My wife recently took on a new pupil, a lad who works as a cashier in our local BP filling station. During the course of conversation she asked him why the two outer lanes to the pumps were often coned off. He told her that the security cameras could not pick up those lanes, so unless it was busy they were shut in order to discourage drive-offs.
She jokingly said that now she knew that, she would know which lane to use if she wanted to do a runner without paying. His reply astonished her, when he said that she could drive off from any lane and get away with it, as the cameras could pick out her registration number but were not sharp enough to show an identifiable facial image without enhancement. The police attiude was that the case would fail if they could not prove who was in the car, and they did not have time to spend enhancing the photo, so they never took action!
They take the trouble to find out who was driving at 36mph on a straight empty road though, and bearing in mind that the thieving scum responsible for drive-offs are probably niether taxed or insured, it shows an alarming lack of priorities.
If the Top Cops ever sit and wonder why they are held in contempt by many of their traditional supporters - The middle aged middle classes - instances like the above should make them think.
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Interestingly they not only have to prove that you did it, and not only that you intended to do it, but that also you intentionally did it to try to avoid paying.
Because you put the petrol in the tank before you pay, you are paying off a civil debt. Therefore, unless they can prove fraud or intent to avoid, there isn't much that can be done.
e.g. you could say "goodness, did I forget ? In that case I'll go straight back down and pay now" and they're stuffed.
That's why the phrase warning you about having the means to pay is worded so strangely.
Proof of Intent is also why it is unlikely that you will be prosecuted for stealing a car, unless you sell it or were taking it apart - theft act says " with intention to deprive the owner permanently thereof"
Therefore joyriding is not theft. hence UT offences.
Next time you genuinely forget to take your wallet and can't pay, go in and give them your name and address and politely tell them the situation. However, tell them to naff off if they threaten you with the law or insist on a deposit or whatever. In fact, if you are genuine and they are rude, take your time about paying as well. They can only sue you in the Small Claims Court and that takes forever.
Guess what I did for a degree...................
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Just goes to confirm what we already know. When the police have financially driven targets (sorry, performance indicators) to meet it is cheaper to deal with a lot of motorists with an automated camera, from which they keep some money than to get out and deal with shoplifting, burglary, car theft etc. Don't let me give the impression that I think it the police's fault, look at the number injured in Oldham etc. However the men at the top want 'crimes' cleared up so fixed penalty tickets and speed cameras are the way to go.
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So would it be feasible to say, when the speeding ticket asks who was driving, to write "I couldn't say for certain who was driving- I couldn't even say what day of the week [such and such a date] was without looking at a calendar"?
Rob
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Don't talk to me about drive offs - they used to cost a fortune. Now invested in
better CCTV and it tailed off overnight, some other poor suckers get hit now.
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Looking at the crime statistics for our local division in order to circulate them round the neighbourhood watch I have been staggered how many drive offs are reported from just one station.
For ages I have thought its just a matter of time before we end up with the system as in the "good" not very ole USofA where you pay before you pump, or at least they take a card imprint or similar.
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Actually just another version of drive off, a mate had some ally and stainless scrap nicked from the yard at his industrial unit last year. Got a description of the car, driver, reg no etc etc, and while he didn't expect an armed response vehicle with all blues and twos going he expected a bit better than a Panda complete with spotty constable fresh out of school three days later. Considering this is in the depths of East Anglia surrounded by b***** all I suppose three days was pretty good thinking of Tony Martin.
After he had made his statement said constable said they knew exactly who it was, some didicoy from Leicestershire. So! asked my mate. No action is the result.
I do try very very hard to support the police, as you might have noticed, but I also despair at times, I'm sure whoever thought up the acronym PACE is a right joker.
BTW please dont let this thread become another rant from the anti-police mob its getting tedious as nothing original is hardly ever said.
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Cheaper, why, cos they've eliminated the human element - where the hell are we going ?
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I think that the scro*ts know which garages to target, I started suffering when some flash operations in the area opened up and I had to upgrade security here.
The 24 hr operations seem to suffer more - I believe that the quality of staff has a lot to do with it pay peanuts etc etc. One of the lads here actually chased after one - I stopped him doing that. All the same he descended on a poor woman who was filling up yesterday. She had "lost" her front plate and he smelt
a rat. She ended up buying a new plate as well. He likes working lates so I am happy to oblige him, worth his weight in gold. It does pee you off though, a good drive off can net £40.00 worth of goods.
In fact plod have a good hit rate on them around here, as they try and link it to more serious stuff, like drugs and thefts from and of cars. Another thing if I have the plate no. and no evidene of a crime did you know that DVLA will give you owner details for the price of a pint if you show them "good cause"...
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There is a strange anomaly in the law.
If you suffer a bad debt, and driving off without paying would come in this category, you can reclaim the VAT which you lost on the purchase, but you cannot reclaim the (in the case of fuel) much higher amount of excise duty.
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Soon we're going to have lift-up barriers with spikes underneath that rise out of the ground to stop drive offs. Or we go back to filling station attendants. Or American style credit card prepayment pumps.
HJ
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HJ in transit in KL wrote:
>
Or American style
> credit card prepayment pumps.
Like the unattended Esso petrol station in Hazel Grove, outside Stockport.
You have to feed a machine notes or use a credit card.
The diesel is about a penny cheaper than the going rate though!
/John
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