IAMA Police Officer AMA

greg66_tri_v2.0

When you see a panda car driving at 50/60/70 in a 30 area, with blues and twos on, do you ever worry that in fact the driver is nowhere near skilled enough to be doing that?

MonkeyMonster

What are your opinions on case involving the poor chap who got nobbled in http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12799404&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

walkingbootweather

Canaltowpath wrote:

Il Principe wrote:

/What do you think about 'Community Support Officers'?

In my view they fall into two camps.

Some are excellent, grounded, intelligent, hardworking, worth their weight in gold.

and then there are the rest of them.

Pretty much like the regulars then?

Canaltowpath

Asprilla wrote:

IMHO Police tend to be over influenced by the demands of the local community, would you agree that this is the case?

No, quite the opposite, the only communities which have any influence over Police strategy and local enforcement tend to be BME or deprived, the majority of others are almost silent.

Canaltowpath

Greg66 wrote:

When you see a panda car driving at 50/60/70 in a 30 area, with blues and twos on, do you ever worry that in fact the driver is nowhere near skilled enough to be doing that?

Yes.

Canaltowpath

walkingbootweather wrote:

Canaltowpath wrote:

Il Principe wrote:

/What do you think about 'Community Support Officers'?

In my view they fall into two camps.

Some are excellent, grounded, intelligent, hardworking, worth their weight in gold.

and then there are the rest of them.

Pretty much like the regulars then?

Pretty much like any workplace.

asprilla

Canaltowpath wrote:

Asprilla wrote:

IMHO Police tend to be over influenced by the demands of the local community, would you agree that this is the case?

No, quite the opposite, the only communities which have any influence over Police strategy and local enforcement tend to be BME or deprived, the majority of others are almost silent.

What's a BME?

veronese68

Canaltowpath wrote:

A little later on if people want to know how to get things done then I don't mind letting you know the most impactive method of asking your local Police to look at a problem.

This is important. When I spotted my stolen bike for sale on Ebay I had to make a right nuisance of myself to get things done as the police are very busy and I had to make myself a priority. I managed to get the name of a senior officer and they weren't too pleased to hear from me so my case got a higher priority.
They recovered the bike in the end, but unfortunately the scrote got away scott free as they couldn't pin anything on him.
I felt I shouldn't have to shout so loud to have made myself heard. There must be a better way. I couldn't find contact details for the Met's cycle task force. Surely the local police should have put me onto them?
As I say in the end I got it back so I am grateful to them and do appreciate what they do.

rjsterry

Greg66 wrote:

When you see a panda car driving at 50/60/70 in a 30 area, with blues and twos on, do you ever worry that in fact the driver is nowhere near skilled enough to be doing that?

I see you missed the use of 'impactive' earlier Mr 66. Tut tut, you're slipping.

It's nice to have a voice from the 'other' side for a bit of balance. Regarding enforcement of traffic regulations. I'm not surprised it comes down the list of priorities as it generally affects us when we are outside our local area - i.e on the way to work. We are too disparate a group spread over too wide an area to be able to have a voice at any local liaison meeting.

Canaltowpath

Asprilla wrote:

Canaltowpath wrote:

Asprilla wrote:

IMHO Police tend to be over influenced by the demands of the local community, would you agree that this is the case?

No, quite the opposite, the only communities which have any influence over Police strategy and local enforcement tend to be BME or deprived, the majority of others are almost silent.

What's a BME?

Black Minority Ethnic, areas where, despite the tag minority, black and ethnic groups are in the majority and often have very active and vocal locals......vocal locals I like that.

greg66_tri_v2.0

rjsterry wrote:

I see you missed the use of 'impactive' earlier Mr 66. Tut tut, you're slipping.

Did someone make up a word and not tell me?

Apologies. I've been helping the "Gammar Nazi's" elsewhere today.

kelsen

What is your motivation for answering these questions?

Is it work-related or personal?

Are you working right now?

Sewinman

Has your constant exposure to the worst facets of human behaviour led you to become naturally more right wing during your career and less able to police in an objective and fair-handed manner?

Canaltowpath

Veronese68 wrote:

Canaltowpath wrote:

A little later on if people want to know how to get things done then I don't mind letting you know the most impactive method of asking your local Police to look at a problem.

This is important. When I spotted my stolen bike for sale on Ebay I had to make a right nuisance of myself to get things done as the police are very busy and I had to make myself a priority. I managed to get the name of a senior officer and they weren't too pleased to hear from me so my case got a higher priority.
They recovered the bike in the end, but unfortunately the scrote got away scott free as they couldn't pin anything on him.
I felt I shouldn't have to shout so loud to have made myself heard. There must be a better way. I couldn't find contact details for the Met's cycle task force. Surely the local police should have put me onto them?
As I say in the end I got it back so I am grateful to them and do appreciate what they do.

In general my view of the Met is very low, individually there are some excellent officers there and they have a multitude of things to deal with from terrorism, major sporting events and the odd riot but in terms of overall everyday crime management I think they're shoddy.

You did right to shout louder and remember the decision to charge people is based on the evidence available despite the fact that 'it's bloody obvious he did it'.

greg66_tri_v2.0

Sewinman wrote:

Has your constant exposure to the worst facets of human behaviour led you to become naturally more right wing during your career and less able to police in an objective and fair-handed manner?

I believe that in the trade, that is referred to as a leading question.

Canaltowpath

kelsen wrote:

What is your motivation for answering these questions?

Is it work-related or personal?

Are you working right now?

I'm a cyclists and everyone here are cyclists, it's a common bond and issues around the Police come up quite often.

Personal.

No, I should be out on the bike but the rain is coming sideways.

Canaltowpath

Sewinman wrote:

Has your constant exposure to the worst facets of human behaviour led you to become naturally more right wing during your career and less able to police in an objective and fair-handed manner?

No, quite the opposite.

I deal with the sad, the mad and the bad.

5% are actually bad.

15% are mad.

80% are sad.

Once a Police Officer understands that the majority of the criminals he deals with are often victims of some other type of external influence often beyond their control left and right are utterly irrelevant.

fidbod

@Canaltowpath

Couple of questions if you don't mind....

How representative is the inspector gadget blog of wider police sentiment?

Should Bill Bratton be allowed to apply for the Met Commissioner job?

What do you think of Hugh Orde?

Stuart

notsoblue

Canaltowpath wrote:

kelsen wrote:

What is your motivation for answering these questions?

Is it work-related or personal?

Are you working right now?

I'm a cyclists and everyone here are cyclists, it's a common bond and issues around the Police come up quite often.

Personal.

No, I should be out on the bike but the rain is coming sideways.

What issues discussed on this forum around the police do you think are handled in a way that is unfair and would benefit from a more sympathetic point of view?

Canaltowpath

fidbod wrote:

@Canaltowpath

Couple of questions if you don't mind....

How representative is the inspector gadget blog of wider police sentiment?

Should Bill Bratton be allowed to apply for the Met Commissioner job?

What do you think of Hugh Orde?

Stuart

Gadgets own posts are very good, they are genuine representations of the everyday workings of the Police, I'm not too sure about some of the comments however, I sense they are sometimes too emotive for their own good.

Bratton, no it's just a silly idea and the Met is a poisoned chalice anyhow.

I have no idea how Orde is a Police Officer since ACPO is a private company but he keeps popping up like a bad apple.

fidbod

Interesting, thanks for your responses.

sketchley

Canaltowpath wrote:

Sketchley wrote:

First how do we know you are who you say you are?

Second, why do police routinely ignore ASL offences and mandatory cycle lane offences.

That ASL thing again...........regarding the enforcement of cycle lane regulations.

It's way down the list of important things to do, there's no point beating around the bush and saying it's a priority.

A little later on if people want to know how to get things done then I don't mind letting you know the most impactive method of asking your local Police to look at a problem.

I'm inclined to agree regarding priorities but what doesn't help is seeing a met police task force out stopping and ticketing red light jumping cyclist while ignoring directly in front of them drivers and motorcycles committing the same offence at an advanced stop line. It also doesn't help that several police officers I've spoken to do not know the rules regarding advance stop lines. Without looking them up could you tell us what the your understanding of them is, and what you think the majority of colleagues think the law says in regards to ASLs?

When pulling over a motorcycle or driver to deal with an incident would it not be a good idea to encourage them to stop in side road so as to not block the cycle or bus lane? If the patrol car is parked over the bike lane it means we have to go around and merge with the traffic which can be dangerous (that's why the bike lane is there).

Do you think the law and policing is bias towards the motorist in the case of cycle / motorised vehicle collision?

Also you have not answered by first question. How do we know you are a police man, if you are not top trolling by the way. But if you are I would like some verification, perhaps you could contact bike radar and provide details and ask one of the moderators to post here to confirm you are who you say you are.

Canaltowpath

Mussorgsky wrote:

I'd guess that after driver behaviour, bike theft is probably the thing cyclists worry about most. There are trips I could make by bike but don't, since there isn't anywhere secure to lock up a bike and it's just not worth the worry of leaving it chained to a lamp post.

So, what's the best way to reduce bike theft (and encourage bike use)? That is, beyond steps an individual person can take, such as getting a good lock and being careful.

Bike theft will continue to rise in line with current trends of increased UK cycling, higher fuel costs, lower wages and austerity.

There is no substitute for a lock and chain although I do like the look of this to help recovery if it gets nicked.

http://www.integratedtrackers.com/GPSTrack/

bails87

Sketchley wrote:

Also you have not answered by first question. How do we know you are a police man, if you are not top trolling by the way. But if you are I would like some verification, perhaps you could contact bike radar and provide details and ask one of the moderators to post here to confirm you are who you say you are.

I wouldn't want to be asking this of anyone. Listen/read what he says and take it with the knowledge that this could be anybody If you want an official answer then go to your local police station.

kelsen

Sketchley wrote:

Also you have not answered by first question. How do we know you are a police man, if you are not top trolling by the way. But if you are I would like some verification, perhaps you could contact bike radar and provide details and ask one of the moderators to post here to confirm you are who you say you are.

What would that achieve? Canaltowpath has stated that he is on this board in a personal capacity and the views are his own.

sketchley

bails87 wrote:

Sketchley wrote:

Also you have not answered by first question. How do we know you are a police man, if you are not top trolling by the way. But if you are I would like some verification, perhaps you could contact bike radar and provide details and ask one of the moderators to post here to confirm you are who you say you are.

I wouldn't want to be asking this of anyone. Listen/read what he says and take it with the knowledge that this could be anybody If you want an official answer then go to your local police station.

Ordinarily I would agree, but impersonating a police officer is serious offence..............

Canaltowpath

Sketchley wrote:

Canaltowpath wrote:

Sketchley wrote:

First how do we know you are who you say you are?

Second, why do police routinely ignore ASL offences and mandatory cycle lane offences.

That ASL thing again...........regarding the enforcement of cycle lane regulations.

It's way down the list of important things to do, there's no point beating around the bush and saying it's a priority.

A little later on if people want to know how to get things done then I don't mind letting you know the most impactive method of asking your local Police to look at a problem.

I'm inclined to agree regarding priorities but what doesn't help is seeing a met police task force out stopping and ticketing red light jumping cyclist while ignoring directly in front of them drivers and motorcycles committing the same offence at an advanced stop line. It also doesn't help that several police officers I've spoken to do not know the rules regarding advance stop lines. Without looking them up could you tell us what the your understanding of them is, and what you think the majority of colleagues think the law says in regards to ASLs?

When pulling over a motorcycle or driver to deal with an incident would it not be a good idea to encourage them to stop in side road so as to not block the cycle or bus lane? If the patrol car is parked over the bike lane it means we have to go around and merge with the traffic which can be dangerous (that's why the bike lane is there).

Do you think the law and policing is bias towards the motorist in the case of cycle / motorised vehicle collision?

Also you have not answered by first question. How do we know you are a police man, if you are not top trolling by the way. But if you are I would like some verification, perhaps you could contact bike radar and provide details and ask one of the moderators to post here to confirm you are who you say you are.

Most Police Officers will not know or care about ASLs, they will not know the Act/Section or will ever give a ticket for it during their entire career. What you describe is a problem local to you and not countrywide. I do not know every law or offence currently on the statute books, there are tens of thousands. For the legal madness have a look at the Town Police Clauses Act.

It would be nice if they didn't block the cycle/bus lane but it happens.

The law is biased based only on the evidence at hand.

tgotb

Sketchley wrote:

I'm inclined to agree regarding priorities but what doesn't help is seeing a met police task force out stopping and ticketing red light jumping cyclist while ignoring directly in front of them drivers and motorcycles committing the same offence at an advanced stop line.

This doesn't actually seem *that* unreasonable to me, given the desire to maximise benefit from limited resources. I get as irritated as the next cyclist by cars and motorbikes parked in "our" ASLs, but if I'm honest I suspect I'm not being entirely rational; tbh, I suspect it's partly an instinctive reaction to someone invading "my" territory. I don't see how it's actually significantly more dangerous than 5 or 6 other cyclists taking up the same space...

I believe the danger posed by RLJ-ing cyclists, to themselves and to other road users (including pedestrians) is significantly greater.I've witnessed numerous minor accidents and near misses caused by RLJ-ing vehicles; I've never seen one caused a (non-bicycle) vehicle in an ASL...

mybreakfastconsisted

"The law is biased based only on the evidence at hand."

Not true. We probably have quite a lot of posters here who have met with at best indifference to cyclists reporting incidents. In one famous case the cops lied to the cyclist who had been strangled by a cabbie, then arrested the cyclist!

http://road.cc/content/news/25146-londo ... ed-assault

http://cyclistneedshelp.blogspot.com/20 ... uilty.html

It's likely to put cyclists off reporting incidents if the cops' response is to arrest them!

notsoblue

bails87 wrote:

Sketchley wrote:

Also you have not answered by first question. How do we know you are a police man, if you are not top trolling by the way. But if you are I would like some verification, perhaps you could contact bike radar and provide details and ask one of the moderators to post here to confirm you are who you say you are.

I wouldn't want to be asking this of anyone. Listen/read what he says and take it with the knowledge that this could be anybody If you want an official answer then go to your local police station.

To be fair, Canaltowpath seems to be structuring this as a Reddit IAMA, a format that relies on verification to really have any merit. This could really just be anyone.