Your experiences of having contact with the police.

[Cowley]

Have you had good or bad experiences? Mine have generally been pretty good although I may just have been lucky as I’ve not found myself on the wrong side of the law too often.
I’ve started this up to open the discussion out further from this thread:

Sarah Everard Murder - Consequences

(Surprised there isn't already a thread about this - so this thread is to discuss all issues resulting from the murder). I don't think it needs anyone to repeat how utterly awful the actions of Wayne Couzens were. Although by itself it was an unusual crime to the extent of how serious it was...

www.railforums.co.uk

Over to you.

 

[Gloster]

A lot may depend on age and location. Now that I am middle-aged (and a bit) and living in a rural location I have not had any problems in my few dealings with the police. However, I am always a touch suspicious due to my experiences when living in London in the mid-1980s (and having a non white girlfriend for a while). Even when alone I was stopped and questioned a number of times, although I think I was only searched once. The Met. Police has long had a reputation for throwing their weight about and they certainly lived up to it in the Thatcher years. Admittedly, I was stopped and questioned once while cycling in railway uniform (High Visibility vests are just that, so I wasn’t exactly skulking in the dark) outside Exeter once, although it was getting on for 04.00 on a Sunday.

 

[221129]

Very very mixed. Some truly awful experiences (false arrest and imprisonment) and some very good dealings.

As always the bad always stuck out more than the good.

 

[Bevan Price]

Never had any trouble, but have encountered some bad attitudes. Taking our dog for a walk whilst a teenager, I saw a dead sheep in a local stream. Made the mistake of telling police in a car stopped a few hundred yards away. Their reaction was to ask if my dog had chased the sheep into the stream. (If it had, would I have been stupid enough to report it to the police??).

Then, whilst working in London in the 1960s, I was stopped & questioned for no obvious reason - whilst walking past the end of Downing Street - it was before IRA activities had spread to England.

 

[AlterEgo]

I have had mixed experiences. The worst was BTP refusing to lift someone who was travelling, along with six mates, on a forged authority to travel from the company CEO, in first class, evading about £1,500 worth of fares.

This was verified as fake in real time and the TM, CEO and Control were involved, yet the police declined to do anything, shrugging and saying "it is a civil matter".

This encounter with lazy, thick, insulting coppers taints every other interaction I have had with the BTP since.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

A few years ago, I witnessed a guard being racially abused by a group of fare-dodgers in fancy-dress. I gave my details to a BTP officer at the destination so they could take a statement. Within a couple of weeks, the BTP contacted me to arrange an appointment for someone to come to my home address and take a statement. This was organised and dealt with within another two weeks or so (can't recall the exact timeline).

Based on this, I assume the BTP will deal with most things appropriately to the best of their ability, but they do seem to be spread quite thin. It's lucky that there were BTP officers available at the destination otherwise this incident would probably have gone by unrecorded.

 

[High Dyke]

I appreciate BTP are understaffed and under resourced, but overall my experience has been positive.

In the wider context of civil constabulary then again mostly positive. My last personal contact resulted in getting a nice piece of plastic tube and a discussion about road surfaces.

 

[dk1]

On the extremely rare occasions I’ve needed to be involved with the police they’ve been fantastic,

 

[SteveM70]

The biggest interaction I’ve had with the police was after my then wife was attacked by a pair of Rottweilers and very nearly killed, whilst she was attempting to deliver a census form. The police were fantastic, incredibly supportive to us at the time it happened and when necessary through both the initial court case and the subsequent appeal. However, two different coppers did separately say “we have unfinished business with her” when they realised who the owner was, and part of me thinks that explains some of their attitude.

Other than that, the usual stuff being a teenager in the 80s (stopped running for the last bus home because the policeman assumed I was running from something rather than to something, and subsequently turfed out of the cop shop at about 1am. My dad had a fit on them); and the usual stuff being the victim of a theft in the 2010s (bike stolen from racks at a station, clear cctv of the van used, but couldn’t trace the owner. Yeah right)

 

[stevetay3]

Look how they behaved during lockdown with protesters, that says it all.

 

[Bertie the bus]

My experiences with traffic police have been good. When I’ve been prosecuted I’ve deserved it, excluding one incident, and they’ve always been fair and professional, except for the incident when I shouldn’t have been charged.

With non-traffic police my experiences have been mixed and ranged from very good to absolutely awful, e.g. being laughed at when reporting a theft from my car, being treated like a criminal when I saw a bloke collapse and stopped to help when out cycling, and being threatened with arrest for obstructing police for walking along a pavement.

 

[the sniper]

Look how they behaved during lockdown with protesters, that says it all.

Glad to hear you don't personally have any negative experiences to report.

 

[ABB125]

Personally I've not really had any dealings with the police.

My dad often gets exasperated with them, for a variety of reasons which I won't go into here; suffice to say, they don't appear to be able/willing to do much unless there's a serious issue (it's possible that the involvement of a "member of the traveling community" impacts the service!).

On of my friends' brother is a policeman; he always has some amusing stories to tell, mostly about people wasting police time!

 

[NorthOxonian]

It varies so much. When I was growing up, I can't say I had a good opinion of the police - Northumbria targeted our area a lot. At uni (where I was assumed to be a middle class student) things were much better - whether that's because Thames Valley are inherently nicer or because they perceived me as less of a threat, I couldn't say.

I have also had to deal with Wiltshire and North Yorkshire Police for various reasons - the former were exemplary and the latter mediocre.

 

[SteveM70]

My experiences with traffic police have been good. When I’ve been prosecuted I’ve deserved it, excluding one incident, and they’ve always been fair and professional, except for the incident when I shouldn’t have been charged.

Either you’ve been prosecuted a lot, or their success rate isn’t very high

 

[alex397]

Generally, the officers that work for them are mostly excellent and really friendly in my interactions with them. There does seem to be a minority of bad apples, probably attracted to the job for the power and sense of authority.
The actual organisation itself seems pretty bad. Underfunded and under resourced.

I will say it has become much easier to report anti-social behaviour. You don’t have to phone them up, but you can fill out online forms or have an online chat. Although it may be easier to report, I don’t think the crimes are actually being dealt with any better.

With a recent terrifying attempted burglary at my house (I was actually holding the door back to stop him getting in)- the police were really helpful and friendly, but very slow - only wanting a copy of the CCTV about two weeks later. They didn’t send any police over immiediately either, but sent someone around in the morning. But I don’t blame the individual officers for that at all.

 

[MotCO]

I have had a number of experieces of a different kind with the police.

Firstly, somewhat amusingly, a policeman reversed into me. He was queueing up at a roundabout near the police station, and the car in front was stuck, and he reversed without looking! Fortunately it was at low speed, so no damage caused. I did ask to see his warrant card though to make him feel even more uncomfortable!

Now two experiences associated with my former work with the NHS. I worked with them to establish three rape havens in London. What struck me was, that despite the service being 50:50 funded by the police and NHS, the NHS had 5 attendees representing the three havens and central NHS, whereas the police had probably around 12 - 15 attendees, mostly uniformed guys and lasses. It all seemed very bureaucratic (including decisions having to be approved by 'upstairs', and I have to say that that was not the case with the NHS side - we were able to make all the necessary decisions), but having said that, they were all very helpful and good people to work with.

Secondly, the NHS and other public bodies (fire, armed services, councils, coastguard etc) all work together for any major incidents, such as flooding, major accidents etc. The police usually take the lead on this, and are very good at managing the incidents. There are regular meetings (often hourly) throughout the day and night, chaired by a senior police officer, and it is all very closely controlled and managed. A clear case of command and control in action. It does seem to be bureaucratic, but, given that the actions could be reviewed at a Public Inquiry, all actions, and reasons for them, need to be documented. From my experience, the police do excel at this, and do manage what, for the staff in the other agencies involved, can be a very stressful experience. I am an accountant by training, but still was on-call for such incidents, even though it was outside my usual line of business, so was grateful for the police being so well organised to run such incidents.

 

[Dai Corner]

I've only had three real interactions with the police; one as a minor offender, one as a victim and one as a member of the public requesting information.

As a teenager I got ticked off for cycling in a pedestrianised area. It was probably just a friendly warning but I was terrified that they'd turn up at home (my details had been taken down) to talk to my parents and I'd end up with a criminal record. I heard nothing more about it.

Some twenty years later my car was stolen from outside Hull as I slept in a hotel. A police officer came an hour or two after I reported it to take a statement but didn't approach the hotel or neighbouring businesses to request CCTV or get statements from night staff. He must have put the details on 'the system' as a few hours later I got a call from Nottinghamshire police to say my car had been found. Apparently the thief dumped mine when it ran out of fuel and stole another one. The second victim had reported his car gone and mine where it had been parked.

More recently, I made a Freedom of Information request to Gwent Police to try to find out whether/how they were enforcing the traffic laws on the M4. They expertly wriggled out of giving any meaningful information.

 

[Calthrop]

Generally, the officers that work for them are mostly excellent and really friendly in my interactions with them. There does seem to be a minority of bad apples, probably attracted to the job for the power and sense of authority.

I would reckon the above: to be re this country, truly the case in general -- that with a few "ifs and buts": the majority of police officers are decent and honourable people, genuinely wishing to "look after" the populace in a humane and respectful sense (I'd certainly wish to think that is so); but the occupation is one of those which, by their very nature, attract more than their fair share of bullies.

My own experience of interaction with the police has been uniformly good (in all of the various parts of Great Britain in which I have at different times, lived) -- nothing to complain of, in their treatment of me; and a good deal of kindness and understanding. My "worst" experience: aged, I think, 18, for some -- in my case -- half-baked reason, I took part in a demonstration supporting some late-1960s "woke" cause (I honestly don't remember which); in the course of which I and those next to me were spoken-to roughly by a policeman -- that, or something harsher, only to be expected in the circumstances.

It does occur to me that as regards relations with the police, I am in pretty well the most privileged category that there could be: white, middle-class, tending to a nerdish sedentary lifestyle, and law-abiding to the point of timidity; and that even so, I have been throughout my 73 years, lucky in the police encounters that have come my way. I've heard and read accounts of experiences with these (British) guardians of law and order, from various people -- including white middle-class ones -- which have run the gamut between unpleasant; and being on the receiving end of downright hideous treatment. And one gathers that for certain sectors of the population: what approaches "blanket" hostility from the police, and their behaving accordingly, has been / often still is, "standard" and to be expected. My feeling overall: the majority of our police officers, and their conduct, being on the whole O.K. -- but much on this scene, falling short even of that "bar".

 

[75A]

For some of the 80/90's, I was happily married to a Surrey Police Officer and I can say that even in those days the crap they had to put up with from a few members of the public was disgusting, and if on occasion they were less then polite, who could blame them. I'm sure things haven't improved if what you see on the TV is to be believed. If I was doing that job I know how I would react.

 

[Strathclyder]

In my case, it has varied significantly. The best were the two officers who attended after I was subject to a unprovoked assault in May 2017, they were cordial, patient (I was understandably very distressed), quick to respond - a witness had stayed with me and called them - and professsional in their handling of the situtation. The guy who knocked 7 bells out of me got off scot-free, primarily due to there being no CCTV equipment at the scene of the incident; the person who called me and relayed that info was also very professional (that of course didn't stop me from cursing out loud on the bus when the call ended).

The worst was when I was stopped by two officers who'd, as far as I can remember, recieved reports of 'a person acting suspiciously' in the general area (Scotstoun on Dumbarton Road nr. the Kingsway Court Flats) I was in. Pulled me into their van for a couple questions, plus a few details. Granted, a young lad with a beefy camera (am a transport photographer and was snapping the buses that passed through the area) would look a tad odd, but there was nothing untoward about my activities and I explained as much to them. They were polite enough, but I've never stopped in that area to take photos since (this was about a year before the experience detailed above) just in case.

I would reckon the above: to be re this country, truly the case in general -- that with a few "ifs and buts": the majority of police officers are decent and honourable people, genuinely wishing to "look after" the populace in a humane and respectful sense (I'd certainly wish to think that is so); but the occupation is one of those which, by their very nature, attract more than their fair share of bullies..

Generally, the officers that work for them are mostly excellent and really friendly in my interactions with them. There does seem to be a minority of bad apples, probably attracted to the job for the power and sense of authority.

This is where I generally land on this subject matter, all things considered and taking my experiences with them into account.

 

[johnnychips]

I really have had no bad experiences with any police officers at all. Like in my own job (teaching) they seem to want to do the job as best they can, and get very frustrated by the excess admin involved. I find police officers are smashing, and incredibly patient people.

Incidentally - and this may have been raised in earlier posts - the analogy of there being ‘one bad apple in a barrel’ may not mean what you think. It doesn’t mean an isolated, rare case. It means that if there is a rotten apple it will spread its disease rapidly to the rest of the barrel.

 

[C J Snarzell]

As a former police officer myself, one saying that was mentioned a few times during my service is that 90% of the crime/incidents are caused/committed by 10% of the public.

The problem I found was that those 10% of the population or the local community, where the ones who had mental health issues, drink or drug addictions and they invariably soak up so much police time, that sadly the other 90% of the population don't get a decent service when they rung 101 or 999 to report something.

It did become very frustrating for me towards the end, as I lost track of the number of times I ended up on hospital watch with a section 136 patient or refereeing the same couple who have had their fifth drunken domestic in a week.

What I found was that 'bread & butter' crime like domestic burglary, vehicle offences, low level thefts and criminal damage was just not being investigated anymore as 'safeguarding' and 'vulnerability' took priority over police resources.

I can only speak for the force I was in, but the volume of incidents coming in on old my division was ridiculous and sadly there were never enough police resources available to respond to everything.

The chances are that someone who reported their bike stolen would simply be dealt with by a civilian in an office, who would record the crime and 'screen it out' (finalise the crime as undetected).

Someone on this thread, mentioned CCTV evidence of an offender was not pursued. What I would say in this scenario is that if the offence was for theft of a bicycle, the police would probably not pursue it because it is 'not in the public interest'. The cost of the bicycle would be a drop in the ocean compared to the overall cost of a prosecution (this would include police time investigating it, the cost of legal aid for the offender and the cost of a Magistrates trial). I don't necessarily agree with it, but it is one explanation as to why some crimes are not followed up.

I left the service three years ago, and I have never had any involvement with them since then as I have been fortune not to have to report anything.

I do think alot of the greater public are somewhat naive about what the police have to deal with these days. Some don't necessarily understand why officers don't turn up to investigate youths causing annoyance or if their car has been broken into over night.

I can say that 99% of front line officers are very eager and passionate about what they do in the face of such pressures they face from the demands of the public.

CJ

 

[Falcon1200]

My personal interaction with the Police has been limited to being told off for cycling without lights as a kid, and reporting vandalism to my car, both of which were totally acceptable. In my professional life I dealt with the Police, both local and BT, on an almost daily basis, and the only problems were mostly what one would expect, ie local Police lacking knowledge and understanding of how the railway works, and the BT Police being so thinly spread. The one major issue involved a Police Force Control room, shortly after an ill-conceived re-organisation which also led indirectly to a far more serious incident involving loss of life.

 

[MotCO]

Someone on this thread, mentioned CCTV evidence of an offender was not pursued. What I would say in this scenario is that if the offence was for theft of a bicycle, the police would probably not pursue it because it is 'not in the public interest'. The cost of the bicycle would be a drop in the ocean compared to the overall cost of a prosecution (this would include police time investigating it, the cost of legal aid for the offender and the cost of a Magistrates trial). I don't necessarily agree with it, but it is one explanation as to why some crimes are not followed up.

So basically the felon gets off scot-free, and benefits from having some goods they can flog. The victim ends up with increased insurance premiums. The Mayor of New York had the right idea of pursuing all crimes and crime rates, not surprisingly, fell.

(I'm not having a go at you - just responding to your post.)

 

[ComUtoR]

Have you had good or bad experiences?

Mostly negative.

I’ve not found myself on the wrong side of the law too often.

Interaction with the police shouldn't rely on which side of the law you are on. They are just as bad with victims as they are with criminals and just as bad with totally innocent members of the public.

 

[hst43102]

I've only had three relatively minor experiences with the police, all very positive for me.

- 1) I was stuck in a town centre with two punctured tyres on my bike and a phone completely out of battery. Flagged down a police car and the officers kindly let me use their phone to get in contact with family.

- 2) I was a witness to a burglary. Police took my statement and then later brought me to the station for a mug shot lineup. About a week later, got a letter from the court saying that the burglar had been found guilty and sentenced. In all a very efficient and pleasing result.

- 3) About a week ago, I came across some young teenagers firing fireworks in a street in Newcastle. After nearly being hit by one of the fireworks, and watching them set a bin alight, I phoned 999 - the police and fire came within five minutes. Unfortunately the boys ran off, but the fire brigade and police put out the fire and cleared the place up a bit - probably the best they could do.

 

[C J Snarzell]

So basically the felon gets off scot-free, and benefits from having some goods they can flog. The victim ends up with increased insurance premiums. The Mayor of New York had the right idea of pursuing all crimes and crime rates, not surprisingly, fell.

(I'm not having a go at you - just responding to your post.)

I totally agree. I do believe there needs to be a Royal Commission into British policing - the last one was in 1960. Most of the time, the police are dealing with the short comings of the NHS and Social Services and every day crime seems to take second fiddle to protecting the vulnerable in society. Unfortunately, it is unlikely a commission will be sanctioned under the present Tory government, so I guess we will be in for a long wait until things start to change.

CJ

 

[alxndr]

I've had five interactions with the police. In all I've had no problems and they've been fairly lenient towards me when technically they could probably have taken things further, but it has all been either incredibly minor or I probably learned my lesson anyway (e.g. crashing a moped).

That said, I am very aware that my experiences are not representative of everyone's. I'm white, went to a private school, grew up in a rural area, and look relatively harmless. The experiences of other people are different, and it wouldn't be right to say that the organisation as a whole isn't flawed without acknowledging that.

 

[Sm5]

Deleted