against you personally. The more poleese like you and Cubist riding bikes and posting here the better. But the complaint in general is still valid - if you're a civilian, its very difficult to get the police interested in anything other than your own death. Why I don't know. When I had my coming together with a vehicle it certainly wasn't lack of evidence! But despite an open and shut careless driving charge, the driver wasn't even cautioned. There just didn't seem to be the will, either at the policy level or, in my dealings with the attending officer, a personal level.

Bollo,
No offence taken. I agree it is very difficult to get the police interested. The majority of them are not cyclists so do not share our concerns or see things from our point of view. They do not feel as vulnerable as we do. Even those officers who ride bikes at work are closeted from the dangers of cycling to a certain extent because of the big blue POLICE badge on the back of thier Hi-Viz.
I am in a position to do something to educate my fellow officers and if I do get a complaint from somebody (in my area) then I will make sure it is fully investigated. Even if there is no chance of prosecution. Sometimes just turning up on somebodies doorstep is enough to scare the runny brown stuff from thier bodies!

 

[Bollo]

Bollo,
No offence taken.

None ever meant (opens door of safe house and tip-toes, pantomime-like, past strolling bobby

I agree it is very difficult to get the police interested. The majority of them are not cyclists so do not share our concerns or see things from our point of view. They do not feel as vulnerable as we do. Even those officers who ride bikes at work are closeted from the dangers of cycling to a certain extent because of the big blue POLICE badge on the back of thier Hi-Viz.
I am in a position to do something to educate my fellow officers and if I do get a complaint from somebody (in my area) then I will make sure it is fully investigated. Even if there is no chance of prosecution. Sometimes just turning up on somebodies doorstep is enough to scare the runny brown stuff from thier bodies!

Deep down its a cultural issue and its not the job of the police to be agents of social change. You're not separate from the rest of us, so the average copper's attitude to cycling isn't going to be that different from the man or woman in the street. And generally the attitude of the non-cyclist to cyclists isn't particularly positive.

Also, I understand that there are limits to what can be achieved without other evidence to corroborate a story.

The shitty-kecks part of your job must be fun though.

 

[Vikeonabike]

Update

Just to let everyone know, the passenger recieved and £80 fine for Section 5 of the Public Order Act (Causing alarm, harrasment or distress). The driver has been issued with a Section 59 warning. This means basically that if he is an idiot again, he faces having his vehicle siezed...
Good result all around I think!

 

[magnatom]

Good stuff.

 

[PBancroft]

Congrats on the good result. Hopefully they won't do it again, and will pass the word to their mates that its a dumb idea.

 

[Twanger]

... I agree it is very difficult to get the police interested. The majority of them are not cyclists so do not share our concerns or see things from our point of view...

Why? You don't need much imagination to realise what getting run over/ having your bike nicked etc. etc. mean to cyclists. If I was a policeman, I think I'd be able to understand what having your ball nicked means to footballers, and I am bored rigid within 30 seconds of trying to watch a match. Catching evil doers is your job. Why can't you be interested in it in a generic sense?

 

[ComedyPilot]

Just to let everyone know, the passenger recieved and £80 fine for Section 5 of the Public Order Act (Causing alarm, harrasment or distress). The driver has been issued with a Section 59 warning. This means basically that if he is an idiot again, he faces having his vehicle siezed...
Good result all around I think!

that'll teach the pillock.

Good on you.

 

[summerdays]

Well done - glad to hear that there was some action ... and what it actually was.

 

[swee'pea99]

Excellent result - well done!

 

[Wheeledweenie]

I didn't realise you could actually make a complaint about this kind of incident. Someone leaned out of a passenger window and tried to smack the back of my helmet late at night a while ago on a busy road late at night. Looking back I should have done something about it. I was going around 20mph and would have come off if he hadn't been so drunk he missed. Scared the living crap out of me though and I had to pull over and get my breath back.