overzealous policing?

martyh · 05-08-2010, 22:34

link

watched this on sky news and thought "my god what's happening to the poor old bloke"

then you read on a bit and learn that the oap drove off while being issued a fixed penalty for no seatbelt

Quote:

A court heard Whatley drove off because he thought he had been dealt with and needed to take medication for a heart condition and a stroke

2 questions ,
what the hell is he doing driving if he has to take medication for a heart condition and a stroke ?

and since when do police officers escort people home with sirens on after they have been issued a ticket

Quote:

Whatley, who stayed within the speed limit during the chase, thought the police car following him was sounding its siren because it was escorting him home.

i do think the coppers where a bit overzealous though ,but at the same time the driver was totally dippy

nomadking · 05-08-2010, 22:52

He drove off when he shouldn't have done and the Police would have not known why. That is why they chased after him. Apparently that are suggestions that their reaction was standard procedure in those circumstances of someone refusing to stop. Even when stopped for the second time, he can be seen reversing and one of the officers could have been dragged along in the process.

martyh · 05-08-2010, 23:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by nomadking

He drove off when he shouldn't have done and the Police would have not known why. That is why they chased after him. Apparently that are suggestions that their reaction was standard procedure in those circumstances of someone refusing to stop. Even when stopped for the second time, he can be seen reversing and one of the officers could have been dragged along in the process.

Oh i agree nomad ,it is also reported that he was rude and abusive when stopped .and it has to be said that there is an element of drivers both young and old who think they have enough social standing in their little village to be able do what they like behind the wheel ,and that includes liquid lunches

ps could a mod place a question mark at the end of the title ,it was meant to be a question

Gary L · 05-08-2010, 23:16

The guy's a rebel. look at his number plate

it annoys me when I see the police panicking. but it reminds me why they won't give them guns.

**Derek** · 06-08-2010, 00:00

The cop didn't try the door first before doing the window but thats about it. If he drove off in the middle of being issued a ticket and then refused to stop for several miles I'd think there was something else wrong and would want him out the car as quickly as possible when he eventually stopped as well.

Gary L · 06-08-2010, 00:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by Derek S

If he drove off in the middle of being issued a ticket and then refused to stop for several miles I'd think there was something else wrong and would want him out the car as quickly as possible

Such as?

**Derek** · 06-08-2010, 00:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary L

Such as?

The driver is drunk, has no insurance, the car is dodgy, there are drugs/weapons/dead prostitutes in the vehicle. etc. etc.

Plenty of reasons people drive off. Plus according to the telegraph he hit an officer with the car when he drove off.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...oners-car.html

nomadking · 06-08-2010, 00:20

Bear in mind, that the windows were heavily tinted and therefore the police could not see what the driver was doing.

Gary L · 06-08-2010, 00:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by Derek S

The driver is drunk, has no insurance, the car is dodgy, there are drugs/weapons/dead prostitutes in the vehicle. etc. etc.

Plenty of reasons people drive off. Plus according to the telegraph he hit an officer with the car when he drove off.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...oners-car.html

What I'm saying is it annoys me when I see the police panicking and running around like adrenaline junkies smashing a car to a pulp and dragging a driver through an open window. when at the end of it we're all down the police station booking him in and getting a shout over the radio for a car that's failing to stop.

**Derek** · 06-08-2010, 00:34

Eh?

They smash the side and front windows (recognized technique) and that's it. I don't think that qualifies as smashing the car to a pulp.

Personally all I'd have done different, based on what I've seen, is have tried the door and if he didn't open it then do the windows. Maybe the tints were so excessive the police couldn't see in?

Anyway he's been found guilty and this IMO was leaked by his lawyer to generate sympathy prior to the inevitable appeal.

Gary L · 06-08-2010, 00:39

I agree he was in the wrong. but maybe he didn't have time to open the door with the mad men banging his window. he was too busy covering his face from the exploding glass that's about to happen.
we are too much like the American police. panic over something so trivial. maybe that's what fuels the situation in the first place.

**Rob** · 06-08-2010, 00:46

The driver is failing to stop, He is failing to give way to the blue lights. The cars travel a significant distance. No normal driver will behave like that. Certainly any idea that he is being "escorted" home cannot wash if he has driven off.

Sorry but any reasonable police officer, regardless of the age of the driver that they will have been speaking to before the drive off, will now be quite concerned as to what else is wrong.

We know from other well publicised incidents that there are plenty of unbalanced people out there with unknown agendas. Police officers are expected to use their professional judgement and only reasonable force (there is no such thing as excess force as force in itself implies control). The vehicle clearly has heavily tinted windows so we can't see what the driver is doing, but officers will clearly be racting to the lack of compliance demonstrated by the driver. It may seem harsh that they are trying to break that window, but I doubt there was much less of an option if the driver was not reacting and showing a willingness to comply.

nomadking · 06-08-2010, 01:10

The driver had plenty of time before the officers arrived, to open the door or at least wind down the window. If a driver hasn't opened the door, then it would seem that there is no point wasting time trying to open it, as the driver would have probably locked it.

Quote:

A court heard yesterday that Mr Whatley, right, was originally pulled over in a country lane in Monmouthshire by traffic police who tried to issue him with a fine for not wearing a seat belt.
But when an officer went round to the passenger side, the car lurched forward and he was knocked over.

That would have made the police suspicious about his intentions.

alferret · 06-08-2010, 05:49

Surely if he had stopped before he saw the stinger & the police knew that one had been deployed and where it was then they could have used a more softley, softley approach.
I doubt there was reason for the police to damage is car especially when one jumps on the bonnet acting like a chave at a street party, (I wonder what he was expecting to do from there?)
The pensioner was lucky he wasnt tasered & beaten to within an inch of his life for not complying with an officer of the law

Quote:

But when an officer went round to the passenger side, the car lurched forward and he was knocked over.

Was that caught on camera or just said by the officer to justify what happened?

Obviously the doddering old fart wasnt in full control of his car because when they tried to get him out it "lurched back" slightly so he doesnt even know how to apply his handbreak properly.

---------- Post added at 05:49 ---------- Previous post was at 05:39 ----------

Quote:

Originally Posted by nomadking

Even when stopped for the second time, he can be seen reversing and one of the officers could have been dragged along in the process.

LOL there was no officer behind the car and there were no reversing lights on the car, so clearly he took his foot off the brake when they opened the door not realising in the heat of the moment that he didnt apply the handbrake. Well thats what I saw, then he applied the HB after it rolled 4 or 5 ft. Easy mistake for someone who's having his car smashed up by an policeman. (wanten vandalism I say

A bit of stress releife maybe)

nomadking · 06-08-2010, 08:12

Why hadn't he applied the handbrake? He had enough time, as he had come to a stop all by himself and the police car had yet to arrive. Was he intending to drive off yet again? You can see the brake light go out before the car moved backwards. Why hadn't he switched the engine off, as he obviously wasn't going to be going anywhere that soon.

There are comments that breaking the windscreen etc is standard procedure in order to stop them getting away. The police would have had no idea how serious or not, the reason was, for driving away from them. They have to assume some of the more serious possibilities and act accordingly.

The police officer can be seen beside the open driver's door, reversing backwards could easily have pulled him over and under.