Quote:
Originally Posted by Ed
Sorry Red Herring, I disagree with you. Perception is reality - and the public perception (mine included, TBH) is that police officers pick on the soft underbelly simply to raise revenue for the political paymaster, criminalizing people in the process. I'm sure you'll sneer and scoff at this, but look at it from Stu's point of view. Whether he is right or wrong is irrelevant, it's the perception that counts. He shouldn't have to ask the officers what they're doing and why they're parked on double yellows, you say it's sloppy, for everyone else it's a parking ticket, but they get away with it. And NIPs and fines follow for things which, in the grand scheme of things, really don't matter. Just doing the political paymaster's will, but it brings police officers into disrepute.
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You may well want to disagree with me Ed, but unfortunately you can't because i happen to agree with you...! Public perception is everything which is why I get so wound up when i see sloppy behavior like that in the photos. Moving the van a few feet so it wasn't either on double yellows or on the kerb wouldn't have compromised the operational deployment of that vehicle in the slightest so they have absolutely no excuse.
Your perception that police pick on the "soft underbelly simply to raise revenue for the political paymaster" is a little unfortunate however. I do appreciate that the publics perception of ANPR is that it is used to target tax/insurance dodgers, but the reality is far from that, it's just that it is sometimes tactically advantageous to let some misconceptions stay uncorrected. I'm not about to give you, and the rest of the Org, a complete briefing on the tactical capabilities of ANPR systems, but just ask yourself this. Do you really think a police force in this day of cut backs and restricted budgets is going to invest the sort of money you see sitting there at the side of the road in order to catch a few drivers for no tax or insurance?