When police cars speed...

[Thermo]

Just to put things right, to be able to go faster than the speed limit the police cars have to have there blue lights activated, and the sirens flashing. I fth ecar is unmarked and dows not have any emergency equipment ie lights and sirens, then they cant speed. Some unmarked cars do have hodden lights within the bumpers and grills which light up when activated. To be fair to the cops they are entitled to food breaks and if a call comes in when they have just bought food then they have to go to it. Sometimes they might get cancelled before getting thereso turn off their sirens and lights.

just to put things right, youre talking total *******s. A police officer may drive in excess of the speed limit in the course of his duty, without engaging any warning equipment on the vehicle, however he must be able to justify his decision to do so and take on board the additional risks associated with doing so.

Source: an ex copper trained to advance level.......oh that would be me then!

 

[megawatt]

however he must be able to justify his decision to do so and take on board the additional risks associated with doing so.

Which you wouldn't be able to do nowadays Thermo if you hadn't advised CAD of your intentions.

 

[kevplumb]

daft one then thermo

they have a habit of prowling round this area with no lights

where do you/i stand if you bump one of them ive come close a few times

 

[Thermo]

however he must be able to justify his decision to do so and take on board the additional risks associated with doing so.

Which you wouldn't be able to do nowadays Thermo if you hadn't advised CAD of your intentions.

yes you would its the drivers decision

kev if you bump one with no lights on then it all depends on the circumstances, but it would be viewed as a contributing factor

 

[heatingman]

I think its all down to training and competence, but we don't won't another one of them debates, please.

 

[megawatt]

Sorry Thermo ... Not a chance.

If a police officer kills someone whilst exceeding the speed limit without lights/sirens and they haven't notified CAD they will be hung out to dry by the courts ... And, quite rightly so IMO.

CAD is there for good reason.

MW

 

[securespark]

It is my understanding that if an emergency vehicle is on a shout, it must display at least blues (and two's if not late/early) and if on a genuine shout, will not brake for speed cams.

Even unmarked cars have sirens & blues, what's the point of fitting them if they need not be used??

Imagine a case in court:

Were you displaying any warning lights or using a siren to warn vehicles around you of your approach?

No your honour.

Why not?



If such a vehicle is caught on cam, a check will be made & if the vehicle was on an emergency shout at the time, will not be followed up for speeding.

 

[Robbie uk]

Just wondered how long its been since Thermo was in the force?? And why he aint still in it ??

 

[^woody^]

So what about en-route to a burglary in progress call? They blaze up to the property sirens and lights, crim will have heard them a mile off and scarpered.

LOL. You are joking! By the time the Police respond to a reported burglary, the chav has taken the gear, sold it down the pub, watched Jeremy Kyle the next day and then come back from the local retail park after lifting a new tracksuit from JJB.

Back OT, the Police can speed without lights or sirens, or even without logging a chase and it being authourised. For this to happen the driver must be "familiarising" himself with the vehicle, and he must reach speeds of 159mph. As long as he meets these two criteria then a Judge will acquit him of any wrong doing

 

[Softus]

Even unmarked cars have sirens & blues, what's the point of fitting them if they need not be used?

Well I have nipples, but they don't lactate. And I can assure that I've tried.

Imagine a case in court:

Were you displaying any warning lights or using a siren to warn vehicles around you of your approach?

No your honour.

Why not?

In my imagination the answer is <a satisfactory justification>.

 

[securespark]

Sorry. Your nipples (all 4 of them! ) are not a good analogy I'm afraid.

A crazy thing maybe, but we all have nipples, male or female.

I'm talking about an inanimate object built by humans and fitted with equipment for a reason. As I said, why fit this equipment if it is not intended to be used?

If a marked or unmarked police vehicle intended to stop your vehicle, flashing blue lights and maybe a siren would be deployed to attract your attention to that vehicle. Or maybe they would pull in front and use an electronic sign in the rear screen to indicate something to you.

Why should it be any different to when that same vehicle is travelling at high speed? In this case the end result is different, in that the intention of the lights & siren is to move you out of the way, but their purpose is the same: to draw your attention to that vehicle.

 

[toptec]

Megawatt wrote;

Sorry Thermo ... Not a chance.

If a police officer kills someone whilst exceeding the speed limit without lights/sirens and they haven't notified CAD they will be hung out to dry by the courts ... And, quite rightly so IMO.

CAD is there for good reason

Mega, that is a load of borrocks. Until last year I was a Police driver and I, and my colleagues, regularly broke the speed limit for sh*t loads of reasons, most of which never go through a control room. Thermo is quite correct.

If you happen to go through a speed camera, it will take about 4 hours of paperwork to sort out, so a lot of us used to slow down for them even though the particular job may require a breaking of the limit.

Surveillance teams around the country have to break the limit, almost continuously, to maintain observations. No lights and tones being used then!

Oh and Woody - That chip on your shoulder is getting bigger!

 

[securespark]

Read this:

http://www.policespecials.com/forum/lofiversion/index.php/t6817.html

 

[Softus]

Sorry. Your nipples (all 4 of them! ) are not a good analogy I'm afraid.

A crazy thing maybe, but we all have nipples, male or female.

I was being flippant, but the point was still valid.

I'm talking about an inanimate object built by humans and fitted with equipment for a reason. As I said, why fit this equipment if it is not intended to be used?

OK then. My car has a horn. It is intended to be used. I'm not obliged to use it all the time. I use it when the circumstances are right to use it.

If a marked or unmarked police vehicle intended to stop your vehicle, flashing blue lights and maybe a siren would be deployed to attract your attention to that vehicle. Or maybe they would pull in front and use an electronic sign in the rear screen to indicate something to you.

Why should it be any different to when that same vehicle is travelling at high speed?

It is what it is, i.e. different.

In this case the end result is different, in that the intention of the lights & siren is to move you out of the way..

Er, no. There is no legal requirement to move out of the way of any emergency vehicle, whether or not lights are flashing and sirens are sirening.

...but their purpose is the same: to draw your attention to that vehicle.

So why not use the lights and sirens all the time that a police car is outside the station, to draw your attention to it?

 

[Thermo]

Just wondered how long its been since Thermo was in the force?? And why he aint still in it ??

5 years, left of my own volition as i was fed up with the way the job was going and the way the government was changing things for the worse, thanks very much and wanted a better life for me and my family. (or are you trying to imply something else, or would you like me to post my certificate of service and good conduct i was awarded when i left?) Picking up the pieces of an 8 month old baby literally cut in half in a road crash along with 7 other people was the final straw fo me. Still keep in touch with lots of colleagues so now pretty much what still goes on.

megawatt, you are wrong and there are many reasons when it is not possible/necessary or expediant for a driver to inform the control room what he is doing. Police drivers are trained to a high standard. Its their decision and they have to justify their actions.

sorry securespark, normally the only unmarked vehicles that have such equipment fitted are used by traffic, specilaist units etc. There are many departments that use plain cars without equipment that are used for normal day to day tasks, however a trained police driver is still allowed to respond to an incident in one of these (including speeding), providing he exerices caution and asses and takes account of the circumstances and risks involved.