Number plate criminals - easy policing.

cleverdicky

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All number plate rules have been put on hold, there were loopholes.

This happened in April,,and the new laws are not in force.

You can read this at any MOT station

IMPORTANT

These are NOT laws, they are legal legislation. No more than a contractual obligation to abide by as a consequence for registering your vehicle.

Subsequent legislation has to be 'determined' once the EU take over fully (2010)
Probably what they're waiting for, because Britain's will no longer apply.
None of em will. :shock:
 

johnboy615

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mainly by women i have to say. in my experience anyways! (sorry ladies!) oh and plods on the hand held phone or police radio (hand operated on shoulder) whilst not wearing a seatbelt, exceeding speed limits in towns (and not on call outs) driving with defective vehicle lighting etc! i think that before they start persecuting other motorists, they should get their own house in order! :shock::shock::shock:

Well IF a police vehicle has defective lights then the officer driving is subject to the same laws of the land. Chances of them being prosecuted? Almost zero I agree but every police driver has to examine his car at the start of every shift. How many of us here check lights, oil, water and tyres before EVERY trip?
 

Alex M Grieve

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Well IF a police vehicle has defective lights then the officer driving is subject to the same laws of the land. Chances of them being prosecuted? Almost zero I agree but every police driver has to examine his car at the start of every shift. How many of us here check lights, oil, water and tyres before EVERY trip?

And how many of them do?
 
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HERBIEMERCMAN

HERBIEMERCMAN

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i have changed my plates now so i am whiter than white, if you don't like being taken down at the roaside then this is what you have to do.

if my grandsons ask me what is an easy well paid job ? then the traffic cop will be a top ten reccomendation. high pay, everything provided, driving arround in state of the art vehicles, you even get to go on rallye courses in jap evo's etc, many of them behaving like the kids they are chasing, somtimes with fatal consequences, mostly the kids, not them.

if there is a major pile up they are on the mobile phone, after blocking the road with their vehicle with all lights flashing,(rocket science), they contact the fire brigade, then the paramedics, then the breakdown removal, then the accident investigation team, then they walk about or sit in their new range rover or evo, what else can they do ?

if you can drive at speed,with the law backing your mistakes etc, use a computer number plate trace system and contact all services by phone, you can do the job.

it's not their fault, it's the powers that be, it's a cushy number, but won't last.

somone tell me what pressure they have ? don't tell me accidents on the motorway, they can look away and call up all services, which is what they do.

i cannot help seeing them in the same light as councillors, politicians and bank managers, they have a job for life, guaranteed income, pension and rewarded when they fail, they all have an inherant air of superiority, which as we all know, could not be further from the truth of what they put into life, and what they, at our expense, get out of it. herbiemercman.
 
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johnboy615

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And how many of them do?

I can honestly say that in nine years in the Met I never saw anyone who didn't check over their car before signing for it. If the next person on spotted a scratch or dent that you hadn't logged as last driver you were held responsible. Though you didn't pay directly for repairs you could find yourself busted back to foot patrol; a fate worse than death for all the fat panda drivers!!!
 

ncooper

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i have changed my plates now so i am whiter than white, if you don't like being taken down at the roaside then this is what you have to do.

if my grandsons ask me what is an easy well paid job ? then the traffic cop will be a top ten reccomendation. high pay, everything provided, driving arround in state of the art vehicles, you even get to go on rallye courses in jap evo's etc, many of them behaving like the kids they are chasing, somtimes with fatal consequences, mostly the kids, not them.

if there is a major pile up they are on the mobile phone, after blocking the road with their vehicle with all lights flashing,(rocket science), they contact the fire brigade, then the paramedics, then the breakdown removal, then the accident investigation team, then they walk about or sit in their new range rover or evo, what else can they do ?

if you can drive at speed,with the law backing your mistakes etc, use a computer number plate trace system and contact all services by phone, you can do the job.

it's not their fault, it's the powers that be, it's a cushy number, but won't last.

somone tell me what pressure they have ? don't tell me accidents on the motorway, they can look away and call up all services, which is what they do.

i cannot help seeing them in the same light as councillors, politicians and bank managers, they have a job for life, guaranteed income, pension and rewarded when they fail, they all have an inherant air of superiority, which as we all know, could not be further from the truth of what they put into life, and what they, at our expense, get out of it. herbiemercman.

I was a police traffic officer for 9 years in the 1980's and I can assure you that it's not always a cushy number.
For example,who do you suppose has to go to people's houses and tell them that their son/daughter/father/mother/husband or wife for whom they have, for example,just finished cooking,is not coming home because they have perished in a road accident?The accident then has to be investigated and the traffic officer has to deal with the bereaved family,identifying the body,taking antecedents statements,witness statements etc.
Later,there will be an inquest and court,if appropriate.

In the police force I worked for,being a traffic officer was just part of the job and did not exempt one from attending fights,burglaries,domestic disputes and all the other myriad tasks the police were expected to deal with.

I understand your outrage at the apparently trivial nature of your offence,but you did not attract a fine,which, I expect, was despite your regaling the officers with how many police officers you knew personally.
The officers seem to have achieved their objective,as you have changed the plates.
Who else is to enforce these regulations however trivial you may think them to be? I wonder what motivates people to fit non-standard plates in the first place,not to mention re-spacing the letters to make names.After all,it's only a number plate and if you must have your name on the car,there are other ways.

Regards,
Nick.
 

cleverdicky

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i have changed my plates now so i am whiter than white, if you don't like being taken down at the roaside then this is what you have to do.

if my grandsons ask me what is an easy well paid job ? then the traffic cop will be a top ten reccomendation. high pay, everything provided, driving arround in state of the art vehicles, you even get to go on rallye courses in jap evo's etc, many of them behaving like the kids they are chasing, somtimes with fatal consequences, mostly the kids, not them.

if there is a major pile up they are on the mobile phone, after blocking the road with their vehicle with all lights flashing,(rocket science), they contact the fire brigade, then the paramedics, then the breakdown removal, then the accident investigation team, then they walk about or sit in their new range rover or evo, what else can they do ?

if you can drive at speed,with the law backing your mistakes etc, use a computer number plate trace system and contact all services by phone, you can do the job.

it's not their fault, it's the powers that be, it's a cushy number, but won't last.

somone tell me what pressure they have ? don't tell me accidents on the motorway, they can look away and call up all services, which is what they do.

i cannot help seeing them in the same light as councillors, politicians and bank managers, they have a job for life, guaranteed income, pension and rewarded when they fail, they all have an inherant air of superiority, which as we all know, could not be further from the truth of what they put into life, and what they, at our expense, get out of it. herbiemercman.

All that paper work though, statements to write, lies to tell etc. Then spending hours in court helping them get rich. BORING if you ask me.
Why many coppers moan about the bureaucracy, they don't uphold the LAW any more its legislation - for money & control.
I expect Highways enforcement will take over completely soon anyway.
 
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The Hooded Claw

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I can honestly say that in nine years in the Met I never saw anyone who didn't check over their car before signing for it. If the next person on spotted a scratch or dent that you hadn't logged as last driver you were held responsible. Though you didn't pay directly for repairs you could find yourself busted back to foot patrol; a fate worse than death for all the fat panda drivers!!!

to be fair JB the "Met" is THE "Premier" Police Force in the UK, if theres a "Incident" anywhere in the UK the Sky News wallers do a "report" from outside Scotland Yard so it really does not surprise me that they (The Met) are hot on "Looking Good" I think what Pete was saying was it's the "Rural" forces that don't give a hoot (like North Yorks, Strathclyde & especially Cumbria ect) when I got my 3 producers & took them in to Lancashire even the officer behind the desk said "You got a right pillock here" gives us guys a bad name.

Thers a "cannine support unit" (CSU) lives near me I used to see him either going out on duty or coming home I KNOW he's had only his "High Level" brake light working for at least a Month (His "Standard" brake lights just don't work)

If my car was like that you can bet yer last quid i'd be pulled over & asked all the usual questions & given a Producer. having said that they are "company Vans" & i myself used to run a British Gas Van for years & never once thought to check the lights & Oil .

which got me in real trouble once when floggin it down the M6 the engine seized up (Due to lack of Oil) Realising what I'd done & obviously NOT wanting my Arse kicked round the Transport Mgr office I whipped underneath & unscrewed the Engine drain plug Claiming later that it "Must have fallen out Boss"

Got way with it but only by the skin of me teeth !!!!!!!
 
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HERBIEMERCMAN

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hi nick, ncooper, the information i get from my family does not make the real police work attractive at all, it's gory at times, stressfull, cold, unforgiving and very dangerouse, i am sure you know.

BUT the traffic police are in a different situation alltogether as i explained in my posting.

in many forces they have special officers available to visit families following a fatality, just as they employ paramedics and the fire service at the accident scene.

i also think going to court when you know all you have to do is read out the notes you made is very straight forward.

i respect the police and have friends and family involved, and for the most part i have got on well with the traffic boys, they are just doing a job, and in my opinion it is much overated.

eventually i think this role will be taken up with local authority workers, employing much less expensive vehicles and more reliance placed on the small but incredably effective helicopter teams, this would reduce costs and save lives of the people being chased by a powerfull car, pedestrians and the people being chased.

top of the range, evo's, bmw's, and range rovers, is just not fit for purpose and sends out the wrong message. no car can catch a motorcycle in traffic, so you radio on ahead, or get the helicopter boys, day or night, thermal immaging, 99% capture rate, no accidents.

no one could convince me that two police officers trvelling at 120 mph in built up areas can ever be safe, and in my opinion, it is not neccessary. the role of the traffic police is in need of review.herbiemercman.
 

merc convert

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All that paper work though, statements to write, lies to tell etc. Then spending hours in court helping them get rich. BORING if you ask me.
Why many coppers moan about the bureaucracy, they don't uphold the LAW any more its legislation - for money & control.
I expect Highways enforcement will take over completely soon anyway.

Highways do not enforce and have no plans to carry out any enforcement work.
 

ncooper

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hi nick, ncooper, the information i get from my family does not make the real police work attractive at all, it's gory at times, stressfull, cold, unforgiving and very dangerouse, i am sure you know.

BUT the traffic police are in a different situation alltogether as i explained in my posting.

in many forces they have special officers available to visit families following a fatality, just as they employ paramedics and the fire service at the accident scene.

i also think going to court when you know all you have to do is read out the notes you made is very straight forward.

i respect the police and have friends and family involved, and for the most part i have got on well with the traffic boys, they are just doing a job, and in my opinion it is much overated.

eventually i think this role will be taken up with local authority workers, employing much less expensive vehicles and more reliance placed on the small but incredably effective helicopter teams, this would reduce costs and save lives of the people being chased by a powerfull car, pedestrians and the people being chased.

top of the range, evo's, bmw's, and range rovers, is just not fit for purpose and sends out the wrong message. no car can catch a motorcycle in traffic, so you radio on ahead, or get the helicopter boys, day or night, thermal immaging, 99% capture rate, no accidents.

no one could convince me that two police officers trvelling at 120 mph in built up areas can ever be safe, and in my opinion, it is not neccessary. the role of the traffic police is in need of review.herbiemercman.

As a matter of interest,I voluntarily left the police after 22 years and six months,despite the fact that if I had stayed for another 2 1/2 years I could have left with a pension.
I haven't lost the pension which I paid 11% of my income for,it is just deferred until I am 60 years old.

I was writing of the 1980's when attitudes were different.
We were encouraged to go out and detect traffic offences and "quality" was much more important than quantity.
In other words,we looked for disqualified drivers,those without insurance,those whose vehicles were in a dangerous condition,those who were drunk and of course,those who were genuinely bad drivers.
While it was my job to deal with speeding motorists,I felt policed by the motoring public,so stuck rigidly to the speed limits unless there was an emergency,when the blue lights and sirens were used to make other road users well aware of what I was about.

Most offences could be presented to a court on a handful of pieces of paper and if the file was carefully prepared,very few people pleaded not guilty,as their offence was proved.

As I said before,in my police force,the traffic department was not exempt from "real police work",but was often seen to be by the beat officer,until he/she was in need of assistance and a traffic car was the first to arrive.
CID officers feel the need to demean all other branches of the police,so much so,that it is widely thought that acceptance into the CID is promotion,when in fact,it is merely a sideways move.

In my area,there are indeed people to deal with the bereaved as a result of road accidents,but they are drawn from the traffic department and these days,given a little extra training.

Without a doubt,the most important person in any police force is the uniformed constable whether in a traffic car or not and the lack of the visible presence of such people has encouraged bad driving on our roads and bad behaviour on our streets.

The Highways Department "traffic officer" and the "police community support officer" are examples of a cynical money saving exercise and are as much use to us as chocolate fireguards.
It is very difficult to measure the effectiveness of uniform police patrols in a way that can be reduced to statistics,all the present government appears to understand.
However,I think that the policy of using civilians instead is a big mistake,no one takes them seriously and they don't have the training,experience or powers to deal with more than issuing tickets and putting out cones.

In Spain,where I have been driving all winter,the policy is as it used to be years ago in this country.Their police are highly visible 24 hours a day,on the roads,in the towns and cities and even in the villages.
One of the direct results of this is that driving standards in Spain,which used to be virtually non-existant,are now higher than ours.

I left the police because I could.
I was buried,along with my colleagues,under a sea of paperwork.I reckon that every 10 minutes spent doing something outside the police station took an hour to write up.
I hardly dare speak in case of being politically incorrect and my supervisory officers were,in the main,self serving back sliding and spineless. Long gone were the days when you could expect any support from them.
I was lucky enough not to need as much money as I had previously.I had come to hate going to work and to despise the police,the organisation,that is,not the individuals within it.
An old farmer had said to me "this isn't a dress rehearsal,you know",and I realised he was right.

Helicopters and high performance police cars are merely the high visibility end of policing, although they are very useful tools.The biggest part that we all take for granted takes place either behind the scenes or at night,when all but the binge drinkers and criminals have gone home.

Regards,
Nick.
 
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HERBIEMERCMAN

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thanks nick for an excellent honest posting. herbiemercman.
 

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What gets up my nose is the hype we get exposed to by the Government and law enforcement authorites.
In our area most times you go out you find a white van parked somewhere in a lay by or verge, part hidden by a hedge. Oh no say the Police they are not speed traps, these are NPR vans looking for unlicensed or stolen cars on false plates. The fact that there are no attending vehicles or bods to stop these offenders always seemed strange.
A month ago a large Supermarket in the town went live with a PNR system as part of their pay to park car park control, the Police took a feed out of the system into their own PNR database and in the first week detected 50 unlicensed uninsured or vehicles on false plates.
So what was the heavy presence on the roads outside all about ?
 

Alex M Grieve

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While it was my job to deal with speeding motorists,I felt policed by the motoring public,so stuck rigidly to the speed limits unless there was an emergency,when the blue lights and sirens were used to make other road users well aware of what I was about.

Without a doubt,the most important person in any police force is the uniformed constable whether in a traffic car or not and the lack of the visible presence of such people has encouraged bad driving on our roads and bad behaviour on our streets.

Absolutely excellent Nick - and thank you for posting it.

I drive at the speed of other motorway traffic, so about 70 mph ish. I use lane 2 more than most, and lane one more than almost any saloon car driver. Your point about police vehicles attending an emergency using lights and sirens to alert other road users is fundamental, very important and sadly lost on many of today's policemen. I know what is in the mirror, and have often pointed out to the passenger that we are about to be passed by a police vehicle travelling much faster than we are, without these vital warning signs. A less attentive motorist might easily pull out into their path.

Visible policing is good policing and must lead to fewer offences. I often ask myself "If I was driving a marked police car, would that other motorist have done what he just did"? It is of course a rhetorical question, but the answer is no - and if they had they would have expected to be stopped for a discussion, if not a penalty.

To your final point - I too have left jobs, "because I could". Integrity is a priceless commodity and we must never forget that, whilst the system may think it has bought us, the price they ask in return can be too high for an honest man.
 


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