One for the police on here

Hi all,

Now before I start if this turns into a police bashing thread I'll ask the mods to close it. In no way am I blaming the police, jst wondering what the rules are!

My wife is a nurse and one of her colleagues on her way home from a late shift about 10pm was pulled over by an unmarked police car. The officer got out and was in jeans & plain top with only a stab vest (or something similar) on.

He asked the female driver to get out and accompany him to his car as she was doing 36 in a 30. When she asked if they could do it at her car he denied her request and said she HAD to go to his car.

Now...I know there are always two sides but she was alone, at night being stopped by an unknown (sort of) man (unmarked car/no uniform). Could she have refused to get out of the car or would she have faced an arrest?

Sorry for the essay, just wondering what she would have been entitled to do.

Cheers,
Andy

Did she ask to see any form of I.D?
I'm sure that if she had asked, he could just have showed his warrant card?

[Bibio]

he would have to produce a warrant card if asked. she can also ask for another (uniformed) car to attend if she does not believe him. well that is what i would do.

I know one thing, the two times i have been followed and attepted to be stopped by unmarked police cars, i didnt and they had to follow me to my destination (both from brierley hill in the black country).
One was a CID officer who i had p1ssed off in my Golf GTi, he was waving his warrant card in his windscreen, but i still didnt stop.
Truth is, unless its blues, i aint pulling over and i would recommend a woman doing that as well, especially at night.

Originally Posted by speedplay

Did she ask to see any form of I.D?
I'm sure that if she had asked, he could just have showed his warrant card?

true, but just about everything can be forged and if you don't really know how a real one looks like. it's not much help

Originally Posted by TheOnlyNemesis

true, but just about everything can be forged and if you don't really know how a real one looks like. it's not much help

Big metal badge with police on it, in a leather case thingie accompanied by a photocard if I remember rightly.

Originally Posted by TheOnlyNemesis

true, but just about everything can be forged and if you don't really know how a real one looks like. it's not much help

That's what I thought, I wouldn't have a clue what one looks like. The car did have blues etc but was just unmarked.

Just wondering as my wife obviously travels late at night on her own and want to tell her to do the right thing to do!

[G]

wOmen have been getting stopped on the a38 by fake unmarked police. The advice by the local police here was to keep driving to a busy public area before stopping.

At work we sometimes have to carry sensitive documents....

We are given a card which reads something like:

The driver of this vehicle is carrying sensitive documents and as such, has been instructed not to open the vehicle. He will drive to the nearest police station with you where the vehicle can then be opened and any business you have with him can be dealt with.

Perhaps something similar could be made for your wife so that if she were to be stopped and felt unsafe she could be escorted to the ploice station where it would be safe to carry out any further business.....

[Red Herring]

First of all you really ought to stop if signaled to do so by a police car. If in a remote location and the police vehicle is unmarked in the very least slow right down and put on your hazards briefly or similar, just to show that you have acknowledged their request, then pull over at the first reasonable opportunity, a garage forecourt or similar is ideal. Just bear in mind that the reason they might be pulling you over could be that there is something wrong with your car or you're approaching some kind of danger,so don't just drive on regardless. Police officers are well aware that lone females (or some blokes for that matter) are nervous about being stopped by unmarked cars at night and they should recognize what you are doing and make allowances.

Once stopped if you are still unsure keep your windows up and doors locked. Ask the officer to identify themselves and why they have stopped you. Again this is common practice and they shouldn't take any offence to that, provided you are polite about it (coppers hate arrogance almost as much as the public ) and if you're still not convinced ask them for their callsign and tell them that you are going to call the police to check. That's not quite as simple as it sounds because most of us don't carry the local police non-emergency number on us, but I would suggest that if the copper hasn't been able to convince you he's real by now it would probably justify calling 999. Whatever you do don't be convinced by any piece of plastic (or metal badge) he holds up to the window, they're two a penny and as has already been suggested how many people know what a real one looks like anyhow. Listen to what they say and watch how they behave, a real copper will understand your concerns and work with you.

As a general tip unmarked "crime" cars are very rarely single crewed, traffic cars can be but the officer should then be in uniform (most traffic offences require them to be).

Once you have stopped the officer has very limited power to require you to get out of your vehicle. They might be able to require it if they can show grounds to search you (but that would have to be a female officer in this case), or possibly if they can show it's necessary for them to search the vehicle or to test/inspect something (handbrake, seatbelt etc) but they're on thin ice. Sometimes they will use the excuse that you need to get out of the vehicle on safety grounds, either because of where the vehicle is, or because they are worried that you might drive off. If they use the first point out that they stopped you there in the first place and offer to move somewhere else, if the second offer to give them the ignition keys. Either way they have no power to make you sit in their car unless they are arresting you. If they do ask you to and don't give an explanation ask for one. I frequently sit "customers" in the back of my car whilst speaking with them. It's far easier to write things down in the car, especially in the dark or rain, and if you're got to fill in and explain various forms (read tickets) much more efficient. Also makes for a far more interesting conversation when you punch the details they gave you into the MDT and a completely different mug shot comes up on the screen as happened to me Christmas Day.... which is also why we keep the child locks on!