good use of police time?

[discomummy]

Hi,

on my way into work this morning, there were 8 police standing around.  Three were on the side of the road checking tax discs, and the other five were standing by the two police vans presumably to deal with offenders.

to my mind, this is a dreadful waste of police time, surely they could use 'civilian' help for some of this.  whilst i appreciate that the police need to have a presence - eight officers seems like overkill.

i am not having a go at the police - i still feel (having lived overseas and travelled a great deal) that the british bobby is the best in the world and have brought my girls up to believe that and treat them with respect.  

i suspect that the powers above have nominated this as  a useful thing to do - get some revenue etc, but surely the police would be better used actually dealing with baddies, and get some of the community support officers to help with the car tax evaders - this could well be placed within their remit.

regards

ela

[Sider]

Come on, be sensible, you are asking bureaucrats to use their brains other than to device new ways of wasting public money. :D

[carbore]

In defence of the police and even the Beurocrats....

We all moan about uninsured and badly maintained cars.  If the coppers pull people for one thing it gives them the opportunity to check the other details like insurance etc.

Not to mention the opportunity to recover stolen vehicles.


Id rather see coppers on the road than more bloody gatso cameras.  The yorkshire ripper was arrested by a Traffic copper on a routine stop, despite all the emphasis on DNA and CCTV you still need someone with eyes open.

[wing nut]

in a area close to me ,i counted no fewer than 35 illegal cars that had been pulled by the coppers ,the mondeo with all the number plate recognition system got them a treat  :lol:  the sorry thing is, i bet they are all back on the road within a week

[Boggert]

If you are pulled over for not tax, could be you have no insurance as well... Then the police can take you car off you.  You can get it back but have to produce a valid MOT and insurance document or it gets squashed.

Could be that they are running a high profile Operation with the DVLA. Or they are waiting for something and thought "lets have a look at a few tax discs while we are here."

What I suspect is going on is the ANPR kit in the area is running and they are waiting to pull cars in that have warning markers on them. No tax, No insurance, Stolen... that sort of thing.

[DarrenG]

I'm all for it, the more ANPR stings the merrier.  It targets untaxed and uninsured vehicles.  This means it also leads to unlicenced drivers.

If you are ever unlucky enough to be hit by a scumbag who has no licence, no insurance, no MoT or all three then you'd understand.  And those that drive uninsured vehciles invariable commit other offences too  :twisted:

[karlo]

If you are ever unlucky enough to be hit by a scumbag who has no licence, no insurance, no MoT or all three then you'd understand.  :twisted:

Been there done that.

I would have thought 4 would have been enough though, the other 4 could have been somewhere else getting even more of those drivers who shouldn't be on the road!

[Lucy1978]

civvies can't stop cars though, I guess 8 coppers in case a car load of people don't appreciate being stopped and start having a go.

[DarrenG]

And in some areas the ANPR units can be overrun with customers!

[discomummy]

Hi,

i have no problems with this being done - but did they need all those police there, could it not have been done with less uniforms, but admin backup (cheaper, and more police for dealing with other things)

i tax, insure, mot all our cars - so i have  a clear conscience and am more than happy to get the untaxed/uninsured off the road

regards

ela

[Terranosaurus]

I'm all for it, the more ANPR stings the merrier.  It targets untaxed and uninsured vehicles.  This means it also leads to unlicenced drivers.

Absolutely but why do they have to crush the vehicles, some aren't road worthy, but why can't they be registered (so the original owner won't see "his" car on the road) and sell them at auction, create more revenue for the government and keep more cars on the road which is better for the environment than building new ones.

[DarrenG]

Actually some forces do, maybe they all do. If road worthy and worth the bother some are re-registered and sold.

[Terranosaurus]

Fair enough - its just I only ever hear that they get crushed.

[littlepow]

IIRC you get a week to correct the insurance, tax defecit. But the car remains clamped at it's location (was on telly), not sure on MOT problem though.

[DEANO3528]

Or maybe...

Police were forced to stop investigating a paedophile ring so they could chase Government targets for less serious offences, it was revealed yesterday.

Detectives were told that arresting a group of active child abusers would count as only "one tick in the box".

They were instead encouraged to use their resources to trap large numbers of burglars, and new tecnical 'crimes'

As taken from the Daily Mail.

Do sleep soundly, and don't have nightmares

[clbarclay]

Come on, be sensible, you are asking bureaucrats to use their brains other than to device new ways of wasting public money. :D

Is it really wasting money?

Compared to arresting people and sending them to prison which costs money, the revinue raised through fines makes for a much better return on the money invested. Are they actually bureaucrats or just business men

[Evilgoat]

I have an issue with it.


Having Dialled 999 4 times while I worked at express as the local yobs were preventing us from leaving. Each time being told it was non urgen despite a window going in and having to put the shutters down. It got to the extent that I hit the panic buttons and central station still couldnt get it out.

To cut a long story short they wouldnt come out.

On the way home there were 4 vans, 2 bikes, 3 pandas and a traffic car doing spot checks about 2 miles away.

Then I got a call 2 hours later telling me the gang had attacked and stabbed my security guard on his way home.

[discowoman]

On the Black country route they operate the ANPR units quite a lot - best one was a 'kid' in a tricked out BMW 3 series - alloys - huge stereo etc, getting done for no tax he came out with the 'I Cant afford to tax it' so copper said 'OK sign this and the fine is £0 - BUT you're car is ours and WILL be crushed'
Kid signed the form and went to take stuff out the car - but was told in no uncertain terms that he had just signed over the vehicle AS IS, and as such he could only take his phone and coat..lol
looked gutted- especially when it was craned onto the back of a Transporter, locals reckoned they took nearly 20 cars in a morning - Oldest car was a 1995 M plater!!!
Plenty round by us with £300 cars with £300 stereos and £300 alloys on em - but no tax!!!

[electricbluebadger]

Why not resell the cars they impound and crush the owners... much better option

Cheers Steve

[Edge]

Why not resell the cars they impound and crush the owners... much better option

Cheers Steve

Great idea.... shame the so called leaders of our country couldnt think about all the cash that would be generated from it.....
Auction the cars off.... use the money to employ more policemen.... put those policemen on the beat.... catch more criminals... raise more cash.... employ more policemen.... etc etc.

[Steve ray]

Having Dialled 999 4 times while I worked at express as the local yobs were preventing us from leaving. Each time being told it was non urgent despite a window going in and having to put the shutters down. It got to the extent that I hit the panic buttons and central station still couldnt get it out.

To cut a long story short they wouldnt come out.

Just tell that you're about to go outside and set about the yobs with a baseball bat - bet the old bill are there in double quick time then!

[Lord Shagg-Pyle]

Hi,

on my way into work this morning, there were 8 police standing around.  Three were on the side of the road checking tax discs, and the other five were standing by the two police vans presumably to deal with offenders.

to my mind, this is a dreadful waste of police time, surely they could use 'civilian' help for some of this.  whilst i appreciate that the police need to have a presence - eight officers seems like overkill.

i am not having a go at the police - i still feel (having lived overseas and travelled a great deal) that the british bobby is the best in the world and have brought my girls up to believe that and treat them with respect.  

i suspect that the powers above have nominated this as  a useful thing to do - get some revenue etc, but surely the police would be better used actually dealing with baddies, and get some of the community support officers to help with the car tax evaders - this could well be placed within their remit.

regards

ela

You'll probably find that there was 1 x PC, 3 x Special Constables, and 4 x PCSO's.
It is a cunning plan to make you think that there are more Police and therefore complain that the 'loads of Police' should be doing other stuff, when in fact it was only one PC there all along! Simple really.
What you didn't see was the 10 health and safety officers (to make sure that that everyone was wearing the proper stuff and using the right equipment, the 20 counsellers (in case the public were traumatised) and the 40 lawyers (waiting in the wings to encourage people to sue the 'Facist pigs of the dictatorial State). Don't forget the 50 or more Comittee members there to hold 'a working party' and 'steering group' to asses the impact on the community.

[Edge]

Bureaucracy strikes again..... :twisted:

[LittlePaul]

Hi all

First post!

Im all for the ANPR stuff - ANPR saves police time.  Get uninsured drivers in jail.  Or France.

However.  When are they going to start booking people for broken headlights, or driving with fogs on in clear weather?  Both dangerous, and IMHO, more dangerous than speeding.  Controversy thickens...!

lp

[Elmo]

What you didn't see was the 10 health and safety officers (to make sure that that everyone was wearing the proper stuff and using the right equipment, the 20 counsellers (in case the public were traumatised) and the 40 lawyers (waiting in the wings to encourage people to sue the 'Facist pigs of the dictatorial State). Don't forget the 50 or more Comittee members there to hold 'a working party' and 'steering group' to asses the impact on the community.

As someone said of "Yes Minister" it'd be funny if it wasn't true....