In May, 2002, Hampshire Police were fined 500 GBP after the force was unable
to identify the driver of an unmarked police car which was clocked doing
48 mph in a 30 mph zone.Deputy Chief Constable, Ian Readhead, was hauled up before Aldershot
Magistrates and asked to explain why his force could not identify the driver
of the car involved.
Readhead, told the Magistrates that he was acutely embarrassed by the whole
affair, but a four month investigation had not uncovered who the guilty
officer was.
"Having spent 30 years in this constabulary trying to put people in this
location I take no pleasure in standing here myself this morning", Readhead
told the Magistrates, "We try to make sure our officers are accountable to the
law. Unfortunately, the individual has chosen not to come forward. In doing
that he has tarnished the reputation of all those in the constabulary".
Indeed he has, but it's no more than many expected of those who take such
delight in imposing the law upon us, but are unwilling to accept such
restrictions on themselves.
Also in May, 2002, PC [REMOVED]'s number finally came up, leading to
him being thrown out of the [REMOVED] Police Force in disgrace.
[REMOVED], who had already acquired six penalty points on his licence, and was
due to get three more, changed the registration number on his motorbike to
avoid further identification by speed cameras, after checking on the Police
Computer System that no one else had the registration he had chosen.
Unfortunately for him, he was caught on a speed camera doing 73 mph in
a 30 mph zone. He may have got away with it, apart from some sheer
stupidity on his behalf.
Officers examining the speed camera photographs suspected that it was
[REMOVED]'s bike in the frame, and were able to verify that was the case when
he turned up at work, and parked his bike in the police station car park.
A quick check of the registration plate and the details on the tax disc
showed a discrepancy, and a subsequent visit to [REMOVED]'s home revealed the
original plate tucked inside a wardrobe.
[REMOVED] admitted charges of fraudulent use of a vehicle trade licence and
speeding, and showed himself to have been another bent-copper with no respect
for the law.
As Deputy District Judge, [REMOVED], put it, "People have to be able to
rely on the honesty of police officers".
Let's hope we can, but there's at least one law-breaking officer in the
Hampshire Police Force who hasn't got the guts to own up to their crime.
On the other hand, there are still those officers who are prepared to go
beyond the call of duty, and this officer, although unnamed in the police
confirmation of the incident, rightly deserves praise.
While on patrol in Ebbw Vale, South Wales, an officer from Gwent Police spotted
a van from the Mid and South Wales Area Safety Camera Partnership operating a
speed camera trap.
We don't know if this officer disapproves of speed traps, or whether he had been
an unfortunate victim of one in the past, but he was definitely unimpressed
that the van was illegally parked on a single yellow line, and promptly
issued the officer in the van with a 30 GBP fine.
It might be said that this is just typical of what some have called "over
zealous" policing in the South Wales area, but I'm sure it brought a smile to
many peoples' faces when they heard about it.
A Driver's Tale
A speeding driver is pulled over by the police ...
PC : "May I see your driver's license, Sir ?"
Driver : "I haven't got one. I've been banned for drink driving."
PC : "Do you have the vehicle registration documents on you ?"
Driver : "It's not my car. I stole it."
PC : "You've stolen the car ?"
Driver : "Yes. But I think the documents are in the glove box. I think I saw
them there when I was putting my gun away."
PC : "There's a gun in the glove box ?"
Driver : "Yes. That's where I put it after I shot the woman who owns the car."
Cop : "You shot the owner ?"
Driver : "Yes. I've got her body stuffed in the boot."
PC : "You've got a body in the boot ?"
Driver : "Yes. Sorry."
The PC is a bit worried about the situation, calls his station, and an Armed
Response Unit along with a Sergeant is immediately dispatched.
Surrounded by armed police, the Sergeant nervously approaches the car
and talks to the driver ...
Sergeant : "Can I see your license, Sir ?"
Driver : "Sure. Here it is."
The driver hands over his licence which is clean of points.
Sergeant : "Who does this car belong to Sir ?"
Driver : "It's mine, officer. Here's the registration document."
The driver hands over his registration documents which show he is the owner of
the car.
Sergeant : "Could you slowly open your glove box. I believe you have a gun in
there ?"
Driver : "A gun ? No, there's no gun in there."
The driver opens the glove box, which is completely empty.
Sergeant : "Would you mind getting out of the car, and opening the boot
please ?"
Driver : "No problem."
The driver gets out, opens the boot which, like the glove box, is completely
empty.
Sergeant : "I'm sorry Sir; I don't understand. The officer who stopped you said
you didn't have a licence, had stolen the car, were carrying a gun, and had
shot a woman, whose body you'd dumped in the boot ?"
Driver : "I suppose the lying b-----d told you I was speeding as well ?"
