Do Traffic cops have nothing better to do?

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fatboy · #31 Post by **fatboy** » Wed Jul 09, 2014 6:30 pm

I must atmit there have been a few times when I have been pulled on the bike ( by beat plod), Ive stayed on the bike, waited for them to walk over and then very politely ask...
What's the problem ?
to be told...
No problem Sir..
so I give it a big handful and dissappear

BikerGran · #32 Post by **BikerGran** » Wed Jul 09, 2014 7:29 pm

That's prretty much the experience of most people I know - the actual traffic cops are ok, it's the others.
When I was still on my little 100 I was knocked off on a roundabout by a bloke who pulled out on me, then claimed he hadn't seen me cos I had no lights on, gave me details (incorrect) and drove off. It was left to others to help me up off the road and push the bike to the side, when a patrol car stopped cos the bloke came back to collect a wheel trim that had fallen off (and he reckoned he didn't touch me?). I was a bit upset and I expect I raised my voice when I started to tell them 'he came out of there like shit off a shovel...' - they left!
I reported the accident and complained about the officer, who claimed that I had shouted and sworn at him!

Quite different to the bike cop who stopped me another time when my rear light was out, but told me that he didn't want to spoil my evening, just to keep to lit roads and get it fixed before I went out again.

lazarus · #33 Post by **lazarus** » Thu Jul 10, 2014 12:21 pm

T.C. wrote:People often ask me if Traffic cops have nothing better to do than nick bikers for speed or smal number plates. Well, this may address some of those points.

In the last 12 months in my old force, traffic Police (sorry, Roads Policing officers) were intrumental in making 268 arrests across Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire.

Were involved in the recovery of stolen vehicles across the Force area worth over £230,000.

Removing 194 vehicles from the road for being driven either while uninsured or by an unlicensed driver.

Being involved in the recovery of over £3million worth of class A drugs.

In one stop-check alone recovered £2.5million worth of heroin and cocaine.

Whilst it does not tell the whole story, as they are also dealing all the fatal and serious injury crashes and enforcement, it does show some of the othr aspects of police work that my former colleagues are involved in.

And before anyone says that they should not be out nicking people for speeding or small plates or anything like that, I would add that if you chose to ignore the rules of the road or that speeding does not kill (and I accept that speed initsef is not the killer) or that it is impossible to ride or drive at 30MPH, all I can say is that whever stays that is talking total cr@p. You choose to ignore the laws, then you should be man enough to put your hands up and accept it when you get caught.

On one level I support your colleagues road policing activities. In fact I would like to see more of them focussed on uninsured untaxed cars and drivers using phones. I dont see that we have much of a speed problem in the UK thanks largely to congestion but I do accept the need for plod to be there to keep it like it is. I even accept speed cameras - with all the warnings and info we get you have to be careless at best to get caught by one.

But like everyone else I think they should focus on people other than me since its well known that I am a riding God.

Two stops in 52 years. Firs was on the east lancs road the morning after visiting a girlfriend - mind on other things,. Careless. The second was on the heads of the valley road in s wales and was an exercise in mobile socialism / class war as the officer made clear. I was viewed , wrongly as it happens, as a rich barsteward driving a flash car.

squadron Nero · #34 Post by **squadron Nero** » Thu Jul 10, 2014 9:23 pm

I had a run in with a traffic cop tonight.

I was on my way to a local bike meet. Making good progress and enjoying my trusty steed when I saw plod sat in a layby but alas ot was too late as he started to walk out into the carriage way and flag me down.

Bike off helmet off. Asks me "what's the limit on this road?" "60", I replied. "What's that read?" He asked as he pointed his radar gun at me. "Bad news for me" I said as I read the 86mph the gub was showing.

I could see he wasn't happy and he started to go on. I'm thinking oh god I'm going to get the full works here. Then there's my plate that's a bit small and exhausts with no baffles.

But before he could get down to business a car pulled up alongside us to tell him a crash had just happened just up the road.

He looked at me and said "you're let off with a warning but keep your bloody speed down. Could be been you in the accident if I hadn't of stopped you." Jumped in his car and shot off.

Thank f**k for that. So I'm feeling lucky. Calm it down a bit and on my way. About a mile up the road I met him again as he was now at the scene of the crash. Unfortunately a 125 presumably going to the same meet I was, sticking out of the hedge and a young man looking very sorry for himself. Looked like he had overcooked it going into a right hand bend and high sided it.

I know this story has no real input to the thread but I thought I'd share it anyway.

flatlander · #35 Post by **flatlander** » Thu Jul 10, 2014 10:48 pm

I had a "race" with one on the way to Milton Keynes once he tried to cut in on me as we took the exit roundabout but seemed more reluctant than I was to drive into each other :) then pulled me over (unmarked car) to give me the drill to which I offered you're from Lancashire and I am quite happy to discuss your driving with your boss so why don't you either book me or go forth and multiply and got in and drive off

Then had another flash me his warrant card as we approached slow moving traffic to which I replied by flashing him my USA Federal contractor card accompanied by hand gestures and drove off

Oh to be young and even more dumb than I am now. :)

randomsquid · #36 Post by **randomsquid** » Fri Jul 11, 2014 4:53 pm

flatlander wrote:
Oh to be young and even more dumb than I am now. :)

Both of these are quite unlikely...

HTH

BikerGran · #37 Post by **BikerGran** » Sat Jul 12, 2014 11:17 am

*sniggers*

flatlander · #38 Post by **flatlander** » Sun Jul 13, 2014 7:41 am

Cant really argue wiith That ... Especially when ors TVE VoiceOver of experience

slickliner6 · #39 Post by **slickliner6** » Mon Jul 14, 2014 11:48 am

randomsquid wrote:
flatlander wrote:
Oh to be young and even more dumb than I am now. :)

to be older and wiser,first you have to be young and dumb !!!!

Aladinsaneuk · #40 Post by **Aladinsaneuk** » Mon Jul 14, 2014 4:53 pm

several here have done the older bit..... the wiser eludes the though.....

D-Rider · #41 Post by **D-Rider** » Mon Jul 14, 2014 5:13 pm

.... and having done the "young and dumb" is no guarantee of achieving the "older and wiser"

DavShill · #42 Post by **DavShill** » Mon Jul 14, 2014 6:50 pm

So here's my two penny'th. Been caught twice for speeding on the bike both times I received a fine but on one occasion was offered the course instead of points, which I gladly accepted. On both occasions the officers were very polite and courteous. Just doing their job and I paid the price of breaking the law.

We did get into a discussion about my registration number which is XXXX "VDR" which in their language is an acronym for Vehicle Defect Rectification "notice" - a little ironic I thought!

When my youngest son was on his L plates on his first CG 125, he entered a village 30mph zone a bit too quickly. He realised he was being tailed by a police bike. The policeman tailed him for a mile or so then pulled him over. Matt was "bricking it". The officer asked him to take his helmet off and proceeded to compliment him on his riding lines, explained he entered the village a little over the speed limit and went on to talk about general rider craft and encouraged him to take his full test as soon as he felt confident enough and enjoy his motorcycling. That did more for Matt's confidence and his respect for the police than anything I could have taught him. Great work by that officer.

Matt is now an all year biker and does way more miles than me every year, he's fallen off more times than me and he still breaks the speed limits, but that early experience of good policing will stay with him.

fatboy · #43 Post by **fatboy** » Mon Jul 14, 2014 7:08 pm

Nice to hear some positive ' plod' involvement !
In my 'chop' riding days Iwas stopped by two bike cops, they could blatantly see my doss bag tied on the hi rise bars covered the speedo and there was no speedo cable to be seen, they were more concerned that I knew the road ahead as it had some notorious twisties.
realistic thinking makes life so much easier !

lazarus · #44 Post by **lazarus** » Sun Jul 27, 2014 3:27 pm

TY.C.

Casting your mind back to the days when you were plod, exactly what5 targets were there? Did you have to dish out a minimum number of tickets per nday, for example?

lazarus · #45 Post by **lazarus** » Sun Jul 27, 2014 3:29 pm

Firestarter wrote:Probably not. Sarcasm seems to be a one-way thing with some (quoting TC) "uninformed numpties"

Of course it is. A policeman stopping you is an exercise of power - his power over you. He has to keep the upper hand in the discussion and to do that he has to resist any efforts by you to discuss things as equals. You arent equals in that scenario.

If you had the power to stop people you thought were doing things you didnt like, you wouldnt stand being given lip either

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Do Traffic cops have nothing better to do?

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