Trouble With The Bill

[kitesurf_phil]

Not a problem with paying something, but my nephew is gatting aggro from the police. He is a typical 18 yr old. He is restricted in his choice of car/engine size because insurance costs a fortune. To tart up his Nova (I know, considered to be a chav wagon) he fitted a bonnet with a scoop and put clear lenses on the back.
On Saturday, while out Xmas shopping with his girlfriend, he was pulled over by a traffic car. The copper said he was concerned about the white reflectors on the rear of his car. There are no rear reflectors and no white light showing. I know because I followed him home last week when he had fuel pump trouble.

The other "upgrade" he has is one of those exhaust tailpipe trims that makes the exhaust look about 4" diameter. This came off a diesel car in a breakers. The cop looked at it and said. "I'm not happy that your car conforms to the emissions."

Result: He has been given seven days to take his car to an MOT station, to get the emmissions checked, despite the ink barely being dry on his MOT Cert. He has to satisfy the police that he has put the standeard rear lights lenses back on the car.

The most concerning thing is the way the cop spoke to him. Amongst other things he suggested that he was, "A sad git," for making such an old heap look, "Like a dogs dinner."
He said that surely he could afford a newer car. ( It's a J reg Nova).

The cops callar number is on the producer. The MOT satation advised him not to make a complaint, despite them finding nothing wrong with the car, suggesting that the police see drivers under twenty as, "fair game." They said that his card would be marked!

No wonder youngsters have no respect for the boys in blue.

[Koi]

I would keep a written record now of the events of him being pulled over. Date and sign your written record, if he then gets pulled over again then record this to. If it becomes a regular thing then you can produce the documented accounts of each stop to the Police then complain. Agreed to do so now would make him fair game from now on, not the correct way things should be done i know.

[turbotommy]

Erm, perhaps most of the 'older' members on this forum may have found that the number of times that they get stopped by plod gets less the older that they get (? smarter...). It's certainly my experience. While i have some sympathy for this young lad, it's hardly the 'guilford 4' is it ?

From the police perpsective (no, i'm not a copper) i can see that pulling youngsters in 'chav mobiles' is likely to get more 'results' than overs 50s in their mondeos/minivans...Even youngsters can work this out...

[TAZMAN]

Wise words from Koi. I would suggest he keep all the info from the MOT station with the dates clearly shown. Providing the lights are E marked, they are not illegal. This link will tell you more... http://www.motuk.co.uk/manual_110.htm

[Jezware]

I went through exactly the same experience when I was 18. I had a Astra GSI, and could guarantee if I drove throuh the city centre after 8pm, by the time I got to the other side I would have a producer and a pointless defect slip to get stamped. Within the space of 6 months, I managed to wrack up 62 producers, I ended up in court 3 times (all for stupid reasons, and all of which I got off). In the end my car got stolen, and I have driven more sensible cars since, and never been stopped once.

The police appear to have an unwritten rule, if you are under 20 and drive a Nova, Astra, Saxo or similar, you are obviously a criminal.

[andy_enuff]

Before i gave up the Corsa that i used to have I used ot get stopped ALL the time. All I had done was swapped the standard wheels for alloys. When leaving the local leisure park and accelerating away to the speed limit only (about as fast as the little 1.2 could manage) I would repeatedly get stopped for 'stealing the vehicle'. It got ridiculous after a while and I even got followed once by an undercover car which drove so eratically and aggresively at my vehicle that I though I was under threat from someone who was out to get me. when I finally stopped I was told that I had broken the speed limits and when I explained I thought I was being threatened was told I was lucky he didn't have a working camera otherwise he'd have nicked me! honestly.

I'm 26 so it's not like I'm an 18 year old boy racer either, but i'm harldy in the mondeo league. All change now tho, and on with the Surf. Funnily enough no-ones stopped me, even tho I've been parking outside nightclubs on pavements, blatantly breaking sound laws in streets late at night etc. It's almost as if they don't dare stop me now - not that i'm pushing my luck. It's even smoking like a bitch nad I've not been stopped and asked to sort it out for emissions, if I was driving my corsa, I swear I would have been stoped.

[qube3]

POLICE are scum - nuff said (my opinion)

[rusty]

POLICE are scum - nuff said (my opinion)

Harsh words - why don't you justify your "opinion"

There are good and bad in every profession, so to tar everyone with the same brush is OTT - (my opinion)

[dirtydog]

Not been stopped once in my TD astra or the Surf... when I had a scooter it was another story! I got 3 points from it and stopped numerous times, police used to chase me. Most of the time just checking I hadnt nicked it which I dont mind.

A friend of mine has a Citreon BX 16valve (the one with 2litre DOHC injection etc etc and its chipped to) sounds gorgeous with a different manifold but looks plain as they all do. He still gets stopped loads in it and he only 20-same as me. Funny thing is his previous car was a Series I Landrover(ahem) which he restored.

Maybe now I have the Surf I can get away with a lot more.... anyone got a really loud one?

[Fieldsy]

Can't really say I've had too much trouble with plod, got pulled up umpteen times when I had a pontiac and a couple of vette's.

In one instance I turned the wrong way up a one way street for a short cut and mr plod was coming in the other direction. He swiftly turned round, followed me and pulled me up with lights ablazing about a mile down the road. Thought I was gonna get the book thrown.

conversation went.

"Do you know why we've pulled you up sir"?

"NO"

"You turned up a one way street"

"Did I ?,I didn't see the signs"


"The way you threw the car around the bend, suggests to us that you do it frequently", "What car is this anyway"?


"Its a 5.7 litre V8 Chevrolet Corvette"

"Well, thats must save you a few quid, taking that as a short cut"

"Yeah, it does actually"

"Well, be on your way sir, and don't let us see you doing it again"

I waited till they were just getting back in their car, and I shouted out "Thanks, and Merry Christmas", to which I got a stern look from the WPC............I counted myself lucky


Got nothing really against the old bill, but there are obviously a few who think they are tin gods and like to feel the collar of a few just to enhance thier authority..........the biggest pricks are those sitting in the plain vans with the camera stood next to them on the seat waiting for that speeding motorist



oooooooooohhh!!, naughty naughty, the word "pricks" got though, time to rehash the filters

[stara]

POLICE are scum - nuff said (my opinion)

i can think of far worse people who would described as 'scum' than the police.

[TonyN]

Most clear rear lenses have no reflector in them, you should get some sticky ones on the bumper or somewhere and then they've got nothing on you.

As for the coffee can exhaust, he had it coming....

[mikey]

POLICE are scum - nuff said (my opinion)

Bit extreme...you may be grateful one day for their help. We've all been there, & it's a fact is that youngsters are more likely to drive like idiots, have no insurance, mot, licence etc, & run around in nicked motors. Fair game to the sheriff I reckon, so long as they're polite & reasonable, which they generally are...The answer is to drive a car that doesn't stick out like sore thumb, & not to go round corners on 2 wheels, with the stereo so loud the entire street can hear it.... wish i was young again!

[NorthWestDirt]

It got ridiculous after a while and I even got followed once by an undercover car which drove so eratically and aggresively at my vehicle that I though I was under threat from someone who was out to get me. when I finally stopped I was told that I had broken the speed limits and when I explained I thought I was being threatened was told I was lucky he didn't have a working camera otherwise he'd have nicked me! honestly.

Exact same thing happened to my best mate a couple of years back. The "off duty" copper was in a Tippex-white Porsche 924 - now THERE'S a dog's dinner (utter kak).

It makes you sick when you know the person that's been stopped is above board. On the other hand my Mrs' car was rear ended as we slept by a stolen Vectra (the driver of this turned out to be 18-19). It's sad & I never thought I'd say it, but there is a reason for them tragetting the young & I only wish they were more on the ball on the night when our mint CRX was hit.

[ni9eofse7en]

As in any job there's good un's and there's bad un's.

My girlfriend works on the clerical side for W Yorks police, and I've heard and seen first hand some of the scum they have to deal with. I thought my job was bad listening to whinges and moans all day, but what she has told me she has had to put up with, id have lost it several times over doing her job.

Like you and me, they get married, divorced, like a drink or two, have kids, have mortgages. But unlike them, we dont get killed by some for doing our job.

And remember this, sometimes a copper will let you off, the cameras from the dvla aint so forgiving.