Report or not? Police driver overtook into oncoming traffic and squeezed me

[Brandane]

That explains the very obvious chip on your shoulder.

I've got a chip on my shoulder have I? Please elaborate, but do it by PM as this is not the place to do it.

 

[sabian92]

That explains the very obvious chip on your shoulder.

Please don't turn this into a po-po bitchfest. This isn't about Police cover ups, it's about bad driving that happens to be by a copper.

 

[Rural halfwit]

most complaints against the police tend to be about incivility.
Cover ups are very much a thing of the past after all who as a copper wants to risk a spell inside for doing so.
PSD depts. will investigate if required if not it will be dealt with locally and fairly I'd say....

 

[Crankarm]

Like I said many a time in previous threads, police drivers are the worst of the lot. Don't trust them. Reporting them is a waste of time as they will close ranks.

Unfortunately I have to agree with this. I am sure some coppers as individuals are ok ie those on here, but as an orgnisation they are as bent, incompetent and corrupt as any other, worse in fact.

I wouldn't bother reporting it. A seargent will only call you to rebutt your complant against them which could be construed as words of advice to you not to be cycling on that stretch of road again especially not giving way or obstructing a cop car on a 999 call which they could argue is an offence. Be warned they will turn your complaint against you. Not known as the filth for the nothing.

 

[Rural halfwit]

why unfortunate Crankarm? you are entitled to an opinion.

 

[sabian92]

Unfortunately I have to agree with this. I am sure some coppers as individuals are ok ie those on here, but as an orgnisation they are as bent, incompetent and corrupt as any other, worse in fact.

I wouldn't bother reporting it. A seargent will only call you to rebutt your complant against them which could be construed as words of advice to you not to be cycling on that stretch of road again especially not giving way or obstructing a cop car on a 999 call which they could argue is an offence. Be warned they will turn your complaint against you. Not known as the filth for the nothing.

I have to disagree with you.

I can't speak for other UK police forces but my local (well, Widnes is the next town over but I go to college there so local enough) but they're pretty good. I've reported stuff to them in the past and they've done as much as they could (didn't have a correct plate even remotely close) and they've been good.

I did report it and they had a detailed run through of what happened. I presume you didn't read my previous posts because I said that there was no blues and twos, I wasn't obstructing any more than the car that was in the opposite lane and as far I'm concerned a police car with no lights is any other car on the road.

They can't say I shouldn't be cycling on road X or road Y because I'm perfectly entitled to. Turning a complaint against me sort of admits they are in the wrong, no?

 

[Boris Bajic]

Unfortunately I have to agree with this. I am sure some coppers as individuals are ok ie those on here, but as an orgnisation they are as bent, incompetent and corrupt as any other, worse in fact.

I wouldn't bother reporting it. A seargent will only call you to rebutt your complant against them which could be construed as words of advice to you not to be cycling on that stretch of road again especially not giving way or obstructing a cop car on a 999 call which they could argue is an offence. Be warned they will turn your complaint against you. Not known as the filth for the nothing.

I find this a most unusual attitude to the Police.

In the UK I have always been treated well by the Police: as a suspect (quickly proved unconnected with the event), as a witness, as the injured party in an RTA, as a speeding motorist, as a burglary victim, a street-robbery victim, as a bereaved party being informed of a death, even as the steward of a demonstration not popular with the authorities.

They haven't always done what I want them to (forget about the speeding and similar) but they have always been absolutely straight. The same goes for all my friends in their dealings with the Police in the UK.

Elsewhere (notably the Balkans) I have been beaten and threatened and asked for bribes by the Police.

Mr Crankarm, I fear your views may be based on some incident or incidents that are either far from the norm or slightly imagined. Whilst there have been terrible fit-ups in the recent past, they are rare and getting rarer.

I do not love everything about the UK, but I know no finer Police force.

 

[Crankarm]

I find this a most unusual attitude to the Police.

In the UK I have always been treated well by the Police: as a suspect (quickly proved unconnected with the event), as a witness, as the injured party in an RTA, as a speeding motorist, as a burglary victim, a street-robbery victim, as a bereaved party being informed of a death, even as the steward of a demonstration not popular with the authorities.

They haven't always done what I want them to (forget about the speeding and similar) but they have always been absolutely straight. The same goes for all my friends in their dealings with the Police in the UK.

Elsewhere (notably the Balkans) I have been beaten and threatened and asked for bribes by the Police.

Mr Crankarm, I fear your views may be based on some incident or incidents that are either far from the norm or slightly imagined. Whilst there have been terrible fit-ups in the recent past, they are rare and getting rarer.

I do not love everything about the UK, but I know no finer Police force.

My experience of the police is very different to yours.

 

[Crankarm]

Ah - nice to see a reasoned response ...

As boorish as ever from User ................

 

[Crankarm]

I have to disagree with you.

I can't speak for other UK police forces but my local (well, Widnes is the next town over but I go to college there so local enough) but they're pretty good. I've reported stuff to them in the past and they've done as much as they could (didn't have a correct plate even remotely close) and they've been good.

I did report it and they had a detailed run through of what happened. I presume you didn't read my previous posts because I said that there was no blues and twos, I wasn't obstructing any more than the car that was in the opposite lane and as far I'm concerned a police car with no lights is any other car on the road.

They can't say I shouldn't be cycling on road X or road Y because I'm perfectly entitled to. Turning a complaint against me sort of admits they are in the wrong, no?

One would think so. If you rattle their cages they don't like it and when they are caught out they close ranks and then all sorts of things happen or don't happen. Next thing is they will be alleging you did this and that. As I say don't waste any more time on this as it is not worth it.

 

[RWright]

I think sometimes we may hold police to a higher standard than we would a regular civilian and it makes sense to me that police may be a little more tight knit than we like sometimes. I am not saying they are corrupt but they probably see a lot of the same complaints often. I guess I would answer the OP's original question with a question. Would you report a civilian that squeezed you with their car?

 

[sabian92]

I think sometimes we may hold police to a higher standard than we would a regular civilian and it makes sense to me that police may be a little more tight knit than we like sometimes. I am not saying they are corrupt but they probably see a lot of the same complaints often. I guess I would answer the OP's original question with a question. Would you report a civilian that squeezed you with their car?

I have done, yes but I had a completely incorrect plate so they couldn't do anything. It was before I bought a helmet cam as well so there wasn't a lot to do as they couldn't ID the car or driver.

That being said usually I wouldn't report a close pass but they're usually not that bad as drivers where I live are pretty decent as drivers go. I've had the odd arse think it's okay to pull out on me, one decided me positioning right at a roundabout meant it was okay to undertake me on a narrow, single lane before we got to the RAB then turn right as well.

Regardless of if the car that overtook me I'd have reported it because they passed closely then squeezed me to the kerb as they realised they couldn't overtake properly so moved towards the kerb, where I was basically. The fact it had green and blue stripes with big lights on top makes it worse - surely part of their police driving training would include stuff as basic as "try not to kill members of the public, it looks bad on us!"

 

[Maz]

As a safety precaution, I always get off the road, to let an emergency vehicle get past, irrespective of whether it is approaching from front of from behind.

 

[CopperCyclist]

As a safety precaution, I always get off the road, to let an emergency vehicle get past, irrespective of whether it is approaching from front of from behind.

That's a very much appreciated move by us, as we worry about what the proverbial 'cyclist with headphones' might do as we pass them with sirens. If you actually stop, we know you know we are there.

However, it's not applicable in Sabians case as the car wasn't on a 'lights and sirens' run, it was just driving normally.

 

[lit]

As a safety precaution, I always get off the road, to let an emergency vehicle get past, irrespective of whether it is approaching from front of from behind.

There is no need to get off the road, they will / should be handle it themselves.