Police Experiences

"Helen Deborah Vecht" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

What are your individual experiences of the way the Police have reacted
to incidents of:

Cycle Theft?
Assault?
Traffic Collision?
Other cycle-related matters?

How does this experience compare to your other encounters with the Police?

Replies in the group, or by email are welcomed. My partner and I are
preparing to write an article for publication on this matter.

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden]
Edgware.

When Vernon was knocked off his bike & injured, I rang the police. The
operator taking the call was basically not interested. I had to *stress*
that Vernon had been injured and then she said she'd get an officer to
attend. Plod took ages to get there as royalty was at Sandringham so
resources were diverted to keeping the great unwashed away :-( Plod was all
very sympathetic but said he couldn't really do much and not to expect
anything. He also said he was attending several such incidents a week, and
in the light of this, if what he said was true, I was a bit concerned at the
seeming complacency.

Other experiences with police? Not many, but not exactly impressed by the
seeming lack of positive action in chasing up anything brough to their
attention. Many years ago, a guy went for me with a hammer and it took plod
an hour to arrive whereupon plod decided to do nothing as I'd managed to
defend myself & no actually be hit. Plod said "If he'd actually hit you we'd
do something, but as he didn't we aren't interested." That was
Cambridgeshire plod :-(

I don't rely on plod & I don't have much confidence in plod.

Cheers, helen s

Cheers, helen s

Helen Deborah Vecht said:

What are your individual experiences of the way the Police have reacted
to incidents of:

Cycle Theft?

Couldn't even manage to raise a crime reference number. (Fortunately,
the insurers weren't too fussy).

Quoted message said:

Assault?
Traffic Collision?
Other cycle-related matters?

Various reports of aggressive behaviour by motorists and bus drivers.
Only once did they respond to inform me that they had written to the
motorist concerned.

Long e-mail conversation with local inspector concerning one of his
chaps who complained to me that I was cycling too far from the kerb.
Concluded that this particular inspector was beyond hope, so e-mailed
head office to tell them so.

Quoted message said:

How does this experience compare to your other encounters with the Police?

Less sarcastic than normal - by virtue of their lack of interest.

Quoted message said:

Replies in the group, or by email are welcomed. My partner and I are
preparing to write an article for publication on this matter.

Helen Deborah Vecht said:

What are your individual experiences of the way the Police have reacted
to incidents of:

Cycle Theft?

Fairly positive, probably as I was under no illusions that they
were going to do anything but file the stolen bike report.

The lady who dealt with my case (I assume a "civilian" member of
staff at the central police call center) knew very little about
bikes, but had a very good crib sheet to work from in order to
get the details of the bike.

I few days later I was sent a letter confirming everything and
with lots of contact numbers for advice / further action etc.

A little after that I was called asking if I wanted counselling,
as I had been a victim of crime 🙂 As it was a £100 Halfords
"mountain" bike I politely declined 🙂

--
jc

Remove the -not from email

Helen Deborah Vecht said:

What are your individual experiences of the way the Police have reacted
to incidents of:

Cycle Theft?
Assault?
Traffic Collision?
Other cycle-related matters?

How does this experience compare to your other encounters with the Police?

Replies in the group, or by email are welcomed. My partner and I are
preparing to write an article for publication on this matter.

When some dimwit decided it would be fun to lean out the passenger side
of the overtaking car and slap me across the back as I cycled along, I
took the registration number and called the police.

They popped round a couple of hours later to take a statement, having
already been round to the registered keeper's address (and found him
out). They stressed it was unlikely there'd be a prosecution as there
were no witnesses. They called back a couple of days later with an
update (the driver, when found, denied everything and had had an attack
of amnesia regarding who his passenger was at the time, but the police
had attempted to jog his memory both at his workplace and his home;
apparently neither his boss nor his wife were impressed when they were
told he was being investigated for assault. I was, though :-)

No experience of any other stuff, thankfully.

R.

Helen Deborah Vecht said:

What are your individual experiences of the way the Police have reacted
to incidents of:

Cycle Theft?
Assault?
Traffic Collision?
Other cycle-related matters?

How does this experience compare to your other encounters with the Police?

Replies in the group, or by email are welcomed. My partner and I are
preparing to write an article for publication on this matter.

My only experience was after a traffic accident (knocked off my bike)
which I reported to the Police in Hampshire. I did not expect much and
really only reported it so there would be an official contemporaneous
record should I need it. In fact I was well impressed. They
interviewed the driver, they interviewed the witness. They phoned me up
to tell me what they had done, check everything was OK and make sure I
had the driver and insurance company details. As it was the driver
hadn't answered my letters at the address she gave me and the police had
a different address (I don't know for sure whether it was a false
address I'd been given). So without them and the phone call I would
probably have been stumped to start my claim for damages. When it came
to preparation for the Court case for damages, which the Insurance
company rejected saying I had thrown myself off the bike, the police
supplied a copy of the statement made by the witness (who had not
answered any letter requesting their assistance as a witness). It was
that statement that completed the case and the insurance company backed
off and settled in full with a week to go to Court.

So without Hampshire Police it could have been very different and I am
well pleased with my experience and went back to tell them so.

Tony

Richard said:

No experience of any other stuff, thankfully.

Actually I lie. I came a cropper at speed on a patch of diesel on a
roundabout. Off-duty nurse in the car behind me, and the cycle paramedic
who turned up within a minute, both insisted I lay still until the
ambulance came as I'd managed to wind myself by landing partly on my
rucksack, and so I was carted off to hospital on a spinal board, sans
bike. After I was discharged I called the police (who'd attended as
well) and was told my bike was at X police station. I hobbled there,
and found it was indeed there, parked securely undercover and caged.
Nicely done. Particularly as I had a fair way to get home. :-)

R.

Mrs L has had a couple of cycling related contacts with plod.

She used to park her bike in a (dark) public place and whilst riding
one day behind her I noticed that her rear brake blocks had gone awol.

It was a cheap [censored] bike and we thought that someone had done it
maliciously, so we told plod just in case there was some arsewipe
doing a similar thing along our road. Plod just said 'Looks like
someone wanted some brake blocks, didn't they?'

We didn't concur with this piece of detective work but she did get a
follow up call from a theft councelling officer (or some such job
title) a few months later to see if she was traumatised...

The other one .. new bike nicked (she had only locked it up by the
front wheel and it had QR bolts) (but it was January, after dark,
raining hard and locked at Sainsburys, opposite the Police station and
there were security guards around and she reckoned she was no more
than 3 minutes cos she forgot something ... )

Anyway, plod took the details and we bought a new bike. And that was
that.

"Helen Deborah Vecht" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

What are your individual experiences of the way the Police have reacted
to incidents of:

Quoted message said:

Traffic Collision?

Hats off to Leicestershire Constabulary in my case:
I got knocked off at a roundabout, picked myself up and 'phoned Plod, within
minutes a patrol car turned up and the PC sorted things out re. witnesses,
statements etc.
He then gave me a lift home.
Some weeks later I received notification that the driver had been issued
with a directive from the police that he either attend a two day driving
improvement course or face prosecution (he chose the former apparently).

In my brothers case they were also sympathetic and efficient.

Quoted message said:

Other cycle-related matters?

Polite lip service on the one occasion I complained about a blind lady
driving ;-)

Other interactions with the police have generally been good with the very
rare, odd rotten apple.

Pete

Helen Deborah Vecht said:

What are your individual experiences of the way the Police have reacted
to incidents of:

Cycle Theft?

When I went into Bath police station in 1994 to report a cycle theft,
they took a report and that was about it. I never heard anything
further, other than to receive a letter from Victim Support.

Quoted message said:

Assault?

A few years ago in Bath a motorist swerved around my wife and me rather
than stopping for the zebra crossing that we were on. I banged on the
roof, the car screeched to a halt and the motorist came and started
hurling abuse at me. A bystander asked if he should call the police.
As I turned to face the bystander (big mistake) and asked him to note
the registration number and call the police, the motorist thumped me.
DW and I went straight to Bath police station, where the police were
very sympathetic. In court the motorist got points and a fine for
dangerous driving and was ordered to pay me a small amount of
compensation. A satisfactory result, thanks to having plenty of witnesses.

Bristol police were very different. When I was pushed off my Coker by
someone leaning out of a car window, they refused to take a report over
the phone. I had to go into Bristol after work one evening to make a
report in person at the police station. The desk officer seemed
sympathetic, but although I was able to give her the make, colour and
registration number of the car, as well as the exact date, time and
place of the incident, I never heard anything further (except for the
standard letter from Victim Support). It didn't help that they were
unable to contact my witness.

Quoted message said:

Other cycle-related matters?

In 1997, when I was almost run off the road on my morning commute from
Crowborough (in Sussex) to Tunbridge Wells (in Kent), Tunbridge Wells
police refused to even take a report. Because the incident happened a
good 300 yards outside of Kent, they weren't interested. Crowborough
police station was only open from about 10:00-15:00 during the week, and
not at all at weekends. I managed to get in to make a report and,
although I gave them the car's registration number, they refused to even
go and talk to the driver without witnesses.

When I reported fishing line across the Bath-Bristol cyclepath last
year, the police took a report over the phone. But probably only
because I dialled 999. A few people told me that they saw a cycling
policeman in the area about an hour later. Despite reporting 3 separate
incidents, I never heard anything further (except for the letter from
Victim Support). When I went to the press, the police stated that they
were investigating. I don't believe the statement was true.

Quoted message said:

How does this experience compare to your other encounters with the Police?

I can think of 3 other experiences that I have had with the police, all
very minor.

On one occasion, I was unicycling home from the pub and a police car
started crawling along next to me. When I looked over, one of the
policemen said through the open window: "Don't worry, we're just admiring."

On another occasion, I was unicycling home from the pub and a WPC said:
"I bet you couldn't do that after a few pints." Little did she know...

On the third occasion, I was walking home from gymnastics. We used to
train in a warehouse on an industrial estate in Crowborough. A brace of
carbound policemen was patrolling the estate and seemed curious as to
what possible reason I could have to be on the industrial estate at
night. I think they also wondered why I had been looking at them funny
- it was because their headlights were incorrectly adjusted, and I
told them so.

--
Danny Colyer (the UK company has been laughed out of my reply address)
<URL:http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/>
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine

Helen Deborah Vecht said:

What are your individual experiences of the way the Police have reacted
to incidents of:

Traffic Collision?

I got hit in a SMIDSY in Surrey. Witness and SMIDSY stopped. I wasn't
that badly hurt (small cut on leg (1)), so walked to a friend's house.
Phoned the police who said I'd have to go to the local poloice station
(open daylight only) to call for someone to take a statement. Which
didn't seem sensible. Then they said I could go to _any_ station to
make a statement, So I got my friend to drive me to the one in my home
town, which is in w. Sussex. Made lengthy statement, with witness
details, which W Sussex police passed onto Surrey for action. They
also said I should go to hospital to get the injury (a) assessd and
(b) officially recorded.

Someweeks later I got a l.etter from Surrey police saying SMIDSY had
been prosecuted, pled guilty buy letter, 3 points for DLAT (2) and 120
quid fine.

I sometimes wonder if Sussex put pressure onto Surrey to get them to
take action after they didn't do much to start with.

(1) Should have called an ambulance and police to the scene
really.

(2) Driving like a [censored].

Quoted message said:

How does this experience compare to your other encounters with the Police?

Dialled 999 a few weeks ago after i found the discarded proceeds of a
burglary. 3 patrol cars turned up, lots of rushing around (chummy may
have still been on the premises). Gave a witness statement a week or
so after at a time of my choosing to a "civilian" investigator. All
very good, polite, friendly. What I'd hope all police are like.

Tim

Not Responding said:

Let down by CPS. (4/10 to police). Minus 5 points to the copper who said
"I trust you've learned your lesson about cycling and will travel with a
bit more metal around you in future".

Shurely he wasn't suggesting you pack a gun in future was he? ;-)

Tony

Helen Deborah Vecht said:

What are your individual experiences of the way the Police have reacted
to incidents of:

Cycle Theft?

Never suffered from it.

Quoted message said:

Assault?

Car pulling out of a side junction hit me, then at traffic lights 100
yards down road leapt out and threatened to "have you off that f***ing
bike" before roaring off with screaching tyres. Some way down road as
I want past junction same car (well, car that looked identical) came
roaring out of a side road (much screaching tyres again) inches behind
me as I rode past the junction, then overtoiok (still screaching
tyres) with practically no space.

Telephonist when I called having got home was very concerned, took car
details, driver description and partial number plate (I was too busy
trying to stay alive to get full number plate) and said they'd put a
bulletin (or some such - I forget the exact terminology) out. I never
heard anything more.

Quoted message said:

Traffic Collision?

Car pulled out and hit me as I went past private entrance. Turned out
to be a hire car. Reported to police, but they didn't seem very
interested. Got a letter saying teh registered keeper had been
notified of teh report of collision, but they (the police) were not
going to take further action.

Car side-swiped me having commenced overtaking manouver just before
reaching a traffic island. Again, I was too busy staying upright (I
was physically pushed off teh road) to get number plate. Police took
report including description of car and passenger. Never heard
anything.

Quoted message said:

Other cycle-related matters?

None that spring to mind.

Quoted message said:

How does this experience compare to your other encounters with the Police?

The local accident prevention officer is supportive of teh local Cycle
Forum. Not many encounters with the police.

regards, Ian SMith
--
|\ /| no .sig
|o o|
|/ \|

Thanks, everybody for your help so far. Keep 'em coming!

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden]
Edgware.

Helen Deborah Vecht said:

What are your individual experiences of the way the Police have reacted
to incidents of:

Cycle Theft?
Assault?
Traffic Collision?
Other cycle-related matters?

How does this experience compare to your other encounters with the Police?

Replies in the group, or by email are welcomed. My partner and I are
preparing to write an article for publication on this matter.

My one experience of reporting a crash was reasonably well handled. They
promised they would go and have a chat with him. Don't know if they
actually did, but he paid my minor claim (through his insurers) with no
trouble.

The State Trooper who we interacted with in the USA was also very
helpful. "Get a lawyer. Get a lawyer. Get a lawyer." :-) And he even
charged the driver (with a very minor offence, but still it removed any
question of blame).

James

On Thu, 24 Mar 2005 15:31:20 +0000, Helen Deborah Vecht wrote
(in article <[email hidden]>😉:

Quoted message said:

What are your individual experiences of the way the Police have reacted
to incidents of:

[...]
Traffic Collision?

Knocked off on main road in broad daylight by driver emerging carelessly from
side road. I didn't get up very quickly as I wanted to see what else was
broken besides my glasses. Ambulance and Kensington police seemed to show up
fairly quickly, but I was pretty dazed so I couldn't time it. Police took
statements from witnesses and driver, and then showed up at Fulham hospital
to get a statement from me. They were friendly and easy-going.
I got a couple of letters from Kensington nick advising the progress of the
case through their system, and finally a letter saying they couldn't
prosecute because of a lack of witnesses. Possibly the two who had given me
contact info (which I had handed on to the police) had gone up to heaven in a
small local rapture I hadn't heard about.

I wasn't too bothered by the failure to prosecute, the driver seemed very
concerned at the time of the prang and I'd pretty much put it down to her
human blunder and our unlucky coincidence. My solicitor was agreeably
surprised by the promptness of her insurance company's reaction ( I didn't
over-egg the claim, I just needed new glasses, new helmet and some bits
cleaned up on the bike plus some gesture towards loss of earnings and being a
bit shaken up for a few days) so I didn't need to start a war over it.

Quoted message said:

Other cycle-related matters?

Nicked for riding a bike in Hyde Park in the dim and distant. Officer, with
minimal comment, just dished out the ticket, which Istr I got half-price by
including with the guilty plea a photo of leaves over the no cycling sign on
the ground at one of the gates

Quoted message said:

How does this experience compare to your other encounters with the Police?

I haven't had any difficulties with UK police since the outer one of a pair
barged the pedestrian me off the pavement in the West End early one Sunday
morning when I was eighteen or nineteen. I was a bit bothered by what seemed
to me to be anti-French racism expressed by an officer checking my i.d. at a
ferry port 15+ years ago, but by and large I'd say I've been treated
professionally (and mostly surprisingly leniently) when I've transgressed,
and professionally and politely in other dealings.

Looking at things like miners' strike footage, or the time I saw them
formation stomping with their shields and drawn truncheons down the Harrow
Road one Carnival time, it's possible I've been very lucky so far, but there
we are: no complaints and some respect from here.

Matt.

Helen Deborah Vecht said:

What are your individual experiences of the way the Police have reacted
to incidents of:

Cycle Theft?
Assault?
Traffic Collision?
Other cycle-related matters?

How does this experience compare to your other encounters with the Police?

Replies in the group, or by email are welcomed. My partner and I are
preparing to write an article for publication on this matter.

.... why am I now responding from Christchurch, New Zealand, I wonder?

Steve

Helen Deborah Vecht <[email hidden]> whizzed past me shouting

Quoted message said:

What are your individual experiences of the way the Police have reacted
to incidents of:

Cycle Theft?

They took the details, gave me a form for my insurers, didn't catch the
perpetrator.
Exactly the same as when I was burgled, really. Nobody died, and the
police were polite and sympathetic.

After another theft, the bike was abandoned very near where I'd left it
and later handed to the police as lost property! I heard about it by
accident and claimed it back. The police were careful to make sure it
was really mine, but then almost thanked me for taking it away.

--
Sue ]🙁🙂

What goes down must come up again - Confucius' Law of Mountain Biking

Danny Colyer <[email hidden]> whizzed past me shouting

Quoted message said:

On another occasion, I was unicycling home from the pub and a WPC said:
"I bet you couldn't do that after a few pints." Little did she know...

Can I contribute a friend's son's experience?

He was cycling home from a party, somewhat inebriated. He was stopped
by two police in a car. The upshot was that they confiscated his bike
and told him to walk home (a couple of miles, and he was a strapping lad
of about twenty).
They gave him a form to collect his bike from the Central Nick when he
was sober; I don't know if he got a formal caution.

His mum's reaction: "Serve him right!"

--
Sue ];(🙂

What goes down must come up again - Confucius' Law of Mountain Biking

Hi Helen,

A few years ago I was seriously injured by a 'hit and run' driver who
had tried to overtake me and turn left at the same time. I was left
unconscious in a huge pool of blood, only coming around as the
ambulance was taking me away. There were plenty of independent
witnesses as to what happened, including some road menders who were
working on the pavement just a few feet away. Humberside police came to
see me in hospital to get a statement and I was told that the vehicle
and driver well known and that he was driving whilst disqualified.
However they then did bugger all to bring a prosecution. I complained
to the head of the traffic section and the officer who came to see me
in hospital eventually came round admitting that as I wasn't actually
killed his superior officer had though pursuing the case should be
given a low priority and he hadn't even been given permission to
attempt to interview the driver until a month after the event. When the
driver wasn't in they never bothered going back again, even though they
knew he was driving whilst disqualified. I made a claim for my injures
to the MIB (being represented by the BCF) which I was granted.
Humberside police took months to send the witness statements to my
lawyer (Sue Bence) and she said she was 'utterly amazed at the
information contained therein "No further enquiries have been made of
Andrew Dixon"'(The driver who committed the hit and run). She did try
to prise an explanation for the lack of action from Humberside Police
but it seems one was never forwarded.

Another officer in the traffic section who I had dealings with in
relation to the organisation of a major race in the area told me that a
certain senior traffic officer was of the opinion that disqualified
drivers were not a problem as they were so afraid of being caught they
made very careful drivers! Honestly!

Last summer some 'modded' chavmobile came past me with the passenger
hanging out the car window shouting abuse and trying to push me off. He
did the same to another cyclist a few hundred yards in front of me.
Something similar happened again a while later when they re-passed me.
I got the number and tried to report it to the police requesting that
they at least run an insurance check. (Since Humberside Police Chief
Constable David Westwood scrapped the traffic section a few years back
a fifth of drivers in the Hull area don't bother with insurance and
over half of all crashes causing death or injury result in a 'hit and
run' offence). I was told they were not interested in taking a
statement as without independent witnesses they could not get a
prosecution. I said I only wanted an insurance check run and a look out
for the car posted if it came up as uninsured. They told me they had
checked the registration and that the car had come up as unregistered
but were not prepared to make any attempts to trace the vehicle or the
driver as 'this often happens due to the backlog at the DVLC'.

A couple of months ago a couple of low-lifes were racing each other
over a local flyover doing perhaps 60 mph plus in a 30, cutting in and
out of cars and overtaking on the inside and so on. On cutting back to
the left one of them lost control (or as the motor-centric press would
have it 'the car went out of control'😉 and the driver spun around in
the road hitting a barrier at the side of the road and causing a bus
to do an emergency stop. I called Humberside police offering a
statement in case the bus driver had reported it and anyone had been
injured on the bus. Humberside police point blank refused to take any
statement at all saying they got so many similar reports a day they
couldn't log them all.

A few months ago a colleague of my wife's was seriously injured in a
'dooring' incident after which the driver made off. They traced and
interviewed the driver but made no charges whatsoever. Lst October I
made a complaint to Humberside Police about their traffic policing
policy and an inspector did come round to see me. He seemed to be very
decent bloke but much of what he said only confirmed my misgivings. For
example he admitted that it was an unofficial policy of Humberside
police not to prosecute drivers unless, in effect they had put someone
into a coffin or a wheelchair.

On the other hand Humberside police have been running some high profile
campaigns against 'pavement cyclists' handing out FPN's seemingly
without paying any notice whatsoever to the Home Office guidelines on
their use. They also seem to be quite keen on chasing cases where
cyclists whose lives have been endangered by careless and aggressive
drivers have caused damage to a car whilst under the influence of 'My
god I was almost killed there' adrenaline'. I have even seen the police
post in the local paper calling for witnesses to cases of a wing mirror
being damaged by a cyclist. However, just before Christmas the wife of
a friend of mine was killed by a van as she cycled across a cycle
crossing . The police didn't even put a notice in the paper requesting
that any witnesses come forward.

If you are looking for some good 'official' quotes on the attitudes of
the police towards driving crime and cyclists have a look at The House
of Commons Transport Committees report 'Traffic law and it's
enforcement at:

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200304/cmselect/cmtran/cmtran.htm

I feel that many in Humberside police (motto 'Protect, Help, Reassure)
do have a strong pro-driver/ anti-cyclist agenda. I called into one of
the local 'Community Cop Shops' to make enquires about one their
anti-pavement cyclists 'crackdowns' asking if they would also be
willing to address issues such as all the delivery and HGV drivers
leaving the local factories constantly using hand held mobile phones
when driving, or perhaps enforce the speed limit in the local 20 Mph
zone. I was told that as far as the officer was concerned I was 'Just a
cyclist who didn't like drivers'. (He didn't seem to believe me when I
said I also own a car...).

Then again Humberside police does have a reputation for general
incompetence and worse. First there was the case of Christopher Alder,
a black guy who was assaulted and then latter arrested by police when
he because abusive at the local hospital. He left the hospital
seemingly well but arrived at the custody suite at Queens Gardens
police station unconscious with his underpants and trousers around his
ankles and with injures not recorded at the hospital when an assessment
was made of his injuries sustained as a result of the earlier assault.
(Including having his teeth almost knocked through his lip). He was
then left unconscious in the custody suite floor, still naked from the
waist down, whilst a number of officer stood around joking. He died 6
or 7 minutes later and a short while after this the officers were heard
laughing on the custody suite tape making jokes about bananas and so
on. Of course, charges against the officers were dropped and they have
all now take 'early retirement' on a police pension.

Then there was the Huntley fiasco, and a couple of days ago Humberside
police executed, sorry, shot dead, a local man who had driven the wrong
way down a local dual carriageway and was brandishing a 'sword-like
weapon'. They have also been rated the second lowest performing police
force in the whole country so perhaps the experiences I had were just
symptomatic of a deeper rot.

Perhaps it is unrealistic to expect any more from the police given
that the police are bound to reflect the prejudices in society and all
it takes is a few incompetent management decisions (Such as David
Westwood's decision to scrap dedicated traffic teams) to affect the
whole way the police service operates. Then again, not all forces seem
to be as bad as Humberside! Much seems to depend on the attitudes of
the Chief Police officer and senior management. I would also emphasise
that even Humberside has some excellent officers, including their
former Traffic Management Officer, a Sgt. Swann. Of course after
giving him a few years to learn the learn the job properly they moved
him elsewhere...

Regards,

Howard.