Got pulled over yesterday for a routine check. The copper said they were targeting bikes because there are too many deaths in Derbyshire. He checked my license and insurance. Said he was a biker too. He commended me on my bike and riding (got the nod from a fellow biker about a mile before ). All in all he was pleasant and didn't check if my exhaust was road legal or not (it is). He did ask about the integrated rear indicators, but no more than that. Just can't help feeling their time would be better spent elsewhere though.
Actually, you are wrong. On traffic we used to make more arrests for crime then the average superstar detective, and many of these arrests came about as a result of doing routine road checks. What people seem to fail to understand is that Traffic cops deal with traffic, and there is a mandate to deal with all matters relating to traffic. It is the area of Police work they are trained in, and detective superstars have a mandate to deal with criminal matters, but whilst CID cannot deal with traffic matters, anyone can deal with crime. 2 of my commendations came as a result of being confronted by individuals with firearms. I was a traffic cop, but I was first on scene, and for those if you old enough to remember Hungerford (1987) when Michael Ryan went on the rampage might recall that the one Policeman killed was a chap called Roger Brereton, a friend of mine and a Traffic Policeman who was first on scene as is often the case with traffic cops. I never had any interest in dealing with crime and I was fortunate enough to join traffic shortly after I finished my probation. If someone had asked me to deal with a shoplifter I would not have had much of a clue, but a multiple fatality, an I was in my natural environment. You then have to take the whole thing into perspective. How would you have felt if your bike or car had been stolen, and before you knew it was stolen had gone through a road check and not been spotted or detected? You would have been up in arms. So these road checks serve many purposes, and at the end of the day if you are all legal, you have nothing to fear. Most of the whingers are those who get caught and don't like the fact that they have been found out. Motorcyclists are some of the worst offenders as many think they are above the law and then complain when they get caught. Roads Policing is not just about enforcement but also education, and you have to remember that they can stop you for no other reason than to check that you have a licence, but in a road check, you will be surprised at how many will have been caught with no insurance and how many criminal (different to traffic offences) matters will have been detected. So before you start slagging traffic cops off saying that they should be catching real criminals, may I suggest that you actually find out what they do before making unfounded stupid comments. And as a by the by, after 25 years service I am not particularly pro Police anymore, but that sort of comment is bordering on showing plain ignorance!
T.C. I have no problem with police prosecuting people with no insurance, license MOT etc. I pay a large amount of money in insurance and keeping my bike in good condition, and feel everyone else should too. As I said, the officer who stopped me was completely pleasant, talked good sense and was not patronising in any way. This isn't always the case. My statement "Just can't help feeling their time would be better spent elsewhere though." is aimed at the fact that ANPR cameras can do the license, insurance and MOT checks without interfering with someone's ride out. Yes, if you ride like a cock and have obvious illegal mods on your bike you can expect to get stopped. I neither ride like a cock or have illegal mods yet I was still stopped. I understand everyone has a job to do and you no doubt have heard it all in your 25 years on the force. I totally respect your ability to "clean up" after fatalities - not something many could do. I think my point here is that, if these random checks are going to happen, it is really important how the office deals with the motorist. If you have done something wrong or are driving illegally then that is one thing. if nothing is wrong, don't patronise the driver / rider. I have only been stopped twice in the past 5 years. both for random checks, but the way the officers dealt with it was night and day (no it wasnt a duo called Night & Day). No rants, just offering my input as a law abiding rider.
Cheers for the input TC, always glad to have a insiders look into these subjects I have found the police have a much larger input when dealing with bikers than say young drivers. coming from my experiences of driving when younger and now becoming a biker think of it simply: bike are a small % of road traffic but have a large amount of accidents compared to cars. And we are at greater risk. Which prob don't help and why they seem to stop more bikers?
Don't actually remember seeing every single car driver stopped and checked for minor discrepancies ie. half inch too small number plates. I would suggest that the majority of serious criminals use cars to go about their business, but then It's an awful lot easier to target a motorcyclist and show the public that the police really are tackling crime! Now I'm not suggesting we shouldn't have traffic cops because on the whole they do a great job but pulling every passing biker in my book is not the way to go.
Nope, i just try no to attract attention to myself. I have mu kit car ( fun and quick) and blade and never had a issue with the BIB myself. other than a wave when they were parked up in a village a year ago when I went past under 35MPH
I have never been stopped in my car, lost count how many times I have got stopped on my bike while fully legal and not riding like an idiot. Can't comment on the police over there but here they are useless, and choose to do traffic rather than general policing.I have lost count how many times I have phoned the police about local young fellas drinking and damaging property only for the police not to show up but when it comes to hiding behind road signs with a camera they dont need to be asked.The police on bikes here are the worst, avoid at all costs lol.
But if you read TC post he does say many are traffic police and thus will only be dealing with vehicles on the road and not policing a little old dear who has been mugged
I just wish guys wouldn't start posts with the words 'I've never' I'm not superstitious (touch wood), but they are the very magic words guaranteed to wake up the Bad JuJu bird. Please lads, it's for your own good.
yes but with our history over here road policing is the least of our worries and road deaths here are the lowest since records began but as for trouble, drugs and drinking in the streets are the norm and usually goes unchallenged :s
Most People who get stopped there is a reason you caught the eye of the cops. Been driving 21 yrs riding 12 NEVER been stopped So behave yourself out there people and you won't have the reason to say" they should be out catching criminals" the old classic! Oh and by the way three days ago stopped a bloke on his R1 for routine check and found half a kilo of cocaine and 9mm ammunition under his pillion seat! So there caught a criminal on a routine stop
Here we go again cops and robbers ... i wish some people on this forum if they disagree with someone is saying... does not start being abusive saying about someone elses comments i love this forum because people from all works of life come and say what they feel ... i wish other forum members would just stay quite.. i don't care what you did if this life or the after life everyone is entitled to there opinion without being called stupid..... and i would remind the moderators it is was not long ago that a member was shown the door because this is were starts...
