Oh FFS !

seataltea
seataltea Posts: 594
edited March 2011 in Commuting chat
I work for the State but this devolution of powers into private hands sickens me and makes me worry for the future.

No matter what your view of the Police and PCSOs at least they are accountable to the people and not to shareholders.

Life seems to imitate art, Omni Consumer Products here we come.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpres ... 0675730A00

'stop cyclists riding on footpaths'

and then what ?
'nulla tenaci invia est via'
FCN4
Boardman HT Pro fully X0'd
CUBE Peleton 2012
Genesis Aether 20 all season commuter

Comments

  • jonny_trousers
    jonny_trousers Posts: 3,588
    I'm sure we all support the laws the security guards are to be charged with enforcing, but here's an idea! Why not have a greater number of policemen and women around to do the job instead?

    This will come back to bite someone on the arse big style.
  • notsoblue
    notsoblue Posts: 5,756
    Bah, nothing good can come from that. PCSOs are bad enough. I had three of them give me a hard time in Hammersmith on Saturday for scooting along on my hybrid (off the saddle, left foot on right pedal, pushing forward with right foot) at walking pace for a few yards. I was actually waiting at a pedestrian crossing at the time. All they did was hold me up to give me a useless dressing down.

    Making London a better place.
    FCN 4 PX SL Pro SRAM Red
    FCN 8 Scott Sportster '05
  • jzed
    jzed Posts: 2,926
    notsoblue wrote:
    Bah, nothing good can come from that. PCSOs are bad enough. I had three of them give me a hard time in Hammersmith on Saturday for scooting along on my hybrid (off the saddle, left foot on right pedal, pushing forward with right foot) at walking pace for a few yards. I was actually waiting at a pedestrian crossing at the time. All they did was hold me up to give me a useless dressing down.

    Making London a better place.

    Oooo whats this a confession to cycling on a pavement - you'll be giving us all a bad name you know :lol:
  • notsoblue
    notsoblue Posts: 5,756
    JZed wrote:
    notsoblue wrote:
    Bah, nothing good can come from that. PCSOs are bad enough. I had three of them give me a hard time in Hammersmith on Saturday for scooting along on my hybrid (off the saddle, left foot on right pedal, pushing forward with right foot) at walking pace for a few yards. I was actually waiting at a pedestrian crossing at the time. All they did was hold me up to give me a useless dressing down.

    Making London a better place.

    Oooo whats this a confession to cycling on a pavement - you'll be giving us all a bad name you know :lol:

    It wasn't cycling! It was scooting!
    FCN 4 PX SL Pro SRAM Red
    FCN 8 Scott Sportster '05
  • hatbeard
    hatbeard Posts: 1,087
    stunt cycling does not make it ok nsb.
    Hat + Beard
  • SimonAH
    SimonAH Posts: 3,730
    'Tis a carp state of affairs.
    FCN 5 belt driven fixie for city bits
    CAADX 105 beastie for bumpy bits
    Litespeed L3 for Strava bits

    Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast.
  • gtvlusso
    gtvlusso Posts: 5,112
    PCSO's should all have a stint working in central Swansea on a Saturday night..... May help with their "focus"....
  • bails87
    bails87 Posts: 12,998
    So what exactly does
    They can....stop cyclists riding on footpaths
    actually mean?

    Can they now pull off stunts like this?. Or can they just ask you not to do it? In which case, what's the difference between them and anyone else on the street?

    "Slippery slope" and all that, but if they can't actually give you a fine/do any more than a citizens arrest then what powers have they actually gained? Confiscation of 'illegal' alcohol and the right to demand a name and address? What about the right to remain silent? I'm definitely on the "down with this sort of thing" side, but they're not quite private police officers yet.
    MTB/CX

    "As I said last time, it won't happen again."
  • edhornby
    edhornby Posts: 1,780
    !he Community Safety Accreditation Scheme is a Home Office initiative "

    they've called themselves the Community SAS.. oh dear :?

    interesting that the first one to be set up has a coverage of the home office buildings and the Met police buildings transport hubs - will they be wearing a clearly identified uniform seperate to the police and the PCSOs
    "I get paid to make other people suffer on my wheel, how good is that"
    --Jens Voight
  • SimonAH
    SimonAH Posts: 3,730
    If challenged what is to stop you simply riding off? I presume they don't have the power to knock you off your bike?
    FCN 5 belt driven fixie for city bits
    CAADX 105 beastie for bumpy bits
    Litespeed L3 for Strava bits

    Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast.
  • shouldbeinbed
    shouldbeinbed Posts: 2,660
    What sort of vetting and public order training have these people undergone?
  • Tom Butcher
    Tom Butcher Posts: 3,830
    Same scheme that is being rolled out to allow cycle race marshalls to stop traffic.
    it's a hard life if you don't weaken.
  • mattsaw
    mattsaw Posts: 907
    I've met a PCSO cycling the wrong way up a one-way street in Hammersmith twice i the past week. The second time I aimed myself at him, hopefully he got the point.
    Bianchi C2C - Ritte Bosberg - Cervelo R3
    Strava
  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    The divolvement of Police powers means the local Chief constable can give anyone the powers of a PCSO (Plastic Bobby) or (effectively) an old style traffic warden.

    They have the power to demand your name and address and not giving it is an offence, but they can't arrest you, so if they don't know who you are, quite how you get convicted for not giving is beyond me!

    Simon
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.

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