Actually still got asked to remove my helmet before paying for petrol last week, when I stopped laughing, told them fuel was already in the bike so if they didn't want paying that was fine by me....... mask / helmet what's the difference
I must confess that I haven’t exactly been keeping up on the ever changing Covid rules and regs because tbh if I did so I wouldn’t get any other work done. However, with that caveat in mind, my understanding is that they don’t contain any provisions which require people to answer police questions or account for their presence in an area, who they are with or why. Hence, as it stands, if a police officer stops you to ask who you are, where you are going and why then you are entitled to refuse to answer and walk away. That’s how it works in theory. In practice, if you are in a car they may well have already ANPR’d or run your plate to get your address and if you’re a long way from home they may use that as grounds to suspect that you are committing or are about to commit an offence, thus justifying an arrest. If you decline to engage with them then they will probably use that as grounds to suspect you’re committing an offence, applying that familiar and odious “nothing to hide/nothing to fear” reasoning. They also have a whole host of other little (illegall) ploys such as claiming you were driving erratically, thus turning it into a traffic stop in which you do need to give your details or that they can “smell the distinctive aroma of herbal cannabis” in your vehicle and turn it into a drug stop or, if on foot, that they can smell it “about your person”, and carry out a PACE stop and search. Other little tricks in their playbook include alleging that you became abusive and agressive (that one tends to be age/ethnicity dependent ie: esp young and/or black) or that your speech was slurred/eyes glazed/pupils dilated, so they suspected intoxication or mental health issues and feared for your safety. Etc. You’ll probably also find that they’d “forgotten” to turn their bodycam on during this exchange or its battery had, regrettably, gone flat. Please don’t rely on this info as I haven’t checked it is correct and I don’t want anyone getting arrested or worse if it’s inaccurate! EDIT: just found this, which may be useful. https://www.libertyhumanrights.org.uk/advice_information/coronavirus-what-can-the-police-do/
Which can be used to suspect anyone - any power can be abused. IMHO police have been to soft on lockdown breaches but if they weren't they would be criticised no win
I’ve been stopped a few times on foot and refused my details, nothing a Policeman can demand. A vehicle stop is a whole different game,
unlike a law man to plead guilty straight away, but thanks for the link that was very useful; what I hadn’t actually considered was, that in theory, I could end up with a criminal record which I would be obliged to share with prospective employers for example which isn’t great. But for the 1st offence the £200 fine, providing I pay in less than 14 days, would be £100 and that would mean no criminal conviction too; it feels more of a ball ache than a deterrent.
To add some balance and show not all forces are the same. I just read an online message from SYP (South Yorks) traffic operations advising motorists to take care if they are driving into the peaks to take their exercise. I guess as long as we stay on the South Yorks side and dont wander into Derbyshire's bit we are OK then. SYP use some sense and Derbyshire don't is the logical concusion. Its not every police force and its not every copper that gets things wrong. There are always dickheads in every collective that set the tone for how the collective is perceived. As bikers we should all know that very well
That’s right. A fixed penalty notice does not appear on your PNC (police national computer) printout, aka “criminal record”. However, it might show up on enhanced DBS or other sorts of checks such as enhanced vetting, which you might be asked to undergo, if, say, you won a contract to work at a nuclear power station or something. Also, many professional bodies and employers now require employees to disclose various forms of engagement with the criminal justice system, so that’s worth checking too.
The problem is that Johnson needs to be loved and so he is incapable of making difficult or unpopular decisions and prefers instead to kick the can down the road. As a result we ended up with months of dithering, confusing and confused messaging and half-baked “neither fish nor foul” lockdowns that pleased nobody. Plus, of course, Cummingsgate, which was the point where he squandered any goodwill or benefit of the doubt that people were willing to extend to him
I couldn't agree more. The idiots who were deliberately making an issue yesterday with the police, where they had set up incidents... As for the public being influenced -downwards- by scum leadership, you only have to look at the USA. I'm a huge believer in personal rights. individual freedoms, and personal responsibility. However when my freedoms directly affect other people lives, I'm not so much of an idiot to think "tough shit" as clearly many do.
And let’s not forget the “world beating” “moon shot” track and trace system which was supposed to be the means by which resurgence of the virus was to be controlled, but which in the end turned out not only to be an abject failure, but, to add insult to injury, simply became a trough into which their cronies could bury their snouts.
The lack of trust in the government was another reason the Track & Trace system has totally failed. Everyone knows this government lie continuously, hence their assurances that the app would not be used pry to into peoples lives were firmly rejected. Even here on this forum, where there are many staunch conservative supporters, I am yet to see anyone urging the download of the app.
That was my primary objection to its pathetic efforts to get off the ground. There was no way on god’s green earth I was willing to volunteer data to this govt as they’d probably lose them, misuse them, negligently disclose them or sell them to one of their mates’ companies. Probably all of the above, in fact
On the isle of Sheppey it was reported to police, that a group of teenagers were congregating on the seafront in a shelter. Using illegal substances, not observing social distancing and being a general pain in the arse. If you can believe it the police response was, “if the group is less than 8 in number we are not interested”. If the police are to maintain any credibility, they need to present a consistent approach to rule breakers.
Mate, the police are totally outgunned and outsmarted on sheppey. The locals do not give a flying fuck about most things. It’s properly free range over on that island. I’ve got two mates that live over their (albeit in the middle of nowhere and on farms) and the stories they’ve told me and things I’ve seen with my own eyes ! The amount of drugs getting run up the estuary on a weekly basis for anyone with a view of it is astonishing! the people of sheppey are different gravy. They’re like Kent’s scousers
Yep. Caller: My neighbour has broken into my house and is threatening to kill me. 999 Operator: Thank you sir, an officer will be with you within the next 10 days. Caller: My neighbour has invited a couple of his friends over. 3 minutes later......
Had my car out for a thrash today after BMW rebuilt the engine to see if it would blow up again. Eventually ended up at Hartside in dense fog with horizontal rain where I stopped to check my phone. Lo and behold one of Cumbrias finest appeared out of the gloom to ask if my journey was necessary...... Told him it wasn't and I was on my way home, but I did think it was a bit of a waste of police resources. Good job it wasnt in Derbyshire or there would have been half a dozen or so.
There’s fek all they can do if you told them it was necessary anyway tbh or didn’t respond at all within reason. This is by the polices own admission. I also can’t see a lot of this standing up in court (just like lockdown 1).
On the flip side have just watched the footage of the police chasing and detaining the suspect for the Reading stabbings. On the scene in a couple of minutes. The officers out and about don’t decide on what they get sent to and what the response grading is that is done by the control room somewhere following their forces guidelines.
