Police force speeding figures

[PJH]

BBC link

 

[neilrr]

"In Essex between January and June 2005, 5,070 marked police cars and 199 unmarked cars activated speed cameras. But in the majority of cases they will be cars responding to emergencies, an Essex Police spokesman said.

We are entirely satisfied that any Essex Police vehicle which has activated a safety camera in the period in question did so for an entirely legitimate purpose."

What, ALL 5,269 times?

Call me a cynic, but......

P.S. Notice the use of 1984speak "Safety camera".

 

[glojo]

What, ALL 5,269 times?

Call me a cynic, but......

P.S. Notice the use of 1984speak "Safety camera".

Call me a cynic, but I bet there are hundreds of emergency calls each week to Police Stations and I would hate to think that if I was being burgled, or worse... a responding vehicle complied with the speed limit!

Remember hind sight is a wonderful gift that we all tend to use far too often and every call must be treated as if it was for real.

There was a tragic incident in Bradford which highlights only to well the risks of attending an emergency alarm. I wonder how many times that same alarm has activated in error and the responding vehicle criticised for speeding??

If we want to drive fast cars and break speed limits then then answer is simple .......... Join your local constabulary.

Regards,
John the cynic

 

[C240Sport97]

Perfect excuse if you can use it.

No doubt Essex police did not check whether the speed camera tickets that were issued corresponded with emergency call outs (there must a be log of these somewhere).

The hypocrisy of it all. One rule for them, another for the rest of us.

"In Essex between January and June 2005, 5,070 marked police cars and 199 unmarked cars activated speed cameras. But in the majority of cases they will be cars responding to emergencies, an Essex Police spokesman said.

We are entirely satisfied that any Essex Police vehicle which has activated a safety camera in the period in question did so for an entirely legitimate purpose."

What, ALL 5,269 times?

Call me a cynic, but......

P.S. Notice the use of 1984speak "Safety camera".

 

[glojo]

Perfect excuse if you can use it.

No doubt Essex police did not check whether the speed camera tickets that were issued corresponded with emergency call outs (there must a be log of these somewhere).

The hypocrisy of it all. One rule for them, another for the rest of us.

It really beggars belief how in one breath we praise the bravery of all our emergency services and with the very next breath we have 'holier than thou' type posts criticising them.

What would YOU describe as an emergency call? What would YOU look up, if you had access to the incidents?

A 999 call can be as mundane as a drunk wanting a taxi ride, or someone being murdered.

A routine call can be as mundane as a drunk wanting a taxi ride home or someone being murdered.

A police unit asked to check out someone acting suspicously..... Is htat an emergency???

Could quite easily be a bird watcher

Could quite easily be the look-out loitering outside a jewellers shop (or sadly a travel agents)

The only way for a unit to know, is to actually attend the scene.

What about a Police car being flagged down by a member of the public and informed of an incident??? This might not show on any log.

I am NOT advocating our emergency vehicles all fly around our busy streets like headless chickens. They are far, far more accountable than most other civilised countries.

We are continually being quoted numbers in relation to accidents involving emergency vehicles, but why don't any of these armchair critics ask how many of these accidents were caused by the public and not the emergency vehicle.

Should we consider passing a law whereby we MUST give way to any emergency vehicle that is responding to an incident and displaying headlights, warning lights and the audible device working?

John

 

[prprandall51]

I was driving along the other day and heard and saw a fire engine coming along at top whack behind me. I had the stereo on but I could hear the sirens above the sound of ABBA.

I pulled to the left and stopped. Instead of doing the same, the car behind me decided to overtake me. The fire engine was now very close.

At the last second the idiot who had overtaken me saw the fire engine and stamped on his brakes in the middle of the road and came to a complete stop adjactent to a central bollard, thus blocking the road. The fire engine had to screech to a dramtic halt, too, and wait for the dunce to move his car.

I wonder if the fire engine would have joined the list of statistics of emergency vehicles causing an accident whilst repsonding to a 999 call if it had rammed the dunce up the backside?

Under my proposed legislation (not currently going through Parliament), I would have impounded the dunce's car and removed the rear-view and wing mirrors before crushing the car in front of him as a gentle reminder to use his mirrors next time (which he would be allowed to keep to put on his sideboard).

Philip

 

[C240Sport97]

I completely agree that emergency calls should be answered with speed and speed limits broken if necessary.

I was not querying the nature of the emergency calls in the case of Essex police.

What I was querying is the amazing (to me, at least) coincidence that ALL police cars caught speeding by speeding cameras in Essex were answering emergency calls .. just seems too easy and too convenient.

It really beggars belief how in one breath we praise the bravery of all our emergency services and with the very next breath we have 'holier than thou' type posts criticising them.

What would YOU describe as an emergency call? What would YOU look up, if you had access to the incidents?

A 999 call can be as mundane as a drunk wanting a taxi ride, or someone being murdered.

A routine call can be as mundane as a drunk wanting a taxi ride home or someone being murdered.

A police unit asked to check out someone acting suspicously..... Is htat an emergency???

Could quite easily be a bird watcher

Could quite easily be the look-out loitering outside a jewellers shop (or sadly a travel agents)

The only way for a unit to know, is to actually attend the scene.

What about a Police car being flagged down by a member of the public and informed of an incident??? This might not show on any log.

I am NOT advocating our emergency vehicles all fly around our busy streets like headless chickens. They are far, far more accountable than most other civilised countries.

We are continually being quoted numbers in relation to accidents involving emergency vehicles, but why don't any of these armchair critics ask how many of these accidents were caused by the public and not the emergency vehicle.

Should we consider passing a law whereby we MUST give way to any emergency vehicle that is responding to an incident and displaying headlights, warning lights and the audible device working?

John

 

[glojo]

What I was querying is the amazing (to me, at least) coincidence that ALL police cars caught speeding by speeding cameras in Essex were answering emergency calls .. just seems too easy and too convenient.

I understand completely what your saying, and perhaps we both agree that no one is going to put their hands up and say,

"Fair cop, cop you've got me bang to rights"

There is lots we could write, but it could easily be misunderstood, but I'm sure your right and we can both read between the lines.

The Metropolitan Police had a problem with their Firearms teams when they failed to give them the necessary public support, I dread to think what would happen if all of a sudden the emergency services were prosecuted for these 'suspect' offences Nudge, nudge, wink wink.

Regards,
John

 

[MikeL]

It only works out about 30 incidents a day, not actually that many if you consider that it is quite possible to trigger more than one camera on a given route and that Essex has probably a considerable number of vehicles and frequent call outs - you can't criticise just from raw numbers.

Mike (clean license :bannana: )

 

[Howard]

As everyone knows Essex is populated largely by criminals so I would imagine that the police there are busier than most other areas..... barring Kent that is also inhabited predominantly by villains.......

 

[Alfie]

I was driving along the other day and heard and saw a fire engine coming along at top whack behind me. I had the stereo on but I could hear the sirens above the sound of ABBA.

I pulled to the left and stopped. Instead of doing the same, the car behind me decided to overtake me. The fire engine was now very close.

At the last second the idiot who had overtaken me saw the fire engine and stamped on his brakes in the middle of the road and came to a complete stop adjactent to a central bollard, thus blocking the road. The fire engine had to screech to a dramtic halt, too, and wait for the dunce to move his car.

I wonder if the fire engine would have joined the list of statistics of emergency vehicles causing an accident whilst repsonding to a 999 call if it had rammed the dunce up the backside?

Under my proposed legislation (not currently going through Parliament), I would have impounded the dunce's car and removed the rear-view and wing mirrors before crushing the car in front of him as a gentle reminder to use his mirrors next time (which he would be allowed to keep to put on his sideboard).

Philip

I witnessed an accident some time ago when an Ambulance came charging toward me down the middle of the road. I stopped and noticed that the gap between the car in front of me and the 911 on the other side of the road was nowhere near wide enough for the ambulance to get through. the driver realised this a bit too late and crashed at considerable speed into the back of the stationary 911. Needless to say, the driver was not in control of his vehicle and was without doubt driving without due care and attention. I wonder if he was ever prosecuted

 

[Plodd]

I can with confidence say that in my area if a Police vehicle gets clocked by a camera a report has to be submitted as to why the limit was being exceeded. If the reasons given are not thought to be enough the ticket is issued to the driver.

You have to remember we do have exemption to speed limits if keeping to them would hamper us doing our duty. If I want to catch up to a suspicious vehicle some distance in front without alerting the driver then I will exceed the speed limit without blues and twos to catch up. There are also numerous other instances when speed limits would be exceeded without use of lights and sirens but obviously extra care must be taken at these times.

For example, if your home was being burgled would you rather I got there and caught the offenders in the act or that I alerted them to my approach giving them time to make their escape?

 

[PJH]

As everyone knows Essex is populated largely by criminals so I would imagine that the police there are busier than most other areas..... barring Kent that is also inhabited predominantly by villains.......

Howard's trying to get some -ve feedback. or are MBClub members excluded from that statement ?

 

[glojo]

For example, if your home was being burgled would you rather I got there and caught the offenders in the act or that I alerted them to my approach giving them time to make their escape?

Stop dreaming and face the fact that Traffic Police by definition pick on innocent motorists whilst burglar's go about their nefarious ways uninterrupted.

Comes the day of the revolution the Traffic department will be disbanded and the officers re-employed on carrying out real Police duties.

Sorry about my tongue in cheek sarcasm, but a traffic officer doing real Police work!!!!! Whatever next???

John the sarcastic

 

[Howard]

Howard's trying to get some -ve feedback. or are MBClub members excluded from that statement ?

ITS A JOKE !!!

Seriously ..... some of the best stolen tellys i've ever bought have come from Essex ......

That was a joke too .......

 

[janner]

There's a speed camera on the main road out of the hospital near me. It used to just take pictures of nothing but ambulances. They don't put film in it any more

 

[neilrr]

I got a very reasonably priced VCR some years ago from a chap from Essex.

 

[watty]

Hi, I've just registered in this site after viewing it with interest for some time. This is my first post prompted by the subject. I'm a retired Police Officer and have spent the best part of my adult life driving marked and unmarked vehicles in specialist roles in high stress conditions; I've learned over the years to ignore comments similar to some of the ones voiced here but now I have time to myself I can take part in these debates. I don't want to prattle on instantly but if anyone needs procedures or facts clarifying in the future I'll pitch in if it's ok, cheers for now, Watty.

 

[Howard]

Hi Watty

Welcome to the forums :bannana:

We have a resident police officer ( Plodd) but its always nice to have another one to help clarify things.....

I was only joking about buying stolen tellies ......... honest ...

 

[glojo]

Hi Watty

Welcome to the forums :bannana:

We have a resident police officer ( Plodd) but its always nice to have another one to help clarify things.....

I was only joking about buying stolen tellies ......... honest ...

So what about the one you sold me??

Only joking

A big hello and welcome,
John