Force lets 59 police off speeding

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tim.100

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BBC report published here in response to direct request from the 159mph copper 'not guilty' thread:
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A police force has let off 59 of its own drivers caught speeding.
The marked vehicles, which were being used for operational purposes, were caught by mobile cameras in Derbyshire.

Police bosses scrapped the tickets even though in at least 14 of the cases no blue flashing lights were detected by the cameras.

Some safety groups have been upset at the decision to tear up the tickets, with the charity Brake saying the decision "smacked of double standards".

Balancing act

Mick Creedon, Derbyshire Police's assistant chief constable, said: "Would you want us to go to the scene at 30 miles an hour and comply with the speed limit?

There are times when the police have to exceed the speed limit but this has to be done safely

Kevin Clinton, RoSPA

"Or if there's an emergency, if there's a fatal accident, if there's someone being attacked and stabbed, if we're carrying out surveillance against difficult organised criminals, do we do that at 30 miles an hour?"

The issue arose after the officers were sent notices of intended prosecution in 2004 after they were photographed speeding.

The officers' own divisional commanders and the force's head of criminal justice department examined the incidents the cars were attending and decided none of them should be prosecuted.

Major risk

Supt Royston Smith said that in at least 14 of the 59 incidents, flashing lights used by the vehicles in question had not been picked up by the camera, and it has since been satisfied they were displaying their blue lights.

Kevin Clinton of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, said: "There are times when the police have to exceed the speed limit but this has to be done safely and blue lights must almost always be used to warn the public.

Brake spokesperson Caroline Chisholm said: "Officers who break speed limits make a mockery of the crucial laws of the road that other police officers work hard to enforce.

"All drivers - police officers and members of the public - have a responsibility to stay well within limits at all times because breaking the speed limit by just a few miles per hour can be fatal."

The force has recently carried out a review of driving standards and has introduced new assessment procedures
 
tim.mcd said:
Kevin Clinton of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, said: "There are times when the police have to exceed the speed limit but this has to be done safely and blue lights must almost always be used to warn the public.

First off this organisation states there is NEVER an excuse for emergency vehicles travelling over 100mph, now they are saying that blue lights MUST ALMOST always be used to warn the public.

:D Seems like they are finally taking lessons from our politicians. The detail is in the wording ;) ..... never fully answer a question. Of course there will be times when it will be necessary not to light the vehicle up like a Christmas tree, but clearly there will be far more responsibility placed on the driver. Woe betide them if they have an accident.

John
 
Hi , a friend of mine who is an ex traffic officer told me before any high speed driving is allowed the have a call in to hq be given permission to pursue a car etc / Not sure what happens when they are told to respond to a accident.

He also told me that they can ordered to stop pursuit if the control says it's dangerous to carry on.
 
If officers are dispatched to an incident deemed an immediate response, they will be told it's an IR by dispatch and permission to travel blues and twos is understood.

Suitably trained officers can begin a pursuit at any time if required but must call it in immediately. Dispatch can cancel a pursuit at any time, as can an officer on the ground if the risk gets to high. Officers are trained to recognise when to call off a pursuit, depending on the relevant circumstances at the time.

It is expected that if an officer triggers a speed camera on an IR run, they call it in as soon as possible.
 
If officers are dispatched to an incident deemed an immediate response, they will be told it's an IR by dispatch and permission to travel blues and twos is understood.

Suitably trained officers can begin a pursuit at any time if required but must call it in immediately. Dispatch can cancel a pursuit at any time, as can an officer on the ground if the risk gets to high. Officers are trained to recognise when to call off a pursuit, depending on the relevant circumstances at the time.

It is expected that if an officer triggers a speed camera on an IR run, they call it in as soon as possible.
Hi , are both in our early 70s so procedures have no doubt altered.
 
And, even back in 2005, it was an odd thread based on an odd BBC article... police are allowed to break the speed limit when responding to a call or during a chase with blues and twos, and there was no suggestion of any wrongdoings in the first place...... storm in a teacup comes to mind.
 
I'm not sure of the situation with the blue lights but I've definitely heard them say on either Police Interceptors / Traffic Cops to a crim that they don't have to have the blues and wailers on when travelling above the speed limit.

I've also seen them turn the lights and wailers off when required so as not to alert crims but still obviously travelling faster than the speed limit.

But then I've also seen on Cop Car Workshop that in that particular force, they had the issue of sometimes running through and triggering a camera but even with blue lights on, at that exact moment the pictures were taken there were no lights visible. So to counter this, they fitted a solid blue light in the centre of the light bar which would be lit when the lights were on.
 
Yes I do. I thought it polite to respond to our fellow member. :)

I thought we had some sort of rule or recommendation on reviving old and in this case ancient threads?
Many forums frown upon it.

In any case, to @Boyband if you feel you have something relevant to post then a new thread would be better rather than reviving a very old and somewhat out of date thread.
 
I thought we had some sort of rule or recommendation on reviving old and in this case ancient threads?
Many forums frown upon it.

In any case, to @Boyband if you feel you have something relevant to post then a new thread would be better rather than reviving a very old and somewhat out of date thread.
Hi , well I did not start this post .
 
At least Tim 100 (he's probably 115 now) can stop checking every day whether or not he's had any more replies after the first one, he eventually has some answers :D
 
At least Tim 100 (he's probably 115 now) can stop checking every day whether or not he's had any more replies after the first one, he eventually has some answers :D
What you do, is subscribe to the thread. Then, lo and behold, a few decades later, you are notified that your 'sleeper' thread has been awakened!
 
First off this organisation states there is NEVER an excuse for emergency vehicles travelling over 100mph, now they are saying that blue lights MUST ALMOST always be used to warn the public.

:D Seems like they are finally taking lessons from our politicians. The detail is in the wording ;) ..... never fully answer a question. Of course there will be times when it will be necessary not to light the vehicle up like a Christmas tree, but clearly there will be far more responsibility placed on the driver. Woe betide them if they have an accident.

John
The police are policed by the police. As long as that is the status quo there will NEVER be accountability.
At least we aren't in the States.
 

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