One for the police on here

Sounds to me as if the guy mentioned in the first post was a bit "officious".

I've just spent 7 months in plain clothes on an offender management unit dealing with the most prolific of individuals, so there were quite a few stops.

I agree with what was said before about the location of the stops etc, if it is a lone female an acknowledgement (eg put on hazards, slow down) to give an indication that you know they're there and then drive "slowly" to a well lit public area.

This would show that you're not failing to stop & even if it were called in as such the arrival of several marked cars would put the lone females mind at rest and she could stop before any traffic management controls are put in place.

A couple of years or so ago I was involved in an operation that ran for several weeks & was crewed up with a traffic cop in an unmarked BMW, and we had a similar situation.

Report of possible burglary in progress, house a mile or so out of town on country lane, 4am, we know it to be very very quiet there at that time of morning, single offender seen to make off in a small hatchback type car.

As we approach a small hatchback car is going in the other direction so we turn round and pull it. I got out and went up to the car, the female realising it was 2 men in civvies quickly wound her window up only leaving a couple of inches to talk through. Warrant cards shown etc, but you could tell she was very nervy of the whole situation.

It's all to do with perception. If I & my crew mate had been pushy, insistent she got out and into our vehicle etc this would only have un-nerved her even more. We just made it clear that any attempt to leave would be taken as hostility but made an effort to crack a joke, reasure her & we even invited her to call the Police at the time my colleague was on the radio (making sure she saw & heard him do this) telling the control room to expect a call from a female in a make/model/vrm on B1234 etc.

A pnc of the vehicle with the radio turned up so that she could hear her own name & address given back as the registered keeper is one easy way to reasure any lone female, it's not the sort of thing that can faked, especailly now-a-days with all the relevant insurance details also on the pnc.

As it was, by the time a marked car arrived she was more than happy to wind the window down & talk to us.

It's common sense at the end of the day, yes it may be normal practice not to have the radio turned up to such an extent that the person you have stopped can hear it (helps prevent them giving false details etc), but in this situation it gives the lone female confidence that we are who we say we are.

I, and the colleagues who I work with are also aware that the person we stop/speak to, this could be the first time they've ever really had to speak to the Police so first impressions count.

[Littlepeahead]

So do the police have to have a legitimate reason for stopping you? I got pulled over on my way home from the station last year. They'd been following me for a good 2 miles and I knew they were there. They asked if I'd been drinking and I confirmed that I'd had 1/3 of a pint of lager 6 hours earlier and nothing since. So of course it came up negative. But when I asked why they'd topped me they said it was because I got off a late train. No driving problems, no lights not working etc. I really didn't mind, as I had nothing to hide and hate people drink driving, but I'd be interested to know if getting off a late train is enough of a reason to stop someone.

[Red Herring]

No reason needed, a police officer in uniform can stop any vehicle being driven on the road. They can then require the driver to identify themselves, produce their documents, and examines the vehicle for construction and use offences.

A breath test can only be required if you have committed a moving traffic offence, been involved in an accident or the officer has reasonable grounds to suspect you've been drinking (this can come from your manner of driving, or the simple question "have you had anything to drink Sir?")

Just spoke to my brother in law..(police men) ..Just ask for ID, name & badge number. Then if u got Ur mobile with u as most people do. ring the police station or 999 & tell them what happened (job done)

[Stu]

Originally Posted by Red Herring

or the simple question "have you had anything to drink Sir?")

If he asked that of Littlepeahead, I would suspect he'd been drinking

[Red Herring]

Originally Posted by Stu

If he asked that of Littlepeahead, I would suspect he'd been drinking

Who, Littlepeahead or the officer....?

I once stopped a car being driven through the town centre late at night without any lights on.
"Hi there, do you know why I have stopped you"
Very pretty young lady replies.... "Because I've been drinking i suppose".
And she had been, and yes she was, and yes I did....... It's that easy sometimes.

[Littlepeahead]

I did get stopped a few months later and that was because my high level brake light wasn't working, it had packed up that afternoon so I hadn't been able to get a bulb.

As soon as they asked if I knew why I'd been pulled over I said that my bulb warning light was showing on my dashboard so was that why? Again they asked if I had been drinking. This time I said, 'Well I managed one mouthful of wine at home before my husband and his annoying mates begged for a lift into town because they are all too lazy to walk'. I felt there was no point in lying and I knew I was well under the limit.

[Stu]

Originally Posted by Red Herring

Who, Littlepeahead or the officer....?

I'm not sure LPH's avatar is a self portrait, but they could be

[Littlepeahead]

They are indeed my size 3 feet. But if you look at my pic in the 'photos of us when we were kids' thread you can see that a few others were confused.