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Police! Stop!

Comments

1. At 04:45 PM on 29 May 2007, wrote:

   So that would be the police van that patrols Sellafield, would it?

   :-p

2. At 04:55 PM on 29 May 2007, Stewart M wrote:

   The glare from that high visibility jacket could cause an accident!

3. At 04:57 PM on 29 May 2007, Frances O wrote:

   An there was me thinking it's carrying two alien police officers from the planet Zog (Or possibly Pluto; but we'd need Stephen, Leader of STROP to confirm this)

4. At 05:01 PM on 29 May 2007, nikki noodle wrote:

   Great Radio.

   (with acknowledgements to Roberto!)

   n-n

5. At 05:02 PM on 29 May 2007, Frances O wrote:

   And there was me thinking it's carrying two alien police officers from the planet Zog (Or possibly Pluto; but we'd need Stephen, Leader of STROP to confirm this)

6. At 05:22 PM on 29 May 2007, Nat P wrote:

   I think it's wonderful that the police have been highlighted as the hyprocrites that many of them are. As a body they constantly pronounce the dangers of speeding, when most of the British public believe it's a revenue generating exercise. Then it comes out that they actually consider the offense trivial enough to cover it up when they are guilty themselves.

7. At 05:25 PM on 29 May 2007, Chris Ghoti wrote:

   If cops are going to have to keep the law like the rest of us Mere Mortals, does that mean that the police from my local police station will have to stop parking their patrol cars on the pavement so that it is mostly blocked to pedestrians, on a corner, on a double-yellow line, in order to drop into the convenience store there to buy themselves a Mars Bar each on their way off duty?

   If *I* parked there, they'd give me a ticket like a shot, and they certainly don't hesitate to book other people who do it, 'cos I've seen them.

8. At 05:27 PM on 29 May 2007, Stephen Thackray wrote:

   Having recently been snapped by a scamera I visited a Police website. I was left with the impression that it is an offence not to know who is driving one's car.

   Rules for Plod and rules for the rest of us? Nothing new there then!

9. At 05:34 PM on 29 May 2007, Roger Tubby wrote:

   Most cars are now fitted with black boxes and more recently with cameras to record the cabin space.

   The fact of the matter is we are talking about boys with fast cars!
   There will be unofficial land speeding records within each traffic devision (in the pursuit of some villian no doubt) and pictures on the walls of the offices showing the latest highest speed set for getting a picture taken at the most unpopular Gatso' camera site. Just to upset the Traffice Safety Teams, whom most traffic police detest. Particularly as this government wants to disband them.

10. At 05:38 PM on 29 May 2007, Ericonblackbird wrote:

    Medd Hughes (Head of ACPO road policing and from South Yorks) has just set up a private Ltd company employing CPS lawyers to take on motorists who are contesting alleged speeding offences and threatening very heavy costs when they win .... yet he fails to prosecute any of his own officers. The 'token' prosecution he talked about was of course against the S Yorks police force so the tax payer paid the fine and nobody had points added to their license.
    Oh and why are ACPO and the new company (Road Safety Support) Ltd companies? Perhaps to avoid the FOI act?

11. At 05:40 PM on 29 May 2007, wrote:

    Actually (on a serious note) I believe that the problem here is that the driver is wearing a flourescent jacket with reflective material. Whilst this material is excellent for making you visible, it can overwhelm a camera image, as the contrast between the reflective material everything else causes the face to be much darker than normal. I remember this effect happening in the TV show Neverwhere (a lost classic due a repeat, I think). One of the charachters, The Angel Islington, had a costume made of reflective material. In some scenes, it would glow magnificently, whilst the face of Peter Capaldi (the actor playing Islington) would be almost a black silhouette...

12. At 05:45 PM on 29 May 2007, Tim wrote:

    This is just further evidence of the lack of any effective accountability of the police in this country. There seems to be an arogant, complacent attitude that British policemen are beyond reproach and that any attempt to make the police accountable risks compromising their ability to detect and prevent crime. But in a situation where the power and influence of serious criminal organisations (including international terrorist organisations) is apparently growing unchecked, for the integrity of the police to remain a matter of simple faith is a serious security risk.

13. At 05:54 PM on 29 May 2007, Frances O wrote:

    Handy tip, FF, thanks!

    (not that I have a car)

14. At 05:59 PM on 29 May 2007, tony ferney wrote:

    As far as I can make out, these are two Eddie Mair lookalikes.

    Comments on a p.c. please.

15. At 06:24 PM on 29 May 2007, wrote:

    Great Photo.

16. At 06:44 PM on 29 May 2007, admin annie wrote:

    I was dropping off reading your post Fearless, sorry, but not technically minded, but then I got to the bit about Neverwhere. Yes, yes, yes. Campaign for it to come back. Peter Capaldi was wonderful in it. It wasn't quite as good as it could havebeen, sometimes I thought the premise overstretched, but oh! how I would love to see it again.

17. At 08:11 PM on 29 May 2007, Belinda wrote:

    Having seen that the police can get away with shooting an innocent man in the back of the head without any charges bought, it never really seemed to me that the same laws do apply to the police as to the public. After that case, speeding seems relatively law-abiding.

18. At 08:39 PM on 29 May 2007, wrote:

    AA (16) I managed to lay my hands on a DVD of it from "across the pond" last year. Having not seen it for years, I wasn't sure how I'd see it again, but I needn't have doubted :-) Yes, sometimes it was a little but shaky, but as someone who grew up in the outskirts of London, it still holds a thrall that only a true original fantasy can...

19. At 10:16 PM on 29 May 2007, wrote:

    It seems to me that a gulf has developed between the police and the public whom they are supposed to serve. They need to carry the confidence of the public. Many people have become deeply concerned about the role and the stance that the police are taking.

    Collectively, they should behave as model citizens and set a good example. They are not the law; they are defenders and upholders of the law. They often appear to flout the law in a range of their activities and do so with impunity. There are apparently no consequences for their "mistakes", law-breaking, misuses of power and cover-ups. The police are, de facto, not accountable to the public, and are successfully making themselves unaccountable to the Courts. If this persists, without check, they will become a danger to the very public they are supposed to serve and protect.

20. At 11:34 PM on 29 May 2007, Frances O wrote:

    Christopher R has a good point.

    What a world it is where we cannot trust the upholders of law.

21. At 09:11 AM on 30 May 2007, jbagpuss wrote:

    AA - I seem to recall reading that Neverwhere is due to be released on DVD here imminently. Personally I can't wait, I enjoyed it immensely, but sadly missed the last episode and haven't been able to track a recording down sine then.

22. At 09:37 AM on 30 May 2007, m f wrote:

    I am a Police driver, I set off cameras every day, and I have never yet been prosecuted!
    Corruption? Cover up? Hypocrisy?
    The fact is that every minute(at least) the police receive a call that demands an immediate response it may be a burglary, assault, robbery in progress, or a collision. In such cases the public (YOU) require a Copper to be on the doorstep as soon as possible and are quick to moan if you done get one. If I activate a camera I have to account for it I receive a notice of intended prosecution and have to apply for dispensation, unless the photo clearly shows that the blue lights etc are displayed. In such circumstances of course I am not prosecuted! If this constant muck raking keeps up one or both of two things are going to happen.
    1. Police officers will stop trying to get to emergencies as quickly as possible for fear of being criticised.
    2. Police forces will restrict the top response speed for police drivers even further.
    The consequences of both should be obvious to all. We no longer live in a cozy Dixon of Dock Green world where Police can go to emergencies on cycles and villains act like Gentlemen. Modern policing situations require a fast response, I dont like it any more than you but we have to live with things as they are not as we would like them to be.

23. At 10:13 AM on 30 May 2007, wrote:

    AA & jbagpuss. I just checked, and it's available now! If you look at a certain well known online shop (think of a river in South America), they show it as being shipped in 7 to 10 days! Personally, I'm happier with the US release, as it has a commentary by Neil Gaiman, which the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Uk release doesn't seem to have. (check if your DVD player can play Region 1 before ordering that version, though...

    Enjoy!

24. At 11:22 AM on 30 May 2007, Val P wrote:

    tony ferney - lol, that would be because of their lack of headtops?

25. At 12:25 PM on 30 May 2007, Aunt Dahlia wrote:

    O thank you FF et all, I'm off up river now, can't wait.

26. At 01:52 PM on 30 May 2007, admin annie wrote:

    yes indeed, excellent news and as I think I can manage without Neil Gaimans contribution I too will jump into my dug out canoe and paddle off to do some bartering with the great river god's machine!

    Thank you all!

27. At 02:12 PM on 30 May 2007, RJD wrote:

    Val (24) - What is it with this place and lack of headtops? As you say, Eddie hasn't got one, but nor do, Sequin, Martha Kearney and Carrie Gracie in their pictures.

28. At 02:30 PM on 30 May 2007, admin annie wrote:

    val/rj - probably a ´óÏó´«Ã½ experiment that went wrong!

29. At 05:09 PM on 30 May 2007, Chris Ghoti wrote:

    admin annie @26 -- Won't you find it a bit difficult to do without Neil Gaiman's contribution to a series he wrote the script for?

30. At 05:31 PM on 30 May 2007, Tim wrote:

    m f - if the coppers concerned had legitimate reasons for speeding why do they refuse to admit to driving the vehicles concerned?

31. At 05:52 PM on 30 May 2007, Val P wrote:

    RJD - buy those poor ´óÏó´«Ã½ peeps a decent camera, that's what I say. Mine chops unspecified parts of the subject, but then it is the original Box Brownie Digital.

32. At 05:56 PM on 30 May 2007, Val P wrote:

    eeek - chopping parts off words too am I :o(

    Why is it that the comments take so long to submit, but there's no way of grabbing them back when you see your typo glaring you in the face?

33. At 07:27 PM on 30 May 2007, Aunt Dahlia wrote:

    Sid's Law

34. At 07:41 PM on 30 May 2007, nikki noodle wrote:

    m f (22)

    Personally , though it's not fashionable, I am inclined to agree with you.

    I trust (an old word) the police officer in the vehicle will got at the speed limit - unless there is a call to go faster, in which case I trust her / him to do so.

    I dont think there is anything to be gained by a lack of trust.

    nikki

35. At 11:58 PM on 30 May 2007, Aperitif wrote:

    Mr Noodle (34), Agreeing with M F is not fashionable? Hmm. Does (s)he know about this?

    M F, your post seems to be directed at me (the emphasised "YOU" gives it away). I should like to point out two things:
    1. You do not know what I think;
    2. I amnot a member of the public, I am "me".

    Otherwise, You have a very valid point ;-)

36. At 01:08 AM on 31 May 2007, wrote:

    What concerns me more

    Another local licensed Hotel looks after some of the police officers for 'their conference.'

    I'm reliably informed they are normally drinking - 5+ pints until two in the morning - and then drive in their vehicles to the Conferencing centre six hours later.

    Now what's the chances of them being pulled over and breathalysed?

    Zilch really!

    Dixon of Dock Green would be turning in his grave :-(

    Evening all