Just got pulled over by the Babylon!

[Hedge]

By the sounds of it Andrew you deserved a bollocking and that's what you got. If I could have a bollocking over losing my license or similar then I'm all ears.

Not that I travel faster than the posted limit ever. 

[MC71]

Pete, seriously I would have thought exactly the same as you. However during the summer I got pulled over doing, lets say rather more than the national speed limit. As I pulled over all I could think of was that I'll probably lose my licence. But I basically got a bollocking. There was no professionalism about it, but at the same time I almost had more respect for that than a calm, measured, by-the-book approach.

Yes. The message gets thorough.

Some time ago I was pulled over and given a proper telling off for my driving (one of those rollickings that only a parent gives but this one with the added swearing)! I sat there, kemp saying sorry, took the "telling off" and was warned to calm down.

I now work ACROSS THE ROAD form the police station and I've seen the fella in his police car a couple of times since, I always get a flash and a wave (probably a warning, I like to think its a wave) and a always flash back.

Oh and I now drive slower around town, message got through and lesson learnt as I related and reacted better to his approach than a calm warning.

[Mk5 GTian]

I was got got pulled by an off duty bobby in a disco! Best thing is he was wearing an FBI baseball cap I came out of a car park through wrong exit.

Ha! FBI baseball cap! What a cnut!! 

[Mk5 GTian]

This can't be the Police Ian, surely?! Regardless of what anyone thinks of Police, this is quite a new level of unprofessional behavior.

Not forgetting the fact that they're very much result driven, whenever the Police commit to pulling a vehicle over, they will absolutely go over the basics on the driver and the vehicle without doubt.

If he thought you were even slightly driving too quickly for the situation or using excess speed, he'd have checked your license, insurance, tax, MOT, tyres (ANPR will do the majority of that) while ensuring that you didn't smell of alcohol, that you don't use or supply drugs (any ANPR markers will also do this) and conversate with you to find out why you were driving in that manner (justified or not) etc etc...

Winding the window down, calling you F's and blimes' and speeding off just simply isn't today's Police   Even if they had a higher priority call come through on the radio as they lit you up, surely they'd have driven off before winding the window down or stopped, explained, politely warned you then dashed off (?)  

More like travelers with a set of strobes I'd say...

There are a lot of very wealthy people around here, and they all have these key-alarms in there houses. There are swift response vehicles that patrol up and down the A3 which respond to these alarms. A few years ago we were fitting a rad in a posh house in Cobham and my apprentice thought he'd turn the key! Within 10 minutes 3 black motors piled up the drive and stormed into the house! We sh*t ourshelves! They were properly pumped, and very aggressive. I wouldn't mind betting this bloke was one of this lot.

They get bored and play "pis* off the motorist" sitting in the fast lane at 70 on the A3, and wait until someone flashes them up, then refuse to pull over. When the inevitable happens and they get undertaken, they pull you  over. I know this because it happened to me!, I recognised an Asian lad who was one of the lot who I saw at the Cobham house! They were in a black plain clothes Mondeo, again with blues and two's in the grill. Power games. This was 2 years ago, so I still have reservations about the professionalism of some branches of the Police!

[garrardrj]

Learn to expect alot worse from your Police . This Government are hell bent on reducing the starting salary to the paltry sum of £1100 a month after taxes etc . What sort of Police will you get for that ? It will not attract the mature man with house wife and kids which we would all expect . Who will it attract ? The officer you will meet on the street will also gradually become a person always in a hurry and going from job to job to job , anything that interferes with that will get the wrath of stopping someone in a hurry always gives .
The Police standards has gradually eroded over the years and the Goverment/Media have tried their upmost to erode our confidence so we learn to expect less , so they can reduce what it costs . I know this as i have been one of over 29 years !

[Pirelli Paul]

Reminds me of a similar incident about 20 years ago when I was in my early 20"s and on a FZR1000 EXUP Yamaha, I came off the A1 in Hertfordshire and coming off the slip road noticed another bike trying to catch me up in the mirror so I dropped a couple of gears and opened up. Being young and stupid I hit crazy speeds, I was not looking at the speedo but was wringing the bikes neck and must of been doing 120-130 in places and lost the other bike in no time. When I reached the next town I pulled over for petrol and whilst putting the petrol in the other bike pulled in along side me, it was a policeman on a police BMW and he flicked up the bottom part of the helmets they used to wear (The ones where the chin piece and visor could flip up together) and looked at me and said something to the words of "I would give you a ticket but I dont think you would live long enougth to produce it, I just hope I am not the one who has to tell your parents that we have just had to peel you off the road" then he just calmly drove of, Those words stuck with me and slow me down at times even now, but what a cool copper he was. He just flipped his visor etc. back down and rode out the garage and up the road leaving me there in shock without saying a word and thinking did that really just happen LOL.

Cheers Paul

[garrardrj]

Unlikely you outran a Police Motorcyclist , but a good story 

[b16vrg]

Few years ago when i had my mk2 r32 I had a grey mk5 up my arse coming out of guildford up the a3 so decided to see how quick they were!! Well, as he was falling back and we were travelling at the speed of light the blues came on in the grill and i shat my pants. I indicated to pull over in the services and they pulled along side, the passenger mouthed at me to slow down, gave a thumbs up and tore off up the road. I had a bit of a sit in the services and counted my blessings

[garrardrj]

There are alot of unmarked cars about equipped with blue lights inside the grill . Most are never meant to deal with anything to do with motoring offences . Officers generally in plain clothes . They can't beat a bit of fun and worrying those who all of a sudden see the blue lights after arsing about . Hence why you won't get a ticket or similar , they haven't got any and would be chastised for going any further than a boll*cking .

[Mk5 GTian]

There are alot of unmarked cars about equipped with blue lights inside the grill . Most are never meant to deal with anything to do with motoring offences . Officers generally in plain clothes . They can't beat a bit of fun and worrying those who all of a sudden see the blue lights after arsing about . Hrnce why you won't get a ticket or similar , they haven't got any and would be chastised for going any further than a boll*cking .

Certainly seems to be my experience. As I said, power games.

[AaronMc]

I'm only 20, and today just got followed along the A27 by a traffic cop car, guessing they are checking insurance etc... I was sat doing 60mph, but he wouldnt go past.. They are always upto something!

But yeah there are alot more unmarked cars out there these days.. have to keep your eyes open for the little lights on wing mirrors etc..

[Tamiyoman]

Unlikely you outran a Police Motorcyclist , but a good story 

#
I am pretty sure a YZR1000 would quite easily outrun a police BMW load lugger 

[Hedge]

Unlikely you outran a Police Motorcyclist , but a good story 

#
I am pretty sure a YZR1000 would quite easily outrun a police BMW load lugger 

I was thinking the same. 

[krome187]

wtf sound like some twat with lights in the grill of his sh*tty disco, if it was old bill surely he would have properly pulled you over

[Tamiyoman]

Years ago when I had my 1st Golf GTI (MK2 8v Metallic Grey Campaign '88) I was on way to work (60 limit) and this guy in front of me was pootling along at 45mph so i went to overtake him and as I got alongside him and he sped up (Tw%t!) so I pulled back in behind him (he then slowed to 45mph again) so I backed off and got 150yds behind him as soon as I gap came I floored it and got past him, the tool then proceed to to throw his battered escort estate around 4 roundabouts trying to catch up, when he finallly caught up he started waving this red/white sign at me which read "Police" so I ignored him (he was wearing jeans and a T shirt and driving a 10 year old Escort estate, there was no way I was stopping!), anyhoo as I pulled into work he pulled up alongside me and started shoving his police ID in my face, he went on to tell me I was driving like a tw%t!?, my immediate reply was "I am sorry I did not realise part of your police driver training was to speed up as poeple who you are holding up overtake you", then gave him a right earfull saying it was HIM who was the tw$t firstly for speeding up and then for ragging the cra4p out of his old escort trying to keep up, my manager came out and asked what the delay was?, copper went onto to rant at him about "His employees driving habits" to which my manager replied if you kept up with him in that shed you must have been driving like a nob!, I just laughed it off and figured he was having a bad morning but my manager made a written complaint to the local Inspector as he started abusing my manager as I was just ignoring him and getting on with my job at this point (along with footnote counter-signed by my employers MD) with his name and ID number and his car reg plate, we both got a written apology (probably a std letter) about his use of language and "Aggressive Tones" (although the letter failed to reply as to to why he was trying to pull me when he was a regular beat bobby and not even traffic) going on to say he has been "Having some personal problems" and that he was very sorry for what he had done, I saw him several times again over the next few years and gave him a thumbs up and smile as I overtook him  (within the speed limit) each time

If I get pulled over by the police (In a marked car!!) and they talk to you like a human being I will gladly do the same, but speak to me like some car thief you just arrested and you should not expect full NOR POLITE REPLIES!!!

99% of police are great and do their job well, however like everything else in life its the 1% that ruin the reputation of the other 99%, and you only hear about the idiots and not the guys doing their job well