New Met police video

[CHADISTAN! 2]

Came across this video on Facebook

The great British police (wankers)

Posted by

Terry Chambers

on Monday, 21 December 2015

 

[Shmook + 532]

So, what are your thoughts on it then?

[MerseyLLB 8,426]

I agree.

We shouldn't be hypocritical.

Our vehicles should be in tip top condition before we preach to others.

Some arguing about how big the crack is to defend the traffic cops, well it's irrelevant to me.

Both parties should have been parked up awaiting Autoglass or similar - on this occasion no pens should have been out.

[Richhamdo + 878]

MerseyLLB,I agree with you, and I have to say this story has got me somewhat baffled, every time I have been out with traffic they have always been very  fair with motorists and used a lot of common sense. My hearing isn't what it used to be but I was straining it to hear the concise explanation of the offence given to the member of the public by the traffic officer. Having said that it is difficult to see in the video how far the crack on the motorists car extends, I am presuming it goes well  into the swept area,but it certainly looks as though the crack on the traffic car does as well.it might well be that he has been asked by some officer if he could get it fixed on a previous occasion, and has ignored the advice, we don't know. 

This brings back a memory from a long time ago when  my partner stopped a car for having a back light out one night ,he got out and told the motorist about it, but he then in turn pointed out that the back light of our car was out as well. The reg checked and was as surprised as I was, he just said that's fair enough,  can you get it fixed tomorrow and off he went,In case everyone is wondering about this,all our lights were working perfectly when we started from the station a few hours earlier,I checked them myself, (and all the car for scratches) I always did this every time I turned out,my partner pressed the brake pedal etc and filled in the mileage book etc and I checked the car and tyres/lights.

 I can remember a couple of occasions when we drove to an all night garage and got a bulb and put it in, just so we could carry on, it's a bit harder to do that now,in fact if you tried people, including the shopkeeper might well "raise an eyebrow" over it, (that's the politically correct version), ha.Rich.

[Dave SYP + 2,963]

My thoughts on it are that police vehicles should be in tip top condition, but anyone can have a cracked screen and legally use the vehicle as long as it isn't large enough to be in danger of breaking the screen completely and/or doesn't obscure the driver's view of the road ahead.  It is quite clear that the officers dealt with this calmly and professionally. The male being reported was behaving irrationally, was a bit of a 'wind-up merchant' and had clearly failed the attitude test. There may have been history / previous warnings / offences?

[rosco + 651]

Personally, if I had to drive a police car which had something wrong with it, I wouldn't be ticketing members of the public who had the same defects in their vehicle as mine.

As per Richhamdo, I've replaced bulbs while on duty on police cars and seen other officers defect vehicles with a bulb out that cannot be fixed, rather than be caught stopping a motorist and being seen as hyopcritical, like MerseyLLB mentions too.

[Dave SYP + 2,963]

I suppose so rosco, but perhaps he was just being given advice in the first instance and then came out with his tirade and drivel.  Or, perhaps the officers were doing a specific zero tolerance operation where they were compelled to issue a ticket / summons.  We will never know will we?

[MerseyLLB 8,426]

Its clear though that the officers aren't taking a zero tolerance approach to their own vehicle defects.

[jamieMET + 121]

The small crack on the police vehicle is not in the field of vision of the driver nor in the wipers area as far as I can tell. It wouldn't fail an MOT. The pickup trucks crack as you can see spreads the entire width of the screen. 

[MerseyLLB 8,426]

No its not - or if it is its possibly less than 4cm. But the crack in the 4x4 isn't really obstructing the drivers view of anything except the bonnet - the crack being well below the steering wheel.

It's not the point I was making.

[ParochialYokal 1,119]

If it was any other police force other than Essex Police then I would give them the benefit of the doubt.

The force is very strict on traffic matters and their Traffic Officers do have a zeal to stick on their own. Therefore, I believe that they shouldn't have taken the car out on the road if they have set the bar so low- for both the public and their colleagues- as to the thresholds for when they take formal action for traffic matters.

I remember talking to one Essex Police Traffic Officer who relished in reciting a story about how he stuck his own daughter on for speeding. I am not questioning whether or not he should have done that. I just found it bizarre that he wanted to share the story without being prompted and that he clearly took a pride in what he did. Most people would have been embarrassed and kept a dignified silence. 

[MerseyLLB 8,426]

I remember a joint Kent/Essex operation about 4-5 years ago at Bluewater shopping centre where my friend who had driven me there was reported by an Essex traffic officer for failing to keep rear tail light lenses clean, for failing to have a bright enough registration plate lamp on one side and something else I can't remember. Being in the police none of my friends EVER fail the attitude test when I am in the car as I always make sure they don't do anything to embarass me.

I can only surmise that the officer had just found out someone from Kent was servicing his wife and he was going through the county one motorist at a time.

Kent have generally been quite fair and I didn't used to come across Met traffic very often.

There is definitely a culture in Essex and its one which damages community relations.

[Richhamdo + 878]

MerseyLLB, Re your last three words, "damages community relations".three important words,   I am not going to bore everyone by quoting stuff said by Robert Peel,or even whether the mindset of the general public is the same now as it was in 1829, that might be a subject for another day.  I well recall when the vehicle defect rectification scheme came out, as I sure a lot on this forum do. Bobbies who I doubled up with on Friday/Saturday night  initially thought it was a good idea.

The vdrs forms were issued out like there was no tomorrow,I even remember a reg I was with one night giving one out to a elderly guy for having a back light out, he had no idea it was out, but to be fair it was about the time when those performance indicators were put in place by the bosses so he might have been  under a bit of pressure to show he was doing something. I'm just starting to wonder if the officer in this  case  was in the same boat.

 I noticed after a few years  that my partners were using these vdrs  less and less, just checking them out and telling drivers to get this that or the other sorted quick sharp if it was just minor and  leaving it at that for the time being. It turned out that some garages were charging quite a bit to check out the fault/put right/sign off off (or whatever they were required to do) in some cases more than the fixed penalty, (I am presuming the motorists were telling them all about it) I am unable to see the video again unfortunately  for another analysis of the actions or defects because I can't get it to work. Rich.

 

[jamieMET + 121]

On 28 December 2015 at 23:14, MerseyLLB said:

No its not - or if it is its possibly less than 4cm. But the crack in the 4x4 isn't really obstructing the drivers view of anything except the bonnet - the crack being well below the steering wheel.

It's not the point I was making.

It is still in the 'A' zone, so the officers are justified regardless  

I would also hazard that the gents in the pickup failed the attitude test long before the video recording even began. They have plenty other anti social vidoes on the facebook profile. Hardly upstanding members of the community. 

[Eebs + 70]

16 hours ago, Richhamdo said:

MerseyLLB, Re your last three words, "damages community relations".three important words,   I am not going to bore everyone by quoting stuff said by Robert Peel,or even whether the mindset of the general public is the same now as it was in 1829, that might be a subject for another day.  I well recall when the vehicle defect rectification scheme came out, as I sure a lot on this forum do. Bobbies who I doubled up with on Friday/Saturday night  initially thought it was a good idea.

The vdrs forms were issued out like there was no tomorrow,I even remember a reg I was with one night giving one out to a elderly guy for having a back light out, he had no idea it was out, but to be fair it was about the time when those performance indicators were put in place by the bosses so he might have been  under a bit of pressure to show he was doing something. I'm just starting to wonder if the officer in this  case  was in the same boat.

 I noticed after a few years  that my partners were using these vdrs  less and less, just checking them out and telling drivers to get this that or the other sorted quick sharp if it was just minor and  leaving it at that for the time being. It turned out that some garages were charging quite a bit to check out the fault/put right/sign off off (or whatever they were required to do) in some cases more than the fixed penalty, (I am presuming the motorists were telling them all about it) I am unable to see the video again unfortunately  for another analysis of the actions or defects because I can't get it to work. Rich.

 

When i was completing my PAC a few months back, most bobbies have forgot what a VDRS is, few have issued one, let alone lately. I didn't even end up issuing one with traffic, just a load of TORs