Interesting article in today's Mail regarding the police and how they have behaved in certain unrelated incidents. One story relates how a guy fired a water pistol through an open window of a passing police van, whereby annoyed officer get's out sprays the dangerouse felon with cs gas and gives him a foulmouthed, er mouthful. All witnessed by Joe Public apparently.
Which brings me neatly to my point. Going to work on Wednesday at 4:40a.m. on the M60, travelling along at 80mph I was hauled over. I was over the limit so I am not going to defend myself. What I was not prepared for was the tirade of expletives the nice officer spouted forth. He goes on about how I was wasting his time as he had had to leave an area that was being watched as thieves were targeting Mondeo's - the very car I was in co-incidentally - and one could very well be being stolen as he spoke and it was my fault. All this was accompanied by plenty of effing and jeffing. The talking to culminates in several threats, i.e. I know where you live (obvious really, with access to the DVLA database), I will take your licence off you (How?) and plenty more swearing.
Now, I suppose I should be grateful, as he could very well have given me a ticket but his behaviour really struck a nerve. Obviously a charm school element is not part of the police training but I am sure if I had responded with similar language, I would have been cuffed and stuffed in to a van before I could say boo to a goose.
Now several of you will say stick to the limit and you will not fall foul of the law. But surely they have certain standards of behaviour they should apply when dealing with the public? After all they are under enough pressure as it is without alienating the public in general.
Or am I missing the point completely?
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Or am I missing the point completely?
Could be.
I've found it's when they call you 'sir' that you have to quake in your boots.
Speaking as someone who's had my passenger door wrenched open, suffered a tirade from the law, had it slammed again, drove off, then realised how luckey I had been....
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Well Dave, without commenting on your own particular incident but the one you describe where someone used the water pistol I could understand the reaction of the Policeman. Anything resembling a pistol would have given the occupants of the Police vehicle a nasty fright. In some counties he may well have got a response from a real weapon so I can have no sympathy for him.
Policemen are after all only humans like the rest of us and the standards required and expected are bound to slip occasionally.
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They should treat us with respect, because they should be treated with respect themselves.
Hence the idiot with the water pistol asked for what he got. As alvin said, they are only human.
You didn't ask for it. Mind you, I'd rather that than a ticket.
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I'd have found out who the constables duty inspector was and asked the inspector how long such langauge has been acceptable. The police need the support of the public, calling them pink fluffy dice is not going to get Joe Public on their side.
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I read often, only post occasionally
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>>I've found it's when they call you 'sir' that you have to quake in your boots.
Blimey the day they call me 'sir', I really will be quaking in my boots, and so, I should imagine, will everyone that knows me. ;)
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When confonted with a riposte from the fairer sex, as usualm I'm lost for words.
(Story of my life) :)
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HF, you've just reminded me of something that happened many years ago, when I was but a callow youth ...
After finishing my first year at college in 1991, I was desperate for a job and was eventually glad to get a job "selling lines". Four of us used to be driven to various parts of the country to walk up and down the streets of a different town every day. What we did was ask people to pay a pound to the charity in exchange for the chance to win a car. I now know that I was one of the first "chuggers", charity muggers, the person who stops people in the street and asks them to support a particular charity by donating money etc. If I'd known then what I know now, etc ...
Anyway, back to the story. One day we were somewhere in darkest Westmeath (middle of Ireland) and I was approached by a relatively elderly person. "Excuse me madam, would you like to support the XYZ Trust?", quoth I. Then I immediately said "Oh, I'm so sorry sir", having spotted the substantial whiskers on the chin and above the mouth. Then "Oh, sorry" again, as I realised, thanks to the housecoat, the skirt, and the Mrs Doyle stockings, that my first instinct had been correct. At this stage, I was too confused to carry on with my spiel and the indeterminate pensioner carried on its way.
Moral: if you're in Thailand, and you see someone and you're not sure of the gender, it's probably a man. However, if you're in Ireland, and you see someone and you're not sure of the gender, it's probably a woman .... 8-0
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andymc
Vroom, vroom - mmm, doughnuts ...
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Out of interest, are you 100% it was a real copper? Just thinking it may have been some joker trying his hand at impersonation....
If he was 'real', why did he have to really leave his post? How many other speeders will have him called away from his watch? How many Mondeos are there out there?
Just strikes me that if this guy was real, he was a little wet behind the ears to say the least.
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He was watching thieves on a motorway? Was he in a marked police vehicle?
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Saw this on the local news and I'd agree with Alvin's comments re:guns.
The water pistol incident happened in Stanhope in County Durham. It's not two weeks ago that another officer was shot in Dipton, County Durham by some brain donor with an air rifle. That officer wound up in hospital having surgery to remove the pellot lodged in his cheek.
So if CS gas is the result of pointing anything like a gun at an officer of the law, then the gun pointer is getting off lightly. In some countries, the officer may well have had good cause to "reasonably defend himself".
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Lee
MINI adventure in progress
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Oh dear Dave....... Plod can do no right.
He is often accused of being old fashioned and when he tries to update and use the language of modern society you berate him?
He didn't ticket you but made sure you remember that stop for the future.
The was a programme on cooking on TV recently and if you removed every expletive then it was a silent programme. Likewise on National Service where the language was ripe to say the least.
Have you complained about that Dave for it was beamed right into your living room?
Re the water pistol incident, the idiot nearly caused an accident by his stupid behaviour and when an attempt to quiet rightly arrest him was met with resistance and intervention of parents this then became a public order situation requiring CS gas to quell. All because of a brainless adult playing with a kids water gun.
DVD
PS. No I do not support bad language. It is offensive.
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If that idiot had done that in the Philippines he'd be lying in the morgue now with a couple of 9 mm slugs where his brain would have been if he'd had one. He's lucky he only got a few bad words and a ticking off.
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An ordinary police officer only has a truncheon, perhaps CS gas, body armour and his hands with which to defend himself.
If some idiot pulls out a "gun" you don't ask questions first, you take immediate action. The police officer is not to know if it is real or a replica.
Many people have also been up in arms about the driving instructor being brought up in court because he drove through a pool of water and splashed another officer.
True the officer and CPS's reaction was perhaps over the top, but it is an offence although one very rarely brought to prosecution these days.
Credit goes to the officer, in fact, for actually knowing his traffic regulations...:-)
Most people aren't aware that there are more than 2,000 somewhat obscure traffic laws that can be unwittingly broken and for which drivers used to be prosecuted at one time, such as reversing an unreasonable distance.
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I left my karate lesson last night, which is held at the local ice skating rink/leisure centre, there is a wide walkway that leads into town along the side of it, there were 2 police men there keeping the local youth in check. As we came out we saw this policeman yelling and giving the sort of "come and 'av it" stance normally associated with football hooligans.
He was really going into one at these kids, no more than about 15/16 yr olds, yes dont get me wrong most of them these days are trouble making little urchins but how are they going to learn if the law goes around acting like that???
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You have no idea what's gone on beforehand nor the past 'history' of the lovable little rogues.
I'm only defending it because I want to be a cop myself!
Adam
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If only they were still able to give them a clip round the ear.
Many of society's problems might be solved.
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With reference to that driving instructor - in my opinion he got what he deserved. It doesn't make it clear in the papers but he soaked this poor policeman and then drove on, even though he realised. He only stopped and apologised when another officer pulled him over further up the road.
I don't know about you, but if I'd just soaked a policeman, I'd have been out like a shot to say sorry. Then I'd have got him a cup of coffee from somewhere to warm him up, and apologised again. I think they came down so heavily on him because he just drove straight on.
If it had been just anyone, I probably wouldn't have stopped unless it was a little old lady; they might hit me.
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Lady Stripey manages a small shop in the town centre. Recently, a chap rushed in asked to use the phone to call the police, because a man was being assaulted outside.
What had happened was than an85-year old had been sitting in his car outside, with his wife, when someone else reversed into his car. He got out to discuss the magtter and was promptly knocked to the ground and beaten by the young hero concerned.
The police declined to come out, on the grounds that they 'had no car available' *even though the police station is 100 yards from the scene!* Instead, they asked the informant to take the victim home (!) and they would visit him in a day or two for a statement if someone would kindly get his address.
No-one would leave a desk or the canteen to help. More to the point, this being the centre of a small town, there used to be a copper on the beat, a radio call away. So much for coppers on the beat nit being the efficient way of doing things.
This could have ended up as a murder case, yet as a direct consequence of police inaction the violent driver, who from his conduct could well have been drunk, was allowed to continue on his away. Nothing more was heard about it.
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As this thread has strayed from motoring into general comments regarding plod....
Thread locked.
DD.
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