Wife being fobbed off by the police?

[crockers]

Just a little little line. i learnt the hard way that if your car is stolen, and the thief is involved in a high speed chase with the police and they end up smashing into it to get it stopped, they are entitled to and they will claim compensation for whiplash and other related injuries from your insurance company.

wonder if this has any bearing on car chasing coppers.
i am not saying it has though

How would they know it was stolen until they have either stopped it or the theft was reported?

 

[recycled]

it was reported

 

[andy_k]

Perhaps the Police have relaxed their approach to non injury accidents after all if nobody is hurt, there's no real vicitim and doesn't really merit investigation.

Writing to the DVLA means you can get the information you need.

I agree it's wrong but just last week you were advocating less intervention by the police on certain subjects. You can't have it both ways - this all sounds a bit like having your cake and eating it

Andy

 

[glojo]

I think we are seeing first hand a major, major problem with the police and their public image. This IS a police issue but in recent times it has been decided that certain things no longer fall with-in their remit. If this was a public car-park to wit the public had ready access then the offending driver must by law perform certain acts if they are involved in an accident, failure to do these is a criminal offence. The police are our servants, and apart from the Metropolitan police we contribute to their salary and it is frustrating to read how they have deemed that this is not a police matter. If you read my first post, I was expecting it and shame on them.

Not so long ago EVERY reported road traffic accident, injury or otherwise was investigated by the police and one or all drivers would probably face prosecution. Now we have far more police and allegedly far less crime yet we are told a hit and run or criminal damage is not a police matter.

Sp!ke
What if the offending driver might have deliberately driven into your wife's car with the intention of damaging it? Someone might have told you this and you would then go straight to the police and tell them about this act and supply the registration number of the offending vehicle?

John

 

[TonyVianoAmbiente]

Perhaps the Police have relaxed their approach to non injury accidents after all if nobody is hurt, there's no real vicitim and doesn't really merit investigation.

The Police have not relaxed anything. In the 33 years since I was trained to drive at at the Police driving school, the approach of the Police to no-injury accidents has not changed in any significant way. Obviously, I cannot comment on what was happening before 1974.

Writing to the DVLA means you can get the information you need.

I strongly advise going to a solicitor. This is not a situation that anyone can resolve on their own to a any reasonable degree of satisfaction. A solicitor will usually offer a free initial consultation and will be able (without any difficulty) to tell you what you can expect from the legal process.

I have used solicitors twice regarding road traffic accidents. In each case they have obtained a far better settlement than I could ever have hoped to get on my own, plus the other party (or their insurer) also had to pay my solicitor's fees.

 

[crockers]

it was reported

Aha .... sorry ....didnt see that part in your thread..........

 

[marcos]

The attitude of the Police stinks
When I was living at home I had a lovely VX Chevette and it was hit by another car whilst parked on the road. I had a witness so I reported it to the Police and they took paint samples from my car and found the car that hit me in Bexleyheath, obviously visiting as it happened in Hertford.
I got a phone call off the Police about a week later asking me if I wanted to prosecute as the other driver had said he had never been to Hertford but the Police found it strange that his cars paint matched the paint on the damaged area of my car perfectly and I had a witness that said the car had been in Hertford.
Why if 20yrs ago you could get this level of service but now you get fobbed off

 

[reflexboy]

What car is it Sp!ke ?

Some of the local members could keep their eyes out for it ... probably never see it , but you never know ....

I certainly will ....

Me too...I work everyday around Richmond and Kingston, so if you let us know what car it was and where the damage is likely to be I'm quite happy to keep my eyes peeled. There are also 18 other BT engineers on my team whom work the area, so together with Howard, we may stand a chance.

 

[Sp!ke]

I'm wary about publishing the details on this page as it'll be indexed by Google in the blink of an eye and search-able by anyone leading them directly to this thread which could have potential consequences.

Happy to PM the details though.


Andy, you're still on that high horse of yours. My point last week stands. Why hound someone for having a tinted visor or slightly small numberplate when it a victimless crime.Whilst on the other hand not bother to pursue a matter when there is a clear victim of a much greater crime(potentially punishable by imprisonment) such as this?

I think it emphasises my previous point actually.

 

[Sp!ke]

Sp!ke
What if the offending driver might have deliberately driven into your wife's car with the intention of damaging it? Someone might have told you this and you would then go straight to the police and tell them about this act and supply the registration number of the offending vehicle?

John

Interesting means of turning if from an failure to stop to a criminal damage case I agree but it would involve telling a certain number of porky pies, which neither my wife or I are prepared to do.

I can see that it would likely have the desired effect though.

 

[Howard]

Yes please ,

PM them over , i'll keep my beadies peeled ...

 

[Will]

PM me Spike, I'm always over that way and will keep an eye open

 

[glojo]

Interesting means of turning if from an failure to stop to a criminal damage case I agree but it would involve telling a certain number of porky pies, which neither my wife or I are prepared to do.

I can see that it would likely have the desired effect though.

NEVER, never tell porkies, it might be that someone suggested this act but NEVER, never put pen to paper saying it was definitely seen. To me if someone knows they have damaged your property and makes off without making any attempt to rectify their mistake then they have committed criminal damage, but that is in my world and not the real world in which we all live.

I fully accept that the police have become extremely lazy regarding road traffic incidents/accidents but playing devils advocate we are perhaps part responsible for this happening. When the police attended my son's accident I was amazed at the reams of paper the attending officer used. This officer attended the scene, wrote out the reports and ticked off little boxes on page after page after page. All questions that had no relevance whatsoever to casting blame, or helping in the investigation. That bundle of useless information went off to another department who allegedly investigated the accident, then it went off to another department who were going to make a decision regarding prosecution. What a ridiculous time wasting procedure and whilst this is all happening the file is being used to extract hundreds of worthless statistics. None of that helps your situation and I would still consider either contacting your insurance company or going through the DVLA.

Contrary to other advice I would not put using a solicitor at the top of the list of priorities, why pay these very nice people an extortionate sum of money for something you can do yourself? You will have to pay the costs and hope they will be recovered which is not a certainty. I am NOT saying don't consider this option, but I would try and resolve this issue first.

Regards
John

 

[MBManInKen]

Andy, you're still on that high horse of yours. My point last week stands. Why hound someone for having a tinted visor or slightly small numberplate when it a victimless crime.Whilst on the other hand not bother to pursue a matter when there is a clear victim of a much greater crime(potentially punishable by imprisonment) such as this?

I think it emphasises my previous point actually.

I don't agree with that, quite the contrary.

The law is the law and should be the law for everybody. In just the same way as you, arbitrarily and only based on your personal beliefs, find that you should not stick to the laws that all the rest of us have to adhere to, it would seem that the person that damaged your wife's car has an equal arbitrary belief that they should not stick to the part of the law that makes them take responsibility for their actions. It's a nice example of trying to have your cake and eat it.

You just can't have it both ways. If you want to have any argument that relies on the legal obligations of the other driver to leave details etc, then not respecting your own duties under the law is the best way to undermine that argument.

There are good reasons why number plates have to be a certain size, and why visors are subject to rules in the interest of visibility. These are emphatically not "victimless" offences, as they relate to the safety and security of other road users. In the case of the plate not in the least other road users' right to be able to identify a potential hit-and-run perpetrator as in the case of your wife's car. If that person would have had an illegible plate you might not even have been able to identify them.

All that being said, I have a lot of sympathy for your predicament - I would certainly be very annoyed too, would it happen to me. I don't wish this kind of thing upon anyone. I hope that it gets sorted out.

 

[glojo]

I think it emphasises my previous point actually.

I hate to say it but it doesn't. I think we would all like to see the police doing their job without fear or favour. No turning a blind eye to road traffic accidents, how would E300 know the offending driver has a licence, MOT, tax or insurance, and that is why they should investigate ALL reported accidents. No turning a blind ear to obnoxious loud exhausts on either bikes or cars and my pet hate no turning a blind eye to parents that insist on parking on the zig-zag markings when dropping off or collecting their children. Sorry to disagree but my vote goes to Andy.

Regards
John

Edit
SNAP........ Looks like Guido just beat me to it.

As my old sergeant said, "If your the only one marching in-step, then perhaps you aint!"

 

[MBManInKen]

I was amazed at the reams of paper the attending officer used.

This is an excellent point and one that should be lobbied and campaigned on more. Policy are buried under red tape and paperwork and procedures. That is what keeps them from the streets and what makes them averse to proper enforcement action in my humble opinion.

It's worth bearing in mind though that we are targeting entirely the wrong people if we blame the police for this. It's politicians and other policy makers locally and nationally that have brought about this abysmal situation. Rather than taking it out on the coppers who after all have to do as they are told, perhaps we should focus more on the idiots that created this ridiculous situation.

 

[MBManInKen]

my vote goes to Andy.

Make that two votes for Andy .

 

[glojo]

It's worth bearing in mind though that we are targeting entirely the wrong people if we blame the police for this. It's politicians and other policy makers locally and nationally that have brought about this abysmal situation. Rather than taking it out on the coppers who after all have to do as they are told, perhaps we should focus more on the idiots that created this ridiculous situation.

Totally, totally 100% agree. It must surely be under-mining moral and you know my opinion on statistics. Those that use them ALL twist them to suit there particular cause and anyone that disagree's will simply use the same figures to say something else. Mad, the whole world is barking mad

Regards
John

 

[Spinal]

Make that two votes for Andy .

And mine to Spike

 

[recycled]

next time just phone up and say i suspect a drunk driver crashed into my car. here is the reg. she staggered to her vehicle, could not drive in a straight line and smacked my car before driving off.
They will be at her address in seconds and since you said you suspected she was drunk, it will not be lies you are telling.
anyone who can not avoid cars in a parking lot is probably intoxicated anyway.

saw that on road wars by the way twice.
The response was instant. hefty fine instant ban.