revitt

On a similar note,

The house next door to us was broken into the other week at about 12:30 am. The owners were on holiday and the alarm scared the intruders off.

We contacted the police to let them know that we suspected a burglery was taking place and could they send a car around to check it out. The office on duty wanted me to go into the house to see if the intruders were still there, I refused to do this, and so they reluctantly agreed to send someone around.

Next morning we got up and sure enough the house was wide open, so we contacted the police again to find out what, if anything they had discovered.

There response was that they were to busy to investigate and hadn't bothered to have a look. So why bother using the police at all, just beat the *******s up and claim they fell over when running away.

Brit_in_Japan

An event like the WRC is high profile, attracting lots of spectators in "enthusiasts" machines. If the event was elsewhere in the UK, would the attitude of the local plod be any different ? No.

Dr Motorsoprt wrote that the foreign drivers will have second licenses so it's not a problem for them. Is that so ?I don't think drivers from overseas countries take a British driving test before driving over here, so Freddy Loix won't have a British driving licence. Has his French license been endorsed ?

There has been talk about harmonising driving license entitlement across the EU to stop someone driving when they've committed an offence worthy of a ban in another country. Does anyone know if this has already happened or is still planned ????

[Edited by Brit_in_Japan - 11/11/2003 7:53:27 AM]

mutant_matt

BIJ,I doubt it no. It's not just Wales where the Police are fast becoming Tax Collectors.....Currently, all the UK can do is ban him from driving in the UK. There is currently no cross-border agreement.As I said, it has not yet happened but I think it *will* come. I don't think this will be a problem though as the Rally stars, and anyone with money, will just become a "resident" of a non-EU country and use that driving license when in the EU. Ultimately, it's unlikely that they can be stopped from driving in the EU at all!

Matt.

Dream Weaver

What a disgrace, typical how the UK can try and ruin any sporting event we host

Is it me, or is this country turning in to a politically correct money grabbing waste of earth????

redwrx

Simple solution ......


Boycott the rally next year ...!!!


Dont go ..!!


I went to all the RAC / Network Q events from 1984 until 2000, kipped in the car for 4 days etc , and I stopped going in 2000 for the same reason .. not because i got caught speeding or anything else, but because i couldnt be bother'd with the mither of it all.... You're just a moving target... and an easy prey for plod.

Like other sentiments, where are plod when you need them??, because someone has tried to get into your house etc ..or like they did with me, and stop me on the motorway cos my number plate writing(on an import car) was supposed to be 1.5mm to small.... and they did me for it.!!!


If very few people attend, the message will get thru ....plus i'm not into being finacially raped by the organisers to get into the stages..

AJFleming

It's all very well complaining about these disgusting offences, but does anyone here actually take physical action against this trend?

Are many of you you members of the British Drivers Association, one of the only organisations fighting these crimes?

I say it's time to stop complaining and start acting, something people in this country never do. If you get a speeding ticket - FIGHT IT through the courts, make it cost them more than they make, on the ticket, if everyone fights the system will be destroyed. If you see a new speed camera - complain to the council or take other action. If you see those safety camera vans, stop and give the operators some grief, tell them that what they are doing is wrong, and park infront of the camera or something similar.

I dont want my country turning into a 'liberal' nanny state, but thats the way it is heading. We must take action as otherwise the situation will only get worse.

See this website for more information on fighting http://www.safespeed.org.uk/

Anthony.

tiggers

AJFleming is right.

We (as in the British) spend far too much time moaning about things like this to the wrong people rather than actually doing something about it.

So take heed of his advice and start fighting for your rights as a road user and tax payer. You know that all the crap peddled by the police, politicians and other general "do-gooders" about safety cameras etc. is BS - so let's make them realise we at least know this is nothing more than revenue raising.

tiggers.

pugoetru

I am up for that if it would do any good but it would not change anything no mater how many complain as tony dont listen

Luke

Tiggers

I have held that opinion for years..

We are a weak nation full of Puffs ,Dole scroungers and pikeys. The Police for all they can get right are second class traffic wardens. To think they get a pension!! |Until millions take to the streets and demonstrate about crime/drugs,education,healtha nd illegal pikeys coming into this country..Nothing will be done.

We have lost anything we fought for in the 2 world wars.

wildstyle_bristol

the main reason the foreign drivers got banned is because they are foreign drivers and their licenses can't be endorsed . The only course of action in these cases is to fine and /or ban the driver. As the uk drivers licenses could be endorsed, they were given a fine and some points in the same way any uk driver would have been treated.

you may remember the japanese guy who tried to do 200mph on one of our motorways and got caught at 170 , he was banned for 30 days and fined a huge amount and told not to bring his car back to the uk.

g

owbow

...i couldn't agree more... after all, i fought the law, and won!

r32

I am a fully paid up member of the ABD (Association of British Drivers)not the BDA? Is AJFLEMING a member? Odd he cant get the name right. No problems though, but you guys ought to check this out and join up. They are a sane voice in a mad world .....supporting the British Motorists.
Join today.............

AJFleming

They dont know who AJFLEMING is!!

I am not a member, and I was also reffering to myself when talking about people who do nothing. But I am now saying - sod it, I am now going to act!

Who are you mr R32?

Anthony.

r32

Hey great news mate! Join up and do something, every little helps and the newsletter is very interesting. just shows all those false statistics for what they are ............ lies!
Do search for the wesite, just put in ABD

BOB.T

Maybe the Welsh could use the revenue generated to buy some fookin vowels!

Bob, ABD member

Geezer

We could all do what the residents of British Columbia (I think) in Canada did. Such was there displeasure at the similar treatment, that they wholesale refused to co-operate with the police about anything at all, so they gave in and removed all the speed cameras.

Just a thought

Geezer

LIDDO

We could all emigrate to Australia! This country is getting SO fcuked up it's unbelieveable!
Also: The drivers were doing a "Shakedown" I thought they used private roads, or tracks for these.
Also: The FIA should ban Rally events from Wales from now on! The lost revenue I would think, be more than a few speedin tickets!

greasemonkey

Why would they need any more? They already have seven, two more than the English!

Liddo, there was a short road section necessary to get out of the shakedown stage, round and back to the start and service area. The drivers were caught approximately 0.5 miles after rejoining the public road.

As for taking the rally away from Wales, that ain't going to happen as the contracts are firm. However, because of all the negative effects on the economy and tourism, publicity, and public opinion that has resulted from these stories, many in the higher echelons of Welsh politics would now apparently like to see the Safety Camera Partnership forced to change their policy. Time will tell.

[Edited by greasemonkey - 11/11/2003 1:28:42 PM]

Hong Kong Phooey

for those drivers who got banned, can the co-driver simply drive on the public sections of road and swap over at the stage starts?

Wurzel

iTrader: (1)

All the rally cars are company cars surelly they just had to say they didn't know who the driver was at the time or perhaps just not sign the NIP when they returned it all the advise to get out of speeding fines is freely available on scoobynet all you have to do is look, i'm suprised they didn't post on here asking how to get out of it.

yoza

Well done to the Welsh Police.

I love it when you make a complete *** of yourselves.

Keep up the good work!

LIDDO

greasemonkey: So basicaly, the bast**ds knew where to get them. 0.5 of a mile! Just up to a decent speed, then "Click Click"
Typical Welsh copper! Nearly as bad as the Cheshire lot!
Sorry to all the nice men and women of the force! I bought my car of one ;o)

SidewaysMatt

Got to agree with r32 and the comments about North Wales police. There is a very short road (about 50yds long) in the centre of Wrexham, that was recently changed to taxi's only. The only way to know this was a small sign fitted to the corner of building at the top of the street, about 12 ft above the ground.

Two days after this change (I researched this later with a local shopkeeper) I drove down this street to drop the missus of at the shops, as I have done for the last 7 years I've lived in the area.

<MrBenMode>
Then as if by magic, from down an alleyway, a policeman appears...
</MrBenMode>

He asked me where I was going, told me that this was now a restricted street and he would have to find me £30.

I asked him where the signpost was that told me this. He said, and I quote, "Back there where you saw it, hesitated and then obviously decided to ignore it." I kid you not.

I asked when this change had occurred. He said two weeks ago. I s pointed out that the previous weekend, I had been parked literally next to where we were now, getting my hair cut. He said that I couldn't have been because then he would be giving me my second ticket.

I asked him if he was insinuating that I was lying. At this point he decided that he need to see my VIN plate, engine number, tyres etc.

I lodged a complaint about the tw@t with North Wales police but needless to say never heard anything about it.

But then when your car gets nicked off your drive, they don't even bother coming out. They just send you a letter the following day saying that their investigation is now closed.

Christ, don't get me started on North Wales police.

tiggers

Sideways Matt,

This is just the sort of thing that was mentioned earlier in the post.

Don't let the complaint drop - keep going until you get somewhere. If he was lying about that what else does he lie about. Next time it may not be something so trivial.

Even if you don't get your fine money back, at least you should be able to keep the b**tard off the streets for a few hours filling in paperwork as to what happened.

Regards,

tiggers.

Chris29

It's well known in policw circles that the Welsh Police have a ha*d on for traffic at the minute. For once you won't find me defending anything! Nuff said!!

greasemonkey

Yep, pretty much.

The road you join after exiting the stage isn't in a "built-up" area, and there are no speed limit signs on view, so you'd be forgiven for thinking it's a 60 (as a lot of the drivers obviously did). Then you come round a long blind left hander to see the entrance to the village about 300m away, and the speed van parked in a layby next to the first house. It'd have you in its sights before you actually saw it or the village, especially if you were in an LHD car. It’s also worth emphasising that the cars were caught before entering the village. For all we know they could have actually driven through it at 30…

The whole setup was an obvious trap, but, as mentioned above, Abergarwed itself is an accident blackspot so the cops were clearly trying to prove a point. If you'd driven down the road from the previous village though, you'd have known you were in a 30 limit all the way as you'd have seen the signs. The cars coming out of the forest didn't have this luxury…

BTW, as Matt says, the only plus point of all this, is that if the rally was in North Wales, things would probably be even worse. Doesn't exactly fill you with confidence to know that two of the racist cops from the BBC documentary were from there, and also that the Chief Constable's daughter was pulled for speeding a few weeks back. If he can't control his own force or family, why should anyone else have any respect for what the po-faced robot says?

[Edited by greasemonkey - 11/11/2003 2:46:48 PM]

zax

Well in Finland the cops are specially active during the rally weekend. Spectators get caught, fined and the stats are announced on the radio. It's pretty dumb to drive quickly during this time. But I never heard of them catching the rally drivers themselves...

Maybe they do, but I'm not aware of this fact being announced. Bad PR

DemonDave

iTrader: (13)

If the road is an accident blackspot then why did the police allow it to be used as part of the shakedown route. Surely if the purpose is road safety then the best course of action would be not to allow rally traffic down this road. Why did they not put a speed camera sign up before the trap to get people to slow down.

The police seem to support capturing people speeding rather than trying to encourage them to slow down where they need them to slow down at the accident blackspots.

Dave.

So therefore the police did

greasemonkey

It was merely a liaison section, not part of the stage, so the police would have had no specific objection on safety grounds.

There's no practical alternative for that particular shakedown stage (which is part of Rheola that isn't used on the rally proper). The only other way to get the cars out of the stage would be to use the dual carriageway, which would be a lot longer, as well as bringing the rally traffic onto major roads, which the police don't like either.

Because they obviously weren't interested in getting folk to slow down, or at least so it would seem.

Exactly. In this case it seems pretty clear that a policy of entrapment was in force. It's unfortunate therefore that none of the media coverage has questioned this aspect of the story.

If a police officer stood and watched while a mugger attacked seven people, only to arrest him on the eighth offence, the officer would be charged with dereliction of duty and the media would go apoplectic. Why isn't this happening now?

Scooby_simon

issues are now going out on the general web news pages....

http://www.ananova.com/sport/story/sm_837560.html