Police speeding figures

Originally Posted by sumpyboy

Baph said "My opinion is based on the few conversations with emergency services drivers (like I said, not all were coppers) of a long period of time. I've been told to my face (naturally off the record) that they sometimes use the lights/siren just to get back to base to finish their shift on time. That's seriously out of order, and I don't think they liked my response at the time."


Sorry mate but will have to disagree with you there. I take it by emergency service drivers you mean ambulance service? I've been ambulance paramedic for 15 years and have never heard of people using the blues to get back to station for shift finish. It just wouldn't be worth it. If you get gasto'd the pic gets sent to ambulance service. Its up to the service to prove that you were on a 999 job at the time and therefore exempt from certain road traffic acts, so if the vehicle reg doesn't match up to call log time then the driver gets its, not only from police/dlva points but also from the service which runs its own mickey mouse courts. Same would apply if using your blues and you had a bump, imagine trying to explain that one, that you had blues on and was tanking it but not on a job. It really wouldn't be worth the risk of losing your job.

Disagree with it as much as you like, I've heard the same from a number of drivers. A mix of police/ambulance with a mix of reasons given, returning for the end of shift being just one. I don't see any reason for numerous people I'd had no contact with until that point to say the same thing unless that's actually what they have done. Granted far more emergency service drivers haven't commented at all about it, than have said it though. A fair amount of these were on advanced driving courses at the same time as me.

If it was only one or two people that have said it, my response too would of been "Yeah, right, you're trying to pull my leg!"

PS. My brother is a paramedic, and I know full well how the system works (I posted on the org before about him being suspended for hitting a police car whilst on a call in winter - ice on the road). Even he himself has told me about times he's used the rapid response car when he really shouldn't of. He got a mouthful from me too.

was the advanced driving course you did a police or ambulance course. Like i said I can't see people risking there jobs for the sake of finish time. But if you say it happens then it happens but I've never heard or seen of it around here.

baph you seem quite reasonable, i must say. I personally have never met anyone at Bath wiling to risk what sumpyboy has been on about, (pretty similar for the police as well), however that is not ti say that it does not happen, and you are rightly annoyed if it does. Wouldnt like to explain the prang to a superior though

75% without blues and twos, probably not all on code 1 jobs, probably more code 2, that is a priority job, there is still often a need to get there quickly just slightly less so than an immeadiate.

rural police do have more time to patrol, and as such may get caught out more, i dont know much about tat as i have never been there, seen it or done it...so i wont comment further.

andy

Originally Posted by silent

75% without blues and twos, probably not all on code 1 jobs, probably more code 2, that is a priority job, there is still often a need to get there quickly just slightly less so than an immeadiate.

Code isnt really important though is it? You're either answering an emergency call - exceeding the speed limit, going though reds etc - with lights/siren on, or you're not.

Originally Posted by Flamin_Squirrel

Code isnt really important though is it? You're either answering an emergency call - exceeding the speed limit, going though reds etc - with lights/siren on, or you're not.

All true, except for the lights/siren inclusion. As has been ably pointed out above, you could be on a high priority call without using lights/siren.

In fact, as I remember it, Ambulance personnel at least (and I'd imagine Police/Fire too) are instructed that where there is no need for a siren, especially late at night, they are not to use it at all, regardless of the call they are attending. Obviously where they think it will be of benefit, use it (eg, coming up to cross roads). Makes sense not to p**s the neighbourhood off at 4am!

sumpyboy, I've attended a couple of courses, pretty much all of them blagged because I'm not emergency services staff. As a result, I haven't been given anything to prove I was there, so don't get insurance incentives, but that's besides the point IMO, it was a free advanced driving course. All the courses I have attended were run by NAPAS. Mind, all these courses were years back. Not all the conversations I'm referring to were on those courses either. Some of them were my brothers friends/collegues whilst in a pub for example, and I'm actually more inclinded to believe they were having a laugh than the people on the courses. You never can tell though, so again, I gave my opinion.

At the end of the day, if you're on a "priority" call, the rulebook goes out the window in my book. When you're not on a "priority" call, the normal rules of the road should be enforced uniformly. The problem is where you draw the line between "priority" and "non-priority" calls.

flammin squirrel, when you put it like that i guess your right... there are four codes,

immediate,
priority,
scheduled and
resolution without deployment.

scheduled is the only one you may be driving that is not an emergency call, but as its not an emergency call you wouldn't break the limit etc and are under all normal road rules.

priority and immediate are different levels of emergency...immediate being "my ex has just knocked the door down with a knife and is going to kill me" priority being unconfirmed intruder alarm just gone off. obviously you gonna bust a gut that bit more for the first one...but both we need to get to quickly...