At this rate I'll be banned by the end of November

[Romeo]

Re: From zero to nine in three days

"they can criminalize the easy targets - The motorist. "

Its the motorists that are criminalising themselves by speeding. All the cops are doing is catching them/us.


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[Calamity]

Re: From zero to nine in three days

Can I just say (as a serving officer) that you lot can moan as much as you like but I bet you're the first to dial 999 when you need us.

Rant over
Fred

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[ParaHandy]

Re: From zero to nine in three days

you might have heard of the panda car driver clocked on the A27/32 at Fareham recently who inexplicably couldn't be found to answer the summons and left that task to the hampshire chief constable who had to explain why nobody would own up to it nor could the police records identify the likely constable driving it .... i was nicked by the same camera the following day ........


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[jimi]

Re: From zero to nine in three days

Don't talk such utter shite, you know as well as I do that in that situation as a police officer you would'nt even have given me a second glance. Yet I've got 3points and £60 from the camera. Thats not policing its an affront!

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[NigeCh]

999

The last time I dailled '999' was in the midst of a burglary where we were being threatened by hooded antagonists with guns. Yes. it was on my mobile.

The Police response was:

Police, "Have you been injured yet ?"

Me, "No"

Police, "We have no resources available. Phone us tomorrow when we will have someone available to take details .... Click ....Brrrrrr"

IMO, '999' works for ambuance or fire brigade, but the 'click' 'Brrrrrr' for the Police sums it all up - It's now nothing more than a non-caring myth which is funded out of council tax hikes and speed camera soft-target fines. The Police ONCE had the respect of all law abiding citizens. Now it's an also-ran USELESS agency that has become the common enemy.


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[Rabbie]

Re: From zero to nine in three days

On what facts do you base your comments in your first paragraph. Ever been in blue uniform?Worked for the Home Office/Police Force?/Sat on a County Police Committee, or are your assumptions just what YOU think the case to be. For Petes sake man - how can a speeder be a 'Law-abiding motorist'?. Its the likes of you who should face the truth and not post such ignorant twaddle. I repect anyones opinion but not when they are making it up as they go along.

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[Rabbie]

Re: 999

"It's now nothing more than a non-caring myth which is funded out of council tax hikes and speed camera soft-target fines. The Police ONCE had the respect of all law abiding citizens. Now it's an also-ran USELESS agency that has become the common enemy."


Nigel. Do we assume then that anarchy has taken over?. I have had many dealings with the Police service in my life but the day is a long way off when I would consider them a 'common enemy'. Is this REALLY how you feel about Police Officers?. Furthermore - your anecdote is typical of many which we read and are left unfinished. Please dont go into acres of reply, but surely in those circumstances you would have taken the matter further - did you?. We'd all like to know, briefly, if you got any satisfaction. Reading your post, I somehow doubt it.

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[KevB]

Re: From zero to nine in three days

Rabbie,
It's common perception of how our once respected police force operate. You only have to look at the posts in this thread to realise that the police of today are out of touch with the common people.

Answer my question, why do you see many revenue earning traffic contol cars but so few bobbies on the beat. Pretty obvious I would have thought.... MONEY

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[oldgit]

Re neat gadget to avoid nasty speed tickets.

Its called a throttle.but you will need a brain to go with it.Sorry!/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif

<hr width=100% size=1>If it aint broke fix it till it is.

 

[Rabbie]

Re: Re neat gadget to avoid nasty speed tickets.

Oldgit. Theres really no need to aplogise to those who are so blind they will not see.
Rab.

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[Observer]

Re: Re neat gadget to avoid nasty speed tickets.

Rabbie,

I disagree strongly with nearly all you've had to say on this thread. You seem to have been convinced by the "SPEED KILLS" propaganda to the extent that the critical faculties I am sure you possess are totally untouched by the logical non sequiturs implicit in the comments and views you have expressed.

I can't and don't wish to pick up on all of these points. Let me just ask you to ponder, with an open mind, these two hypothetical questions:

If, as we are supposed to believe, adherence to any particular speed limit is a pre-requisite of safe driving:

1. why is it that (it is reasonable to postulate) a reasonably competent and careful driver could drive for years in a car without a functional speedometer and not have a single accident?

2. conversely, why is it that (it is reasonable to postulate) the most skilful driver in a car with a functioning speedometer, driving at 5mph but with a blacked out windscreen, is unlikely to last more than a few minutes without hitting someone or something?

These questions are simplistic, but designed to provoke an open-minded consideration of "what are the really important factors in road safety". Speed (appropriate for the prevailing conditions) is certainly one of them. Adherence to an arbitrary speed limit simply doesn't figure at all.




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[KevB]

Re: Re neat gadget to avoid nasty speed tickets.

Rabbie,

Got no answer to the question then!!

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[KevB]

Re: Re neat gadget to avoid nasty speed tickets.

Oldgit,

Sorry, you've lost me with your razor sharp whit.....

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[KevB]

Re: Re neat gadget to avoid nasty speed tickets.

Oldgit,

Or was it sarcasm?

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[Rabbie]

Re: Re neat gadget to avoid nasty speed tickets.

Observer. This thread was started by a forum member who complained about being detected breaking the law by speeding, pure and simple. I made no comment until I was compelled to do so by the comments of another poster who used, in my opinion, unsuitable descriptions of Police Officers. I made a comment that speed can kill. Speed limits are laid down by the legislature - not Police Officers. It is our duty in a civilised society to obey our laws or face penalties. Whether we conform or take risks is a personal decision. If we are caught taking the latter course, then the fault is of our own making and we must pay the penalty. The thread, I'm afraid has degenerated into a mainly anti-police shouting-match which is regretable. The 2 points you raised are surely, purely hypothetical. The simple answer to the instigator of this thread is - if you dont want to pay - dont take the risk. I'm glad to see that some are in agreement.

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[MainlySteam]

Re: Re neat gadget to avoid nasty speed tickets.

<<<if you dont want to pay - dont take the risk>>>

Unless you habitually drive around all the time well under the speed limit, causing a nuisance to other motorists, or drive very few miles at all, you will sooner or later be caught by a speed camera. At some time or another you will miss a speed limit sign, or inadvertently for any of many other reasons creep over the limit and there will be a camera there to catch you. If you drive, as it seems many forumites do, high milages then no matter how law abiding you are you will get caught out.

When speed cameras first appeared here around 12 or so years ago some of my circle of aquaintances (and many of the public) were of the view that if one drove to the limit then one had no reason to fear a fine. Unfortunately, even the most law abiding of all my aquaintances (including my 76 year old mother) have found out it does not work that way. Sooner or later, snap! and you are a criminal.

That is part of the difficulty with cameras, no matter if you are a blindly law abiding citizen and try your best, sooner or later the chances are you will be caught. I do not know the wording in the letters that go out from the police here with the infringement notice right now, but the ones I have seen in recent years actually have acknowledged that as being so and included words to the effect that if you have been so caught then please understand that cameras contribute to road safety (their view not mine) and regard such events as fining people who are normally speed limit abiding as an unfortunate consequence of their use.

John

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[MainlySteam]

Re: From zero to nine in three days

<<<I bet you're the first to dial 999 when you need us.>>> etc.

Unless the UK is very different to the rest of the western world then your comment just goes to show how far removed you, as a member of the police, are from reality. The fact is that much of preventive policing is now undertaken by organisations other than the police. For security of property, for example, no one now relies on the police hardly at all until after a breach of security has actually occurred - and even then you will be lucky to get a committed response unless the loss is very large.

For security of person I would never rely on the police from a preventive point of view - police involvement has deteriorated to being one where making an emergency call is the only hope of getting a response, preventive policing is none existant. Perhaps the advice for personal care of keeping away from dangerous neighbourhoods, etc is much to do with the police's inability to police those neighbourhoods and perhaps that is because there are much easier things to police with a much higher hit rate ie speeding, than dangerous neighbourhoods.

John

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[BarryH]

Re: Re neat gadget to avoid nasty speed tickets.

Jimi, please get banned so we can get off this subject and onto something like "alternative methods of transport". This thread is going round in circles.

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[jimi]

Re: Re neat gadget to avoid nasty speed tickets.

"This thread was started by a forum member who complained about being detected breaking the law by speeding, pure and simple"

Not quitwe so pure and simple ... life is'nt black and white. The point you fail to see is that I was actually driving a lot slower than most other cars in similar circumstances but not being familiar with the area I was in fact being penalised for not knowing the area. As a police officer you just would'nt stop and issue a fixed penalty ticket in these circunmstances. I often drive at unsocial hours (ie pub closing time) coming back from work, climbing, surfing or sailing and I have often been stopped by police in order to be breathalysed often with the excuse of speeding I have never been issued with a ticket (or failed a Btest) and the police have in fact said that the speed limits are really irrelevant in these circumstances. They are exercising their judgement & discretion unlike a camera which can do neither. I have at no point criticised the police and in fact have said I would welcome more police on the beat. The point is that cameras are not law enforcement devices in many cases they are revenue raising devices. In fact there was a report in the times about an area where cameras were put in, traffic slowed down, they did'nt meet their revenue expectations and the next phase of camera installations were cancelled. If the real target had been slowing the traffic the next phase would have gone ahead. Also crucially its time the police had properly thought out targets and obectives whereby "proper policing" was given a higher priority than easily managed conviction rates. I have driven over 600,000 miles in the last 20 years and only been involved in 3 accidents 1) on a wet diesel covered road 2) rammed in the back 3) rammed in the rear quarter.

If I am guilty of breaking the law then so is everyone else, and quite honestly the nomber of tickets nowe is merely a function of miles travelled on unfamiliar roads.

Oh and by the way the last 6 ppoint were 1) On the way to my boat 2) On the way back with TK after helping him get his boat round from Gosport to the Hamble ... so this is a sailing related thread.

I also had to pick up one of my crew a couple of weeks ago who had got 12 points and was banned .. never had an accident in his life. Same a year ago with another member of the crew. At work wotrk vcolleagues are picking up points who've had clean licences for 20 years. It is this situation which is leading to lack of respect for this particular ill considered enforcement process and unfortunately by extension and association other law enforcement processes as well.

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[oldgit]

Re: Re neat gadget to avoid nasty speed tickets.

hello Barry.bit much when we have to come over here among the unengined.
Anyway................................
My point no speedy no tickety.Bit less,me my car my precious time and my poor wallet and a bit more the rest of society.The right to exceed posted limit ends at my bumper.
When we see a complaint about cameras from
A.pedestrians
B/cyclists
C/horse riders
D/joggers
E/Me
F/bus drivers
G/ any other road users.
H/Smart car aimers.
K/Any non car driver
That will the time to worry.
Just keep those cameras coming,we will slow you buggers down yet and if that proves best done via the wallet so be it.

<hr width=100% size=1>If it aint broke fix it till it is.