Sideswiped and Assaulted

[Nigeyy]

Don't get me wrong, I completely agree, they shouldn't be (but realistically, they are, however wrong, and I certainly do believe they are wrong). And I'm not advocating not reporting stuff, just that you have to have a practical threshold -as evidenced by some of the posts you read on cycling boards.

Believe me, I find it very frustrating but I'm just trying to be honest in my posts.

None of these things are the victim's problem, nor should they be.

If everyone considered all these things before picking up the phone to talk to the police, no-one would ever report anything and crime would be rampant (if it isn't already).

 

[PBancroft]

Thank you for all your considered responses. I fully intend to reactivate the helmet camera with immediate effect as a precaution against Essex trogladytes. And in the hope I may some day pass BTFB with his bandana on.

But what are you going to do on this occasion? Contact the Police?

 

[LLB]

It may not help you directly, but it needs to be reported so it can be worked into the stats. If they see a rising trend, then they will be compelled to act upon it if it happens again to someone else.

 

[TwickenhamCyclist]

None of these things are the victim's problem, nor should they be.

If everyone considered all these things before picking up the phone to talk to the police, no-one would ever report anything and crime would be rampant (if it isn't already).

Hi Uncle Phil


Have you ever tried reporting anything like this to the police?


1 – You can’t do it over the phone – you have to attend the police station.

2 – Depending on the luck of the draw and who is manning the desk you will probably be told by your local police station that the crime happened in “x” area so you’ll have to report it to the police station in “x”. When you go to “x” police station they will tell you that you need to report it to your local station.

3 – When you return to the local police station you will then be told something about taking far too long to report this and that they can’t do anything about it.

4 – When you insist firmly that you really want some action to be taken the police will treat it as a road traffic incident and hand you a road traffic incident form which, in great big letters on the front, politely informs you that if:

1 – There is no damage to property or injury to persons (which there isn’t in this case)
AND
2 – If there are no independent witnesses to the incident (which it sounds like there are but do you have their details?)

Then the police will NOT TAKE THE MATTER ANY FURTHER – they
won’t give you a crime number or recipt and the incident will NOT be recorded.

I’m sorry – but reporting this to the police will be an utter utter waste of time.

 

[Amanda P]

Leaving aside the sudden outbreak of deja vu, and the sudden outbreak of deja vu, there are two reasons for reporting the incident:

1. Because you want the police to go and break the bastard's neck... or at least take some action to stop him doing it again. Probably you really want some revenge. Perhaps a slightly selfish motive.

2. Because you believe that, as Linford says, policing policy needs to be guided by reliable statistics. It's your public duty to report incidents like this. If you don't, you're in no position to complain when the police don't take any action.

I admit that I haven't tried to report this particular sort of of road incident. But I have reported various criminal damage to a building I'm a trustee of. When I became a trustee, I took a policy of reporting every time the building was vandalised, no matter how trivial the damage. Each time I was able to report it on the phone, I was given a crime number with no hassle, and I was usually telephoned back at a time to suit me for complete details to be taken.

OK, this took maybe half an hour each time.

But after reporting about a dozen incidents this way, the local beat officer took an interest, and phoned me up. We had several worthwhile meetings (usually in his van, slightly embarassingly...), and the upshot was that he caught the little scrote that was largely responsible. The scrote in question had to pay a fine, pay for some of the damage he'd caused, apologise to the trustees in person, do a spell of community service, and, had we wanted him to, we could have had him personally come and do some repairs.

He (and I'm talking about the beat officer now, not the scrote) said that he was amazed to find out the scale of the damage that had been occurring and how long it had been happening for - why hadn't we reported it before?

When I told him that the other trustees felt it would be a waste of time reporting it, he just shook his head in frustration.

Going off the point a bit, I know, but if no-one reports anything, the police cannot act. If they do, they at least have the choice, and can't defend their inaction by saying "well, no-one told us".

Finally, how are you going to feel if you don't report something like this, and find a week later that the same person has killed someone with his 4WD? Your action in bringing his behaviour to police attention might just have prevented that.

 

[TwickenhamCyclist]

Hi Uncle Phil

Sorry about the sudden outbreak of déjà vu – I’ve a feeling it’s happened before some time….

Good on you for persisting with reporting your criminal damage and I glad you managed to get the local officer to take an interest. I think the difference here is that, with criminal damage, there is evidence of a crime having taken place. The police will then record the crime and investigate it as far as they can.
When you are involved in an incident where there is no damage to yourself or to property and there are no witnesses, there is no evidence of a crime having taken place. The police will not investigate it and IT WILL NOT BE RECORDED in any crime statistics.

If such incidents were recorded then you and Linford would of course be totally correct in encouraging people to report such crimes – but trust me – the type of incident outlined here will not be investigated and the reporting of it will not be recorded in any statistics anywhere – it would therefore be a complete waste of time attempting to report it.

It’s all very well saying that if no-one reports anything then the police can’t act, and this sounds like a reasonable statement to make, but from my and other peoples experience of trying to report such incidents to the police it is an uncomfortable truth that the police won’t act even if you do!

I’d love to agree with you – and your reasoning is both logically and morally correct, its just that in reality reporting such incidents will have absolutely no effect on anything other than you loosing part of your day. Sorry – but that is the reality.

 

[TwickenhamCyclist]

Good point User – I should have said no physical evidence or independent witness statements – but you will just end up in a situation of your word against someone else’s, and unless one of you is a policeman, the net result will be the same – no further action will be taken.

 

[Ludwig]

Sometimes swift and decisive retaliation can teach them a lesson ie grabbing their keys and throwing them away or ripping them out of their seat pinning them up against the wall and shouting in their face at blood curdling volume.

 

[Nigeyy]

I agree, this worked for me when I was on another planet in our solar system.

Sometimes swift and decisive retaliation can teach them a lesson ie grabbing their keys and throwing them away or ripping them out of their seat pinning them up against the wall and shouting in their face at blood curdling volume.

 

[Amanda P]

Hmmm. You seem to speak with some authority, Twickers. Perhaps what you say is true - although I hope not.

Here's a thought though. When a cyclist jumps a red light, there is no physical evidence. And yet the police are taking very definite action against them doing it. Presumably at some level, they're responding to something (the police, that is, not the RLJers). If only we could get the same response aimed at dozy or aggressive drivers...

 

[Origamist]

Report it, but keep you expectations exceedingly low.

An unfortunate consequence of taking a primary position and having an imapatient driver behind you is that it can lead to the kind of "punishment overtake" further down the road that you experienced.

I must have tempted fate...

Cycling in the centre-left of a bus lane, at 25mph down Kennington Park Road, a black cab tailgates me and decides to overtake with approx 6 inches to spare as we approach lights that have changed to amber.

At the lights, I told him that he did not need to pass me this close and he spewed out some unintelligible nonsense which ended with him berating me for cycling too fast! Realising rational conversation was hopeless, I told his emabarrassed looking passenger to put on his seatbelt as his life was in the hands of a dangerous driver - and he did! The cabbie then looked a bit crestfallen and the lights turned green, and off we went...

 

[spindrift]

I told is emabarrassed looking passenger to put on his setabelt as his life was in the hands of dangerous driver - and he did! The cabbie then looked a bit crestfallen and the lights turned green, and off we went...

Good work, you remained calm and allowed the cabbie to dig his own grave.

 

[domtyler]

Sorry Uncle Phil, I'm with Origamist, there is no point whatsoever in reporting minor incidents like this, you will just be wasting everyone's time. The most productive thing to have come out of the original incident is this thread where hopefully, not just Chris, but all of us have learnt something and become slightly better cyclists and decreased the chances of being involved in a similar incident in the future.

 

[Tetedelacourse]

What if Chris had taken the approach that posting this thread might not be worthwhile, for fear of wasting everyone's time? He then wouldn't have received your insight on road positioning.

Report it Chris, there's a possibility that it will cause the driver hassle, as opposed to not reporting it when the driver will definitely not get any. Granted it might not get you anywhere and will cost you time, but on the other hand it might. Well done for not getting mugged by the way!

 

[Jaded]

Sorry Uncle Phil, I'm with Origamist, there is no point whatsoever in reporting minor incidents like this, you will just be wasting everyone's time. The most productive thing to have come out of the original incident is this thread where hopefully, not just Chris, but all of us have learnt something and become slightly better cyclists and decreased the chances of being involved in a similar incident in the future.

Did you read the posts about police stats?