http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3330852/Fined-for-warning-of-speed-trap.html
I'm not a lawyer but ... Surely the law of obstructing a police officer assumes a crime has taken place.
How come it is now a crime to prevent an offence being committed?
Isn't it called Tax evasion
Happened a few years ago when an old chap put a sign up IIRC.
And they wonder why most of the public have no respect or faith in the the law or the police.
EDIT
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1463472/Motorist-is-banned-over-speed-trap-alert.html
[Edited on 4/1/11 by loggyboy]
I'd like to know what exactly he was obstructing. Knobends whoever decided to take this to court. Almost all the cops in UK that I've come
across so far have been very professional, understanding and polite - so it's a great shame when I hear things like this and makes me more
sceptical about their nature!
Also, surely you can get away with claiming you were flashing your lights for some other reason... you saw a deer cross the road or somewhat?
we've heard about this case because the old boy implicated himself. Im sure there have been many times when people get pulled for this but simply
tell porkies, and go on their way because there is no way they can prove intent.
I once got pulled at double the speed limit, told them i was doing half what i was, and went on my way because they hadnt got any proof. Beware of
implicating yourself, just think before you speak!
Am surpised CPS felt it was in public interest to prosecute tbh.
Have to agree that you should always think twice about what you say if and when you are pulled, for example, when a police woman who has just pulled
you over in the dark with no blues and twos on an unlit narrow road by flashing their warrant card out the window at you as they drive along side you
on the wrong side of the road, says "You were speeding" replying with, "Are you bleeping joking?" Is a great way to spend an hour
in the almost freezing temperatures in shorts and a t-shirt...
[Edited on 4/1/11 by theduck]
quote:
Originally posted by theduck
Am surpised CPS felt it was in public interest to prosecute tbh.
Have to agree that you should always think twice about what you say if and when you are pulled, for example, when a police woman who has just pulled you over in the dark with no blues and twos on an unlit narrow road by flashing their warrant card out the window at you as they drive along side you on the wrong side of the road, says "You were speeding" replying with, "Are you bleeping joking?" Is a great way to spend an hour in the almost freezing temperatures in shorts and a t-shirt...
[Edited on 4/1/11 by theduck]
What has this world come too??? Thats utterly ridiculous!!!
quote:
Originally posted by PSpirine
I'd like to know what exactly he was obstructing. Knobends whoever decided to take this to court. Almost all the cops in UK that I've come across so far have been very professional, understanding and polite - so it's a great shame when I hear things like this and makes me more sceptical about their nature!
quote:
Originally posted by Ninehigh
I don't think I would have stopped in the circumstances, but if I ever find my epaulettes I shall attach them to my shirt and see if I can get someone to stop by looking vaguely like a copper and flashing my SIA licence
Also I wonder if anyone would be prosecuted for warning of a speed camera that's not there, in a "I'm sick of people speeding down my road, I'm gonna place me a sign telling everyone there's a speed camera up there so they'll slow down" way
Preventing a crime is a criminal offence now. WTF? 
So, on that basis, why don't they prosecute all their own Crime Prevention officers?
quote:
Originally posted by Confused but excited.
Preventing a crime is a criminal offence now. WTF?
So, on that basis, why don't they prosecute all their own Crime Prevention officers?
quote:
Originally posted by Ninehigh
quote:
Originally posted by Confused but excited.
Preventing a crime is a criminal offence now. WTF?
So, on that basis, why don't they prosecute all their own Crime Prevention officers?
Don't give them paradoxes, it makes their heads explode!
Theduck I take it you asked where this officers lights went to?
These people, like a lot of companies, act on the basis that you only know what they say.
It's like they know nothing about the information the internet contains!
Er, am I alone. A bloke wants to warn people there is a speed trap, and hopes they get away with it.
For the most part we have limits for a reason and while I don't know the road concerned, the report said it goes into Grimsby which I guess is
quite a big town with people, kids, dogs and cats and is probably a reasonably busy road.
Hmmm
Simon
You know flashing your high-beams like that means "I am here" so technically he was obstructing police from arresting him over the crime of
his existence?
Surely a good solicitor would have got this thrown out...
Or from another perspective; He warns them of a speed trap, so they drive more carfully and don't kill any children.
quote:
Originally posted by Confused but excited.
Or from another perspective; He warns them of a speed trap, so they drive more carfully and don't kill any children.
Every driver knows when they see flashing headlights they should slow down as there is something ahead that the flasher thinks other drivers should be
warned about. Whether it is a road accident, animals on the road or a police check it is irrelevant. The speeding driver would slow down until they
have passed the incident and then they would speed up again.
The most relevant words in my last sentence are ‘slow down’ and ‘speed up’. The fact that a driver has to slow down indicates that they were initially
going too fast. When they pass the incident, they speed up again.
The reason that police set speed traps is to detect drivers who ignore the laws of the road. There are no analogies to the police speed trap. Any
driver who breaks the law deserves punishment, and yes, I have broken the law. Police stopped me for doing 42mph in a 30 zone; I did not know that the
speed limit changed from 50 to 30on a dual carriageway that I am unfamiliar. I got off with a telling off – lucky me.
On the local news this week, they announced that there were 55 deaths on N. Ireland roads compared to 115 in 2009. This figure is the lowest since
records began in 1931. Of the 55 people killed in 2010, 10 were pedestrians, 10 on motorcycles and the rest in other vehicles. Unfortunately, my
brother is one of the 2006 statistics after loosing his life on January 12.
Environment Minister Edwin Poots said, "We cannot dwell on our achievements and we cannot be satisfied by 55 deaths and hundreds of seriously
injured people.” "Even one life is one too many. There is a greater prize to be had - zero road casualties," he added. "Complacency
poses an enormous threat to road users - so we must not let our guard down. "I continue to urge road users to pay attention, expect the
unexpected, slow down, always wear your seatbelt and never ever drink and drive."
PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Duncan McCausland added: "While these figures are half that of the previous year, behind each figure there are
families, friends and communities which have been devastated, so we can never be complacent on this issue.
"The stark reality is that the majority of road traffic collisions are preventable. "We make absolutely no apology for robustly targeting
dangerous and inappropriate driving and need public support to reinforce the road safety message."
If you drive within the limits then you need not fear any speed traps.
Tom
[Edited on 6/1/11 by se7en]
Most driver's natural reaction to either a speed camera or a warning of one is to slow down irrespective of the speed that they were doing in the
first place. This type of reaction itself can cause accidents, injuries and even deaths. There is a long, sweeping downhill (obviously only in one
direction) section of dual carriageway not to far from me. Quite often there will be either a mobile camera or laser trap at the bottom of the hill
nicely tucked away around the bend. 2 years ago a woman coming down the hill suddenly spotted the camera. panicked and stamped on the brakes. As a
result, the car ended up leaving the road, hitting the hedge and rolling in the adjacent field. The subsequent investigation suggested she was doing
approximately 50mph when her wheels locked which was well within the national speed limit for this road.
Surely slowing people down rather than catching them breaking the law, or even causing an accident, has got to be acceptable?
quote:
Originally posted by se7en
If you drive within the limits then you need not fear any speed traps.
Tom
[Edited on 6/1/11 by se7en]
well, this is the thing, if you warn drivers within the speed limit of a speed trap, then he's doing nothing wrong really, and its terrible he
got done for it.
BUT
if he was warning speeders of the trap, and they slowed down, then he's aiding a criminal, tipping off, and helping a 'ciminal' get
away with it, which is against the law.
really the polic shouls have to have proved he warned anyone speeding to slow down, i think.
but, i'm not sitting on the fence, i don't think he should have got done for it
It is a bit bizarre, especially when with static speed cameras they have to put up signs to warn drivers that there is one on the stretch of road.
So why doesn't the CPS prosecute the council for obeying the law
Yep I've done that, half the time I'm looking at where I'm going and not what speed I'm doing so I appreciate that I may well be
doing more than 30mph quite often. Thing is this excess of paying attention to my surroundings means that if I spot a speed trap that's not
normally there my first reaction is to touch the brakes as I'm looking down to check my speed. Now my attention is diverted to my speedo too for
the sake of what is probably one or two mph over the limit...
However if the argument is that the drivers he flashed slowed down from their excessive speed isn't it now down to proving he knew the other
driver was speeding AND proving the driver in question was indeed speeding... Something they were due to do further down the road....
It's like saying a doctor is a great way to lose weight, because when he asks you to get on the scales you're going to take your big coat
off, which means you lose a pound or two right there. This means you're fat..
quote:
Originally posted by Strontium Dog
quote:
Originally posted by se7en
quote:
Originally posted by Strontium Dog
Yes, quite right. But I think you may be on the wrong site, try here
http://www.ramblers.org.uk/