Why are all the Cops arrogant wee boys these days?

Jimbo1959

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Why does it seem that all the cops these days are arrogant wee boys? Does it mean I've finally gotten old?
More to the point, why are they condescending, know it all's, with a serious attitude problem and no manners? :rolleyes:
I was out in my car when, due to unfortunate circumstances, got caught short, consequently I was driving faster than I normally would or should. However needs must as they say.
As I joined the motorway an unmarked Police car pulled alongside, I didn't "make" him and when he eventually pulled back in, I passed him rapidly, as I had, had the five minute warning with a ten minute drive in front of me. :(
Following the advanced driving techniques that I have been taught, I made progress, only to see him in my rear view mirror, pull out and gain on me. As we approached the roundabout where I had to cut off, I indicated, and braked, when he ID'd himself by putting on his "blues". :eek:
I pulled over and stopped when it was safe to do so.
Out gets this 'kid' (approx 30 years old) and his partner, a more mature man in his 40's I'd say.
The kid starts giving me dogs abuse about speeding and how it's shocking and dangerous the speed I was doing.
I try to politely tell him my reason but, he's not listening as basically, he's gone off on one. I can't even get out of the car as my stomach cramps are so bad. Senior copper notices my obvious discomfort and seems to twig that I'm legit and rather in need to be somewhere else quickly. At that point Junior answers his radio/phone, not sure what it was about, something I didn't catch (being somewhat preoccupied), and tells me how "I'm the luckiest guy in the world right then because, they have to answer an urgent call immediately" Senior nods to me and tells me "to be a little more careful please" and they both get into their car as quickly as they can and speed off. I do likewise.
Fortunately I made it home without having an accident (sic).
Now I know that they are only doing their job and they are not mind readers but, why do you always get Richard Cranium when you need Mr. Helpful?
Oh, and thank you God, (insert your deity of choice) I hope that the "emergency" was not too serious, and no one was the victim of anything unpleasant. ;)
 

rifiki

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Lack of training and lower stabdards?
 

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I have no time for the police they are in a world of there own speeding in there own cars and getting away with it as they as they look after each other.
I went shopping with my wife a few years ago and she forgot something so I stayed outside the shop when she went back in to get what she had for got,I am outside hands full with shopping bags when a plod tells me I am loitering, I try to explain that I am waiting for my wife to come out of shop but he said if I didn't move on he would arrest me,I think his partner must have said no the night before
 

wivenhoe

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I have no time for the police they are in a world of there own speeding in there own cars and getting away with it as they as they look after each other.
I went shopping with my wife a few years ago and she forgot something so I stayed outside the shop when she went back in to get what she had for got,I am outside hands full with shopping bags when a plod tells me I am loitering, I try to explain that I am waiting for my wife to come out of shop but he said if I didn't move on he would arrest me,I think his partner must have said no the night before
I approached a mini roundabout in the correct lane when a car tried to speed through in the wrong lane and was going to cut in ahead of me - I thought bo**ocks to letting him in so just turned left and kept him out - he then roared past (30mph limit) and indicated and pulled over. I pulled up behind him and out he got and came towards the car. All 6’ 2” and 20 stone of me got out and he slowed his approach. I noticed he had a young lady in his car so suspected him showing off. He said he was an off duty policeman and started to lecture me. I asked for sight of his warrant card as I wanted to report him - I made a great gesture of taking his reg number and he then quietened down and tried to end the conversation by saying don’t do it again. I thought only way to sort a bully was a bit of bullying myself so I followed him to his car and in front of his young lady explained how the arrows in the road define which lane to use and he couldn’t be a real policeman as there was clearly something wrong with his vision. He went red but very humorously his young lady showed her warrant card and said he drove like a complete tw*t ! Job done.
 

Craiglxviii

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Likely 80% of the Heddlu are decent guys who want to put their graft in and make a difference. You met one of the 20%.

The fact remains that the police enforce the law at the behest and sufferance of the population, and they are beholden to exactly the same laws that they enforce on we proles.

Search “UK police fails” on YouTube for an in depth study of this phenomenon. It’s scary.
 

vtaylor78

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Seems as though the Coppers of police Scotland have a bit of a chip on their shoulders Jimbo ?.
Should of took a $hit in his hat and punched it !
 

Andy.M

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Am I the only one who has respect for the police?

My not very frequent contact with the police has all been positive, even a telling off for speeding on my motorbike!
 

geraldrobins

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I agree with Andy and have no issues with the police and in my encounters they have always been polite and efficient
If the OP was speeding and didn't get booked he was lucky.
 
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Craiglxviii

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Am I the only one who has respect for the police?

My not very frequent contact with the police has all been positive, even a telling off for speeding on my motorbike!
Loads of respect for them. The ones I have no respect for are those who consider themselves beyond the public or above the law. Unfortunately in this day and age of YouTube etc. they are now much more readily seen than even twenty years ago!
 

LostKiwi

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My experience of the police is mixed. Much like the general population you get good ones and bad ones. One of the good ones (in my eyes) is one of our closest friends (he's Lincolnshire based so not someone I'd see every day in his work role). Some of the tales he tells me of not just his experiences with the public but also some of his colleagues is quite mind blowing.
And therein lies a problem for the police - they spend all their lives predominantly dealing with the riff raff of society - the ones who feel its ok to thump people, wander the streets boozed out of their brains throwing up everywhere, peeing in doorways and yelling, stealing from anyone who doesn't lock their door etc all the while having the budgets cut and the workload increased. This would challenge most people to remain civil at all times.
 

rorywquin

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I have no time for the police they are in a world of there own speeding in there own cars and getting away with it as they as they look after each other.
I went shopping with my wife a few years ago and she forgot something so I stayed outside the shop when she went back in to get what she had for got,I am outside hands full with shopping bags when a plod tells me I am loitering, I try to explain that I am waiting for my wife to come out of shop but he said if I didn't move on he would arrest me,I think his partner must have said no the night before

Start your video phone, get his badge number and tell him you will sue his department for police harassment.

However IMO, the cops in the UK are generally pretty good. I have lived & travelled all over the world and can say the the UK cops are probably the best I've come across.
 

gramey

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Well after 30 years as just a uniform plod, 15 years of which were on traffic, and working as 'civvy b'stard' as we're affectionately referred to for the past 9 years here are my observations. First is whatever your reason for speeding generally they've heard them all before and it's frequently the case that people are not always honest as to their reasons. It takes some experience for the BS meter to become fully functional but with time and experience it tunes itself in so you can tell who the genuine ones are.

Secondly 'back in my day' as the saying goes attitude counted for a lot. I didn't expect anyone to doff their cap or call me sir, I was never likely to be knighted, just be honest and respectful, in other words treat me as they expected me to treat them.
It's fair to say that I let quite a few motorists off with words of advice at speeds where they should according to the guidelines gone to court or at least been given a ticket, it was called discretion.

Similarly a fair few sealed their fate with the first half a dozen words out of their mouth, a prime example being a motorcyclist I stopped at 99 mph on a dual carriageway. His first words were, and I quote "What have you stopped me for c**t, you should be out catching real criminals". Oh dear, words of advice straight out of the window, let's spend a little more time on this one. Licence check ok'ish already had 6 points, road tax nope didn't have that, MOT had that, insurance let's check that, oh dear he didn't have that either, we'll be taking your bike then.

A second example was a chap I stopped somewhat the wrong side of three figures again on a dual carriageway with light traffic out of rush hour. Very polite he explained that he worked for a large electronics company and was on is way to a hospital some 40 miles away as their CAT scanner had broken down, and produced the appropriate paperwork and array of parts for said machine. Had I reported him and sent him to court he stood a good chance of losing his licence and therefore possibly his job with a domino effect on public funds and impact on patients relying on the aforementioned electronics companies equipment to be fully functioning. So suitably chastised he continued his journey, at least within sight of me, at a greatly reduced pace.

It wasn't prejudice against the motorcyclists as I rode both my own and police motorcycles and being aware of the performance capabilities of high powered motorcycles so usually took this into account.

On another occasion one Boxing Day a young lad and his girlfriend going to see her parents had the misfortune to lose a front wheel from his ageing original VW Beetle, he or a garage had forgotten to tighten up the wheel nuts. So facing the cost of calling out a recovery on Boxing Day and it spoiling their Christmas I jumped back in my patrol and off I went. Back to my house where I knew I had a set of wheel bolts from a Golf GTi I'd owned. I returned making best progress where I could wheel bolts, torque wrench and small trolley jack in hand. In less time, and certainly less cost, than it would have taken to call a recovery for them they were on their way again, decent people who I was happy to go out of my way and help.

I actually only ever joined the police to pay my mortgage and bills after being made redundant from an engineering company shortly after getting married all those years ago. I think some join because they want to wear a uniform and massage their ego's, perhaps because they were bullied at school?

Also the job has changed, prior to the wicked witch selling the UK out to the EU via the back door she decimated the police leaving a reduced number of officers doing an ever increasing number of jobs. Still no need to be officious or obnoxious but a almost an entirely different job to the one I left almost 9 years ago.

Sorry for the long post just the ramblings of an ex rozzer ,who I like to think treated people as said how I expected them to treat me. :)
 

thebiglad

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Hi Gramey and thank you for explanation that treating people politely does pay. On the other side, if ever I'm pulled over and I know I'm in the wrong I just say so. I fess up and take my medicine - and often, most times actually - just get a telling off because I admit and accept I was in the wrong.

HOWEVER, a little while ago I was being followed VERY closely behind, by what turned out to be an off-duty gendarme with his young son. He ripped into me (whilst his son watched) about crossing a white line. When I could get a word in I explained to him that his aggressive driving was making me nervous so I wanted to get away from him before he cause a crash. I then got back in my car, somewhat shaken up, and drove away.

To get respect you have to give it, and if you are the one starting a conversation you set the scene of mutual respect or enmity.
 
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Jimbo1959

Jimbo1959

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Seems as though the Coppers of police Scotland have a bit of a chip on their shoulders Jimbo ?.
Should of took a $hit in his hat and punched it !

I have several friends who are plod and ex-plod (being one myself) whom I consider to be some of the finest human beings on earth. However as someone else has previously mentioned there are bad apples in every walk of life, or he could just have been having a bad night himself. However, I digress.
If this fellow had insisted I get out of the car at that moment there is a more than 99% chance I would have $hit myself for real. My Doc has been fiddling around with my diabetic pills trying to get my numbers to stabilise, however the new meds he's put me on have a terrible side effect of causing what diabetics call the "brown laser" and terrible cramps. When I have to go, I have to GO! I can think of nothing more humiliating than, being what is considered 'an adult' and then being forced by an inconsiderate, bad tempered, alleged adult, to defecate in ones under garments.
It's just not cricket old chap, as it says in the line below, and I do try to live by this credo.
 

peterws1957

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And therein lies a problem for the police - they spend all their lives predominantly dealing with the riff raff of society - the ones who feel its ok to thump people, wander the streets boozed out of their brains throwing up everywhere, peeing in doorways and yelling, stealing from anyone who doesn't lock their door etc all the while having the budgets cut and the workload increased. This would challenge most people to remain civil at all times.

Yep that is exactly the problem. Who would be a copper nowadays (and we have a brand new one living with us now). I think one problem is that some officers do not have the training, knowledge or life experience to be able to deal with people on different levels , so everyone gets the same treatment, appropriate or not. On the other hand I witnessed over a period of months some utterly appalling behaviour (all filmed by many people) by clearly special unit Police officers at a local protest site. I'm pretty liberal but it was totally disgusting and probably put the nail in the coffin of my belief that the Police are there to protect the public.
Not the fault of individual officers but the system itself.
 

rorywquin

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I was a part timer (with full police power, including carrying a firearm, doing about 40 hours / month for free). I found that there were those that hated cops and those that respected them - strangely the cop haters (you know the type) were usually the first to call for our assistance. As mentioned here, most cops are pretty good guys often, doing a really horrible job. Nothing worse than arriving at an accident with a family wiped out because some a%%hole thought that he was above the law on the road or was justified in speeding!

If you break the law take your medicine....
 

rorywquin

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............................................. My Doc has been fiddling around with my diabetic pills trying to get my numbers to stabilise, however the new meds he's put me on have a terrible side effect of causing what diabetics call the "brown laser" and terrible cramps..... When I have to go, I have to GO! ..............................

Should you have been out on the road driving?
 
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Jimbo1959

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I agree with Andy and have no issues with the police and in my encounters they have always been polite and efficient
If the OP was speeding and didn't get booked he was lucky.

Absolutely, I was very lucky, however, there is a broad spectrum of discretion involved in the job which equates to making choices in the grey areas that the police must deal with on a daily basis. I do not make a habit of speeding at that level, there were extenuating circumstances which the younger cop did not seem remotely interested in listening to. What would you have done in my shoes? Tried to make it home as quickly and as safely as you can or, just soil your garments? Not a pleasant choice, and I decided, to my mind, on the lesser of two evils.
 
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Jimbo1959

Jimbo1959

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Hi Gramey and thank you for explanation that treating people politely does pay. On the other side, if ever I'm pulled over and I know I'm in the wrong I just say so. I fess up and take my medicine - and often, most times actually - just get a telling off because I admit and accept I was in the wrong.

HOWEVER, a little while ago I was being followed VERY closely behind, by what turned out to be an off-duty gendarme with his young son. He ripped into me (whilst his son watched) about crossing a white line. When I could get a word in I explained to him that his aggressive driving was making me nervous so I wanted to get away from him before he cause a crash. I then got back in my car, somewhat shaken up, and drove away.

To get respect you have to give it, and if you are the one starting a conversation you set the scene of mutual respect or enmity.

I agree completely sir!
 

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