On many a journey, especially on a motorway, I have witnessed dangerous driving, poor loading on lorries and debris on the carriageway. Why can't the police have a direct emergency number to their traffic controls. Calling 999 clogs up the system and 9 times out of 10 you are put on hold. Having a direct number to a traffic police control could assist in making the motorways safer for all of us. And with the carnage caused by hard shoulder collisions, I don't wish to use the road side telephones.
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It's not the Police's job these days, it's the motorway wombles.
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There was a grand idea of a national non-emergency number. I believe that this Grand Idea foundered after a substantial spend on the usual bureaucratic fumblings of HMG.
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When did you last see regular police traffic patrols on motorways to respond to such incidents??
Problem with motorways is the distance that is travelled very quickly by offending vehicles and the proximity of patrols at the relevant junctions
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Fullchat
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Could have done with something more rapid than 999 when we passed two small boys, between 6-9 years old, happily pushing bikes along the hard shoulder on the M3 last year.
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But please tell me you didn't just drive on?
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Yeah, but if you stopped you'd probably be picked up by the police yourself for being alone with 2 small kids away from their parents.
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Not to mention stopping on a motorway without the authorization of a police officer.
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I programmed the local forces in from this list ...
Avon & Somerset Constabulary 0845 4567000
Bedfordshire Police 01234 841212
Cambridgeshire Constabulary 0845 456 456 4
Cheshire Constabulary 0845 458 0000
City of London Police 020 7601 2222
Cleveland Police 01642 326326.
Cumbria Constabulary 01768 891999
Derbyshire Constabulary 0845 123 33 33
Devon & Cornwall Constabulary 08452 777444
Dorset Police 01305 22 22 22
Durham Constabulary 0845 60 60 365
Dyfed Powys Police / Heddlu Dyfed Powys 0845 330 2000
Essex Police 10 Areas - check your local one
Gloucestershire Constabulary 0845 090 1234
Grampian Police0845 600 5700
Greater Manchester Police 0161 872 5050
Gwent Police / Heddlu Gwent 01633 838111
Hampshire Constabulary 0845 045 4545
Hertfordshire Constabulary 0845 3300 222
Humberside Police 0845 60 60 222
Kent Police 01622 690690
Lancashire Constabulary 0845 1 25 35 45
Leicestershire Constabulary 0116 222 2222
Lincolnshire Police 01522 532222
Merseyside Police 0151 709 6010
Metropolitan Police Service ?
New Scotland Yard switchboard on 020 7230 1212
Norfolk Constabulary 0845 456 4567
Northamptonshire Police 01604 700700
Northumbria Police 6 Different areas - you'll need to look up the right ones
North Wales Police / Heddlu Gogledd Cymru 0845 607 1002
North Yorkshire Police 0845 60 60 247
Nottinghamshire Police: City 0115 9482999, Bassetlaw, Newark and Sherwood 01909 500999 Mansfield & Ashfield 01623 420999 South Nottinghamshire0115 9400999
South Wales Police Eastern Area: 029 2022 2111, Central Area: 01656 655 555, Western area: 01792 456 999
South Yorkshire Police 01142 202020
Staffordshire Police 08453 30 20 10
Suffolk Constabulary 01473 613500
Surrey Police 0845 125 22 22
Sussex Police 0845 60 70 999
Thames Valley Police 0845 8 505 505
Warwickshire Police 01926 415000
West Mercia Constabulary 08457 444888
West Midlands Police 0845 113 5000
West Yorkshire Police 0845 6060606
Wiltshire Constabulary 01380 735735
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0845 - so it will cost up to 20p per minute to ring them and you can't use 'free' minutes. Robbing dogs.
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I assume that such a national non-emergency number to report road matters is possible, as we have *555 that seems to work. I haven't had to use it, but it does get advertised and there are notices up on roadsides.
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Use the roadside Emergency box??
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It's often not an emergency, just an emergency looking for somewhere to happen.
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Ringing the non emergency numbers is a non starter. Nothing will happen for hours.
If its important enough for you to consider phoning the police it will be important enough for a 999 call. If its not that important then keep your nose out of it.
For major debris on the motorway I will (and have) stop on the hard shoulder and phone from a box as it pinpoints the postion. Any copper wants to consider nicking me for stopping on the hard houlder can discuss it in court in front of the mag.
The kids is a classic case in point. stop on the hard shoulder at the next phone and fone it through.
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And I dream Im on vacation - cos I like the way that sounds -
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"For major debris on the motorway I will (and have) stop on the hard shoulder and phone from a box as it pinpoints the postion. Any copper wants to consider nicking me for stopping on the hard houlder can discuss it in court in front of the mag."
Rule 280 of the Highway Code under Motorway Driving in the section on Obstructions states:
"Motorways: On a motorway do not try to remove the obstruction yourself. Stop at the next emergency telephone and call the Highways Agency or the Police."
Thus there would seem to be no way anyone would be penalised for simply stopping to report an obstruction on the motorway. Any debris on a motorway is extremely dangerous especially to motorcyclists.
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Of course not Nsar. I was travelling at speed so slowed and pulled off at the junction just beyond where we saw the boys, while other half called 999 to report. Travelled back on t'other side then back up again - boys had gone. There was a housing estate just above the motorway which we could see as we re-traced steps, so presumably that is where they came from - hopefully not a regular short-cut.
My comment for wanting a quicker contact with traffic police was that we were off the motorway and back on the other side before we got to the police operator. We did not see any response to the call - in view of David's comments, perhaps just as well or we would have been done for a. stalking children b. driving too slowly.
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If I see debris on the road I'll call 999 from my mobile (or get a passenger to do it).
Never been told off yet.
Last bit I rang about was a piece of 4x2 laying in middle of the outside lane of the A27 a couple of weeks ago.
They can decide what they do with the information.
Chris
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>>If I see debris on the road I'll call 999 from my mobile (or get a passenger to do it).
>>They can decide what they do with the information.
>>
Exactly what I do.
A couple of years I stopped on an A road in Northants to report debris.
I had an interesting conversation. I knew the number of the road, direction I was pointing and added the details of a road sign ahead on a slip road.
I had a great deal of difficulty is getting it through that I was a stranger to the area and had no more info.
A few days later I had a " how was the call handled?" ) customer follow up from them.
I always state the reason for the call, on making first contact, to give them a chance to prioritise or recognise that the event had already been reported. They still insist in following the script.
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They still insist in following the script.>>
Yes, I've felt the frustration of this after dialling 999 when I came across a chap in the act of ending it all via a hopepipe attached to his exhaust. "Yes, and what is he doing with the hosepipe" and "what's he wearing" and "yes, what colour jumper is that" and "what colour trousers". Although unfamiliar with the area, I could describe the precise location (well, to 10 metres) using an 8-fig grid ref and a detailed OS map - but I may as well have been speaking Chinese to the operator.
When I came across an obviously-stolen, large white van, I was able to phone the owners because their name/phone no. was on the side of the van. However, if I'd come across a stolen vehicle with no indication of the owner, I wouldn't know how to inform the police - 999 would clearly be inappropriate. Anyone know the answer to this, or is the best thing simply to ignore it?
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