It’s blatantly obvious I am pro police, but I am not stupid enough to think that all are going to be perfect .I do think that if a crime is committed by a serving officer in most cases they should lose their job. I say in most cases because for example if an officer has a RTC attending an emergency call and is prosecuted for it they shouldn’t lose their job for trying to help someone. As regards offences committed before joining then certain ones should be complete no nos but others need close consideration
2 Likes
In a lifetime of driving I haven’t been stopped by the police many times but one sticks in my mind. It was MaundyThursday and my girlfriend’s great aunt had been awarded Maundy money by the Queen at Chichester Cathedral. Afterwards we went up to Midhurst to have afternoon tea with her and other members of the family. In the early evening we we driving south on a backroad when we came across a Police roadblock. They waved us into a parking space and asked if I had my driving licence and all the car’s papers. I replied that I did and was told to take them into a caravan to be checked. I did so. When I got back to my car there were two policemen there and one of them told me that my car was unsafe because the brakes needed to be pumped up. I told him that there was nothing wrong with the brakes and as he had not started the engine and the servo wouldn’t have been working. I started the engine and invited him to retry. He did and grudgingly agreed that there was no problem. As a passing shot he told me that he was reporting me for failing to maintain my handbrake. As we drove off my girlfriend told me that it had been a laugh watching the two big policemen heaving and straining behind the car not being able to move it. We laughed and drove home. I didn’t laugh a few weeks later when a policeman arrived at my place of work and demanded to see me. He accused me of failing to update my driving licence to show my correct address. I showed him my licence and proof that the address was correct. It turns out the summons or whatever they had sent me for the alleged handbrake offence had been sent to an address in Southbourne near Chichester not Southbourne in Bournemouth where I lived. Someone had not written Dorset on the envelope. A while later I got the summons and spoke to someone who assured me that it was more effort to contest it than the expected £20 fine would warrant so I didn’t. I was told that it was not an endorsable offence. I eventually received the fine and an endorsement. Luckily when I told my insurance company they said that it wouldn’t affect my insurance premium and in their eyes wasn’t a ‘real’ endorsement.
The incident driving back from a family tea party and the behaviour of those two police officers has remained in my memory ever since. Their behaviour towards me was unacceptable but as my girlfriend pointed out a young man putting two traffic policemen right about the condition of the car’s brakes probably ruffled their feathers. After the policeman arriving at my workplace and accusing me of yet another crime I had not committed my opinion of the police dropped to rock bottom. The TV reality programmes that I’ve watched about traffic patrols has done little to raise my feelings.
Years later I was stopped at another check point driving through Holland at about 3 a.m. on a Sunday morning. A cheerful young police woman told me that she would like to breathalyse me and did so. She looked at the result and told me that I had had nothing to drink. She then told me that I’d won a prize and gave me a badge saying that if I’d failed the prize would have been quite different. She thanked me and wished me a safe journey home. I continued on five kilometres to my home smiling at the different approach I’d experienced that time. Dutch traffic police 20 points, British Thugs nil points.
3 Likes
Yes David, I’ve watched that TV reality program as well and am horrified at the sometimes stasi attitude of some of the officers - even to the slashed peaks on their caps and sunglasses to make them look threatening or “cool”.
There is absolutely no need for such tactics. As I said earlier in the thread, attitude, purportment and presence count far more. It’s so sad that some very brave and able officers are dragged down to a base level by others with the wrong or misguided agenda.
3 Likes
I am not a big fan of most of the TV police reality programmes ,a lot of playing up to the cameras and performing. There was one in particular which came to prominence at the time social media was becoming a thing and it got ridiculous ,fan sites ,Facebook groups etc. It was mostly young women who were talking about the male officers like they knew them, and a couple became legends in their own lunchtimes. A new Cheif Constable took over and it didn’t last long after that
1 Like
lunch boxes? 
I think a few thought so. There were definitely a few face palm moments for the bosses
1 Like
Add French to that as well.
When you have been victimised like that, all your previous belief that you will be OK if you haven’t done anything wrong goes out of the window . You never know when they will come after you again because they didn’t really get you the first time.
Sadly, these days it is increasingly likely that you are right in saying that Mike.
What needs to happen is two things. Firstly, police training needs to be reinforced in respect of the fact that policing is something which is supposed to happen with the consent of the general public, and that officers should therefore always conduct themselves to the highest possible standard in order to both obtain and maintain that consent.
Secondly, there needs to be a public education program, particularly in certain areas of the community, to the effect that the police are there to help people to be able to live their lives in peace and security. Basically a case of “Be nice to the police and they will be nice to you”.
Displaying an obstructive or belligerent attitude is far more likely to result in a ticket or prosecution, whereas being co-operative and pleasant often results in just a friendly word of advice.
The incident in Sussex that @anon57427786 has described was clearly inappropriate, and had a written complaint been lodged, then no doubt an apology would have been forthcoming.
Unfortunately, even good officers fall below the standard occasionally, and no doubt that is part of being human, but persistent poor conduct should result in disciplinary action.
It is said that people generally end up with the type of government that they deserve, and perhaps the same can be said of the quality of the police service.
The population in general needs to be prepared to pay a sufficient amount in taxes to fund an adequate and efficient police service, and in return, is then entitled to expect a high standard of conduct from the police. What needs to be remembered is that the ideal result is that we end up with police officers standing about on street corners with nothing to do because they have been successful in their duty to maintain the peace and good order of society and in the prevention of crime.
1 Like