Police

[machew]

There's a huge difference between Specials and PCSOs.

Ones a two tone group, the other goes around in groups

 

[Cubist]

Tje

Wife beating? In this same debate? Really? We ALL break laws, we break the speed limit, we stop in box junctions, attempt to buy alcohol or cigarettes underage, give someone a copy of a music album, any number of things.

Admittedly the original post was written in a fit of frustration, but my main bugbear was not the fact I got asked to adhere to the law, but the fact that the officer was overly officious. You may want them to, but I do not want my Police officers spending 30 minutes punishing 10 feet of 5mph pavement riding. A shake of the head and 'Not on the pavement mate, you should know better than that'. Informative, and enough to make someone feel a bit of a berk.

The officer had decided to fine you for breaking the law. That was his choice, not yours.
your choice was to break the law and hope not to have to face the consequences. As for a matter of degree, I meet an enormous number of people who choose to ignore the law, many offences far more serious than pavement cycling or theft and assault. Should we again differentiate between what you consider to be worthy of enforcement and not others?
Can we have that list now please

 

[subaqua]

Tje
The officer had decided to fine you for breaking the law. That was his choice, not yours.
your choice was to break the law and hope not to have to face the consequences. As for a matter of degree, I meet an enormous number of people who choose to ignore the law, many offences far more serious than pavement cycling or theft and assault. Should we again differentiate between what you consider to be worthy of enforcement and not others?
Can we have that list now please

heres my list of laws i think i should be allowed to break with no penalty while others should be punished for

1) ........

 

[pubrunner]

I think in the vast majority of cases the police do a very difficult job very well. We really only hear about the "bad" cases, and I'm sure most of the police join us in condemning them.

I think that the above comment is correct.

There are been a few threads on this forum, where outraged members have described how 'unreasonable' the police have been; I've yet to see one on how good a job they do - frequently, in very trying circumstances.

The police are members of the community, just as we all are. Within the community (and even within CC ) , you'll find the good, the bad and the indifferent; you'll therefore find the same 'mix' within the police. Too many people have unrealistically high expectations about the police; they aren't supermen.

A neighbour had a few tools stolen from his garden; he was aggrieved that the police 'didn't do more' to help . . . . . . . but what could they (realistically) do ? He was expecting fingerprints to be taken (from what ?) etc., etc. - all for tools worth just a few quid.

Some may be cynical about the police; but in my (limited) travelling abroad, I've yet to see a country where I've thought that the police are 'better' than ours.

 

[Scruffmonster]

As for a matter of degree, I meet an enormous number of people who choose to ignore the law, many offences far more serious than pavement cycling or theft and assault. Should we again differentiate between what you consider to be worthy of enforcement and not others?
Can we have that list now please

Again, no problem with the enforcement of the law. Big problem with going to Defcon 1 immediately. It's unnecessary.

Stop throwing around wife beating, theft and assault around in the same sentence as pavement cycling. It's not a gateway drug. You must know that they are not linked simply because you can use the word crime for both of them.

 

[subaqua]

I think that the above comment is correct.

There are been a few threads on this forum, where outraged members have described how 'unreasonable' the police have been; I've yet to see one on how good a job they do - frequently, in very trying circumstances.

The police are members of the community, just as we all are. Within the community (and even within CC ) , you'll find the good, the bad and the indifferent; you'll therefore find the same 'mix' within the police. Too many people have unrealistically high expectations about the police; they aren't supermen.

A neighbour had a few tools stolen from his garden; he was aggrieved that the police 'didn't do more' to help . . . . . . . but what could they (realistically) do ? He was expecting fingerprints to be taken (from what ?) etc., etc. - all for tools worth just a few quid.

Some may be cynical about the police; but in my (limited) travelling abroad, I've yet to see a country where I've thought that the police are 'better' than ours.

there was a biker cops emergency programme on a few nights ago where an essex officer pulled a guy for not wearing a seatbelt. the guy got out of his car and was lairy from the off. never a good first move. i suspect that had he been a "sorry i just forgot", the officer may have been a little more amenable to him .then the guy started wittering on about his shed was burgled and you lot ahvent done anything . the officer asked if he had reported it and the guy said NO .

i did long enough as a special. i couldn't do it for a job, and wouldn't want want to seeing the crap that gets chucked at police daily. damned if they do damned if they don't. but the country would be a whole lot worse without the police.
pubrunner hits it on the head really with my bold highlights

 

[Silver Fox]

Bloody coppers, no sense of humour.

I mean, only the other day I said to this female officer from the mounted department, " Your horse looks knackered love".

She replied " You'd be knackered if you'd been between my legs for three hours".

Well, I never

 

[Cubist]

Again, no problem with the enforcement of the law. Big problem with going to Defcon 1 immediately. It's unnecessary.

Stop throwing around wife beating, theft and assault around in the same sentence as pavement cycling. It's not a gateway drug. You must know that they are not linked simply because you can use the word crime for both of them.

Quite the opposite. pavement cycling is not a crime. It is however an offence. I was drawing the parallel and you have consistently failed to grasp the concept that to some people, lawbreaking is lawbreaking. My point in my last post is this : while I hear what you are saying about what you consider to be inconsequential offences, nevertheless some people are so lawless that they choose to ignore other, more serious offences. That you appear to believe, wholeheartedly that you shouldn't have been stopped and dealt with for the offence you committed, makes you no better than the people who believe, wholeheartedly, that it's OK to knock the missus about a bit, or to relieve M&S of the odd tin of salmon.

 

[CopperCyclist]

Again, no problem with the enforcement of the law. Big problem with going to Defcon 1 immediately. It's unnecessary.

You and Cubist may actually be arguing towards the same point from opposite sides... The question is this:

If the officer had acted politely, calmly, with respect, given you a gentle talk and THEN issued a ticket, still while maintaining the politeness, would you have taken issue with that?

If yes, then Cubist is trying to make the point that we as individual members of the public cannot chose what laws are enforced, save by lobbying your MP.

If no, then I think you'll probably find most police would agree with you, as in this case you seem to be saying that you'd prefer to be spoken to, rather than spoken down to. All police know of a colleague that makes you squirm when they open their mouth to speak to someone!

 

[Dan B]

That you appear to believe, wholeheartedly that you shouldn't have been stopped and dealt with for the offence you committed, makes you no better than the people who believe, wholeheartedly, that it's OK to knock the missus about a bit, or to relieve M&S of the odd tin of salmon.

Sorry, but this is bogus.

One of those acts is illegal but (let's suppose in this case) victimless; the other two clearly do involve someone losing out and would still be wrong even if there weren't laws against them. Compare backing up your computer programs vs backing up your music collection

 

[benb]

Sorry, but this is bogus.

One of those acts is illegal but (let's suppose in this case) victimless; the other two clearly do involve someone losing out and would still be wrong even if there weren't laws against them. Compare backing up your computer programs vs backing up your music collection

I see what you're saying here, and agree to an extent. That is, there are things that some of us do that, while technically illegal, don't hurt or inconvenience anyone. I'm thinking of things like entering a ASZ without using the filter lane.

But you still have to take responsibility for your actions, so if plod decides to feel your collar about it, you have no grounds to complain and should just take it on the chin.

 

[KateK]

There are been a few threads on this forum, where outraged members have described how 'unreasonable' the police have been; I've yet to see one on how good a job they do - frequently, in very trying circumstances.

Bleah can't deal with the boxes.. this bit isn't pubrunner obviously even though it's in the blue box...I just can't get it out.


Well I have had a lot of contact with local police over the last few years and almost entirely they have been kind and courteous in often very difficult circumstances, they have in fact saved my life. I have friends who have had bad experiences: there are bad policeman (we had one convicted here not that long ago), bad operating methods and there are policeman having a bad day. There are times where you wish they could understand a bit better, but by and large I think they work extremely hard and, like the rest of public employees, get a lot of unnecessary flack.

 

[Peteaud]

This always makes me laugh

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7BQvt3XeAY&feature=related