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Obviously Eastmoor is such a peaceful, crime-free village that they have top find something to keep police officers gainfully employed. I am, however, disgruntled that they sent THREE officers. Surely, with that amount of staff, there should have also been a sergeant supervising them?
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Maybe they were bogus officers like we get in the Philippines looking for pay-offs to leave this guy alone!
Couple of times I've had visits from con artists dressed as police, one telling me my residence papers were not in order (they are impeccable and handled by an attorney very close to our President) and another that my car had just been involved in a fatal accident when it was at that moment 3 days in the shop awaiting parts.
If it was me I'd tell 'em show me your authority to be messing with my property or I'll set my Rottweiler on you.
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Sorry to sound cycnical but one has to wonder what would have happened to this gentleman if he had rung the police to report his car stolen? Just the issue of a Crime Number for his insurance and a letter addresssed to "Dear Victim" a fe days later! I am NOT anti police but I do think that their higher authorities are more concerned with mindless "Targets" and focus groups and other PC rubbish. We have limited resources and their use is controlled by senior managers rather than leaders, IMHO.
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I realise the police made a complete pig's ear of this, but one thing of worth was the fact that this was part of a clampdown on untaxed and unroadworthy cars that are kept on roads in housing estates.
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BobbyG, I hear what you say but
1. Was this car on a "housing estate" - whatever that is?
2. He wasn't charged with no tax so they picked the wrong car!
3. Empty screenwasher on a parked car isn't even an offence SFAIK. On the road yes, but parked outside your own house - I think not! "I'll be filling it up before I drive officer." If the list given of what 3 officers could find wrong, in 30 minutes with an 11 year old car, is correct I think the owner is keeping it in excellent condition. Better to pick on the 1000watt stereo/baseball hat brigade and leave normal people alone!
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Oh AS, can I ask you to take the blinkers off.
What if.....
Someone has put the bubble against him of having a shooter/ drugs in the car and they turned it over but rather than blow the game away decided to do a RT Check. There are some Computor Analyists and even Teachers who are bit suss.(TIC).OK PU I know a Notice under PACE but do you need one for a RTC?
1,000 and one reasons I can think of and pretty serious if it takes 3.
Don't believe all you read in the Media. BBC had it on the News last night the speeding Ambulance Driver with the transplant was STOPPED by the Police. WE all know it was an SC don't we.
Vehicle on the road outside the house?. Then sorry vehicle using the road and wipers/washers need to be maintained in good and efficient working order. (Reg 35(6) MV Con & use Regs 1986)
DVD
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I don't know about the loose battery connection, or how the police would test it - sure it wasn't a loose battery? MoT fail point, BUT anyone who lets their screenwash run dry can't be doing their weekly checks and therefore can't be taking their motoring seriously, can they?
Apparently one of our esteemed moderators expects his car to run for thousands of miles without lifting the bonnet, but he's surely the exception. If I knew how to work the search thingy I would post a link; I think the thread was called "Do we mollycoddle our cars?" or some such.
Anyway, let's hope this is the thin end of the wedge and police will soon be fining car owners with dangerous bodywork damage, tailgating, not signalling and all the other offences that annoy us so much.
Hawkeye
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Stranger in a strange land
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>>.. If I knew how to work the search thingy I would post a link; ...>>
thread was actually called "Do we molly-coddle cars?"
here it is:
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=9193
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And here was me thinking mollycoddle was all one word ...
Thanks eMBe
Hawkeye
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Stranger in a strange land
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OK, with my blinkers off I can spell Computer and Analyst, even without the benefit of any legal training. If the whole event was so secret and looking for things other than an unfilled washer bottle how did it get into the Daily Telegraph in the first place and why wasn't it announced as part of a crackdown on guns and drugs? This is the sort of action the public wants and if the police are doing it I would have thought that they would want the public to know about it. Vehicle parked on drive OFF road? No need to comply with any rule other than SORN if applicable?
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The Telegraph, just like the Sun, prints what it's readers want to read. Just a different sort of 'shock, horror' story. The reporter might not be lying, just omitting a few relevant details.
As for the reported event - this sort of thing happens fairly often around my neck of the woods. (Housing estate ??). Criminals don't catch the bus these days, they use a car.
A few months ago the police raided a flat in the block in which I live and several of them spent a couple of hours inspecting the car of the local drug dealer. A couple of days later the dealer was complaining about the police leaving his car interior untidy. (Good newspaper story ?)
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Armitage, as I said, they made a pig's ear of it. A housing estate is an area with a large number of houses eg residential area.
The sort of place where I live and I never ever see a police car or plod on foot and where people have untaxed cars, half built cars at side of road, the same road that they think the normal rules do not apply re speeds, seatbelts etc.
As i sais their actions bit them badly and I hope there will be a few knuckles rapped at the least, but the fact that they had actually set out to look at cars parked up in areas that they would not normally go, can only be a bonus.
And if they could catch some mobile discos on the way that would be a bonus!
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Caught a strange little story in the Telegraph on Saturday.
Some quiet guy no police record, no motoring convictions, nothing, owns an 11 year old Cavalier. One day three police officers knock on his door and demand to check over his car parked on his drive. They spend 1 1/2 hours doing this and then issue a fixed penalty (£60 and 3 points) fine for having an empty window washer bottle.
Homeowner thinks its a joke at first then realises they are serious. Matter referred to local paper whereupon police drop the penalty notice.
Now as I say this was in Saturday's (18th november 2003) Telegraph so I assume the story was checked and is true but even by the wierd standards of today this is strange.
Does anyone know what this was all about by any chance?
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Thommo, check the 'I dont believe it' post
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See earlier "I don't believe it" thread. Regular contributors have got a bit of raised blood pressure over this one!
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He is probably an 'enemy of the establishment'.
Other examples are the Paddington Train Disaster Survivor's Group who have had similar experiences or another example would be influential members of non-establishment political parties such as BNP and UKIP, at the other end of the scale, I suppose you could cite Dr David Kelly.
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I disagree. People who recklessly allow their washer bottles run out of water are a menace to society and should be rounded up and dealt with severely. I personally would pay two hundred pounds for my road tax if I thought it would help fund sensible policies like this.
I'll be right back - men in white coats at the door.
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If the car was on the driveway and not in use on the road, what right do the police have to prosecute ?
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Sooty Tailpipes, thanks for your input. Do you remember the man who stood up to the Canterbury Council and their Parking Attendants? He started a jokey website concerning the Canterbury Clowns and was hassled by the council and the police until he firstly, moved the site to a Russian ISP to protect his rights to free speech and freedom of expression (!!!!), and secondly closed it down altogether. The council got so paranoid that they put grilles over their mirror glass windows and he asked them if they had got planning permission for this work. Answer NO, red faces and more harrassment. In the end he had to get on with life in the real world and he gave up.
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Canterbury Clowns - The Final Story
1. \'Canterbury Clowns\' Site Closed Down - Again!
On 18 September Mr X announced that he
had, once again, felt compelled to close down the
Canterbury Parking Clowns web site whilst he
sought legal advice. This followed a call from an
officer from the Kent constabulary who advised that
he was acting on behalf of a senior officer \'who was
concerned about the site\'s content.\'
Publicly the police denied any interference. For this
reason Mr X refused to meet them and asked them
to put their concerns in writing.
Apologising to those who appreciated the site, and
particularly to the seventy businesses in Canterbury
who gave it their support, Mr X said: \"I need to
ascertain what freedom I have to publish a web site
without having to first check out every bit of
material posted on it with the police.\"
On 24 September Mr X received eighteen offers to
host the site in USA, three in Canada, one NZ and
one in Mexico! The site is now hosted in the USA
at: http:/jnantz.redback.inificad.com/canterbury.
(There is a link from the ParkingTicket home page.)
Last time the site was closed down news spread
around the net resulting in it receiving over
2,000,000 hits.
From a legal standpoint Mr X is no longer
connected with the Canterbury Parking Clowns
website. This means any future police enquiries will
have to be pursued in the USA!
This is an amazing story that gives credence to the
view that the police can\'t catch criminals so they
now try and criminalise those they can catch.
No more Mr X ing names please, just to be on the safe side. Ta,
ND
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AS
With respect and I hope no spelling mistakes, may I take you up on some issues in the above post.
Firstly, as I understand it, Sec of State for Transport in the Road Traffic Act 1991 (S43 and Schedule 4) put the responsibility on Local Authorities to implement parking schemes within their areas. Section 44 gave authority for enforcement through Parking Attendants, thus removing the authority for such matters from Police hands.
As far as Canterbury is concerned that LA have implemented various Orders such as The Road Traffic (Permitted Parking Area and Special Parking Area)(County of Kent)(District of Thanet) Order 1999 (Stat Instrument 3400 and another at 3401 of 1999).So parking matters should not be a Police issue as some would think.
I would therefore suggest that Police are not involved in parking matters as such unless a serious obstruction is encountered whilst on patrol.
As to why the Police would warn the Web Site originator I can give no explanation unless there was a near infringement of criminal law of which without considerable research I am not au fait with.
As to Police not tackling crime I will say this. There are good and bad in every organisation, efficient and in efficient officers. Balance with what you say the fact that the number of criminals in our Prisons are at record levels and an all time high. These are not all Council Tax Non Payers. It would therefore suggest to me that despite the chains and shackles of bureaucracy (is that right?), of which the majority of the public have no conception of, that are imposed on our boys in blue, they must be getting something right.
Finally on speeding, can I reiterate what I, MLC and Full Chat have said in the past. The majority of Police are against the proliferation of SC?s but not at the apparent cavalier attitude to the offence demonstrated by some. Because of this we have seen too many mangled bodies, destroyed lives etc. that thankfully many of you have not seen or been involved with. That attitude of it won?t happen to me is prevalent and the three of us know different. It does and it will.
You may have picked up that where possible I try and give some insight into/defend my former occupation whose big fault is lack of communication. I am proud to have served the public. Likewise as ex RAFP, I also have high regard for that service despite the tales I could tell what went on with O.O?s and in the Officers Mess.
Lets both agree that there are no angels but we can strive to be.
DVD
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Can I politely take issue with quite a few people in this thread?
We've directly identified an individual and then made suggestions about potential suspicions/associations of a criminal nature.
I think that spells the end of tnis thread.
Over to you, Mr Moderator.
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Can I politely take issue with quite a few people in this thread? We\'ve directly identified an individual and then made suggestions about potential suspicions/associations of a criminal nature. I think that spells the end of tnis thread. Over to you, Mr Moderator.
I prefer \"Moderator Bloke\", but Mr Moderator is fine ;o)
Most of the above is already in the public domain, however to be on the safe side the name has been removed.
ND
ps. Folks, can we try not to turn the Back Room into the AGM of the ACAB society? If you don\'t know what ACAB is, you\'re unlikely to want to be a member of said group and probably don\'t need to know. Suffice to say I don\'t think all police are pink fluffy dice
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DVD - you may like to take a look at these articles from the surprisingly reliable TheRegister:
www.theregister.co.uk/content/archive/26104.html and
However, the police became involved and warned the site's owner that the publication of the photos is deemed an offence under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997.
Police also warned that the widespread use of the term "Parking Clowns" to describe the traffic wardens is also unsatisfactory since it could lead to a "breach of the peace and possible violence".
The offence is presumably 'engaging in a course of conduct likely to cause harrassment' (or words to that effect, I'm quoting from memory) which is a very broad offence that prosecutors obviously don't like to use. As for a breach of the peace - I'm afraid I find that idea laughable.
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Thanks DavidHM
Very interesting, both criminal and civil remedy.
www.tinyurl.com/st71
DVD
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Sorry, not motoring related, but I just don't think politics is working any more. The more people who take this sort of action, embarassing public bodies, the sooner I think we will regain some form of normality in this country.
Power To The People, as Citizen Smith would say from the top of his tank (tenuous motoring link as it was on a public road?)
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I must be setting myself up as an 'enemy of the establishment'. My recent complaint to GMP about yet another 2 untaxed police vehicles was responded to with an email saying that they were taxed and the discs were on display. They apologised when I sent them the photographic proof that they weren't.
Am up to 10 now, and it gives me great satisfaction to get a call from the police thanking me for bringing their ineffieciency to their attention.
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Belated apologies for posting an item that had already been covered. I really should read other threads before I do so.
Is my face red...
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