Single Crewed Night Shift
Entry posted by DB11 + ·
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I've been operational as a full time PC for about five months, after having four months of training, and two years as a SC prior to joining up. I still love every day, I still look forward to going in and pulling on my stab vest, and it feels exactly like it did as a SC, except that I get a wage each month and I get a lot more point to point radio calls (either social or supervisory lol). Some people will say there's a lot more paperwork, there's a lot more to it etc. but I exposed myself to a lot as a special, so I guess I really did get a lot out of it which made the transition to regular very smooth.
I've been to a lot of incidents, the most high profile being this one, but none really seem interesting or unique enough to write about. I fancied writing one though so here is one of my first night shifts after becoming independent.
Your rank: PC
Your planned duty hours: 2200-0700
2200 - Briefing. Single crewed but I manage to get the ANPR vehicle to take out.
Lots of driving, vehicle checks, nothing of note.
0200 - Parked up in a lay by so as to read the number plates of passing vehicles. Even though it's early in the morning this is quite a well used road.
0210 - Just as I am thinking my luck is out I am about to pull out to go back to the station to grab a bite to eat when I see headlights in my rear view mirror. They are bearing down on me pretty fast, bearing in mind I am in a 40 mph speed limit. I wait for it to pass and then pull out behind it, just to see how (if at all) the driving changes now I'm behind it. The vehicle doesn't slow down and, if anything, continues to accelerate. The vehicle is moving side to side and crossing the centre white lines. As the 40mph limit drops to a 30mph we are now travelling at 60mph, coming into a slight right hand bend. The vehicle is carrying straight on and I'm thinking is he going to take the bend or not, when he suddenly swerves right to stay on the road. The speed comes down somewhat as a result and at this point I activate the blue lights to stop the vehicle however it continues without illuminating any brake lights. There are no other vehicles around, nor are there any pedestrians. Round the bend we are approaching a roundabout and I am thinking "why has this guy not stopped, can he not see the police car? Is that why he was driving like an idiot?" As we approach the traffic light controlled roundabout (red lights showing) the vehicle stops in lane one and so I pull up next to it, telling him to stop the car round the corner in a safe position. Just as I am pulling up level with the driver the lights go green, the vehicle suddenly accelerates away and turns left at the roundabout, however takes the corner so wide he has crossed over into lane two. At this point I realise to myself that the vehicle is failing to stop - I managed to get the VRM of the vehicle and inform the control room that the vehicle is failing to stop and turn off the blue lights due to my driving authority.... however almost immediately the vehicles turns off to the left into a cul-de-sac. I know that this is a dead end and so I pull in behind him and see the vehicle left abandoned in the middle of the road.
I pull up behind the vehicle and go to the driver side however there is no person in the driving seat. There is a front seat passenger and I suspected that he had been the driver and had changed seats - unfortunately I had not seen the driver as he had pulled off before I could get level back at the lights. I arrest the passenger and walk him to vehicle... the passenger's reply to caution is "I wasn't driving. The driver is hiding in the boot". At some point during this I had updated control and other units were making their way to me. With the passenger in the back of my car I went to the other vehicle and opened the boot and, low and behold, there is a male laying in the boot. There was no parcel shelf and so it was quite plausible for the driver to have climbed over the back seats in the time that I had lost sight of the vehicle. The male is playing dumb and is 'asleep' so I am rousing him, just as one other unit pulls up behind my car. Foolishly (learning point!) I turn around to see who it is and at this point the male in the boot bolts up and runs off, so I give chase.... after firstly slipping over on the grass 
I am chasing this male; it's dark, no street lighting, he's intent on escaping and he's bigger (stocky) than me. I am shouting "police stop" at him however he is continuing to run away until he turns down a dead end with a large metal fence at the bottom. I am gaining on him and the male turns around. I draw my baton and warn him however he comes towards me. I strike him once to the upper leg, which has the desired effect and I can take the male to the floor. A few seconds later an officer from the other crew joins me and we handcuff him.
Back at custody both males gave positive breath tests. The passenger gave a witness statement and the guy hiding in the boot coughed to being the driver. He was charged with failing to stop and drink driving. Due to previous convictions he was sentenced to an immediate custodial sentence of 22 weeks and given a 52 month driving ban.
0300 - Arrive custody
Clerical
0745 - Cease duty
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