The police don't do that anymore. No friendly words in your ear, just straight to court and straight to jail. Furthermore, they will happily lie in court, under oath, to secure the conviction.

I thing I hate most about the whole situation is that the police have a high level of power to influence and control the lives of other people and yet, require little in the way of intelligence. I know I'll get flamed to death for what I'm about to say...however, I also hope that most of you spend just a few minutes thinking about what I have to say and maybe you'll realize that I'm largely correct......

.......think back to school, to your year and all the people in it. Now think about the really clever kids, the straight A's and B's students. They kids that demonstrated an ability to pass exams but also, those kids that were clearly very intelligent but just didn't apply themselves in the exam room. Of that group you have in your mind, how many became police officers? I'll bet most of them went on to be lawyers, doctors, buisness people or work in the private sector in some capacity. Now think about the kids that did become coppers and what they were like. IME, they were seldom the bright sparks although, in fairness, not usually the dumbo's either. You see, people join the police when they have nothing else better to do or have failed to achieve their other dreams and goals. I know a few coppers and its the same story: they didn't spend their lives wanting to be police and working towards that goal. Instead, they failed to achieve other goals and settled for the police as its reasonably well paid, has a promotion heirarchy and various benefits including a good pension, etc.

The consequence of this is that very few police officer represent the upper percentile of population intelligence and the vast majority of them have some degree of a chip on their shoulder with society. Often they have felt powerless for some/all of their lives as they failed to achieve what others could achieve. Now they relish in their new found power over society and abuse it at every opportunity they get. You can see it in their mannerisms. Watch for the coppers (90%+ of them) that arch their back as they stand and tuck their thumbs into the shoulder straps on their stab-vests. Seriously, look for it and examine that body language - from this simple action you can read their entire attitude. You'll get no favours or friendly 'words' from these people. These are the nobodies from school that hate the fact you were successful at university or worked your way up through that company or set up your own business. They hate the fact that you can now run around in that nice Scooby, 911, Jag, whatever. More than hate however, they just love the sense of power that they lacked throughout their childhood and school years.

 

Proper old gun the SG's, well worth keeping hold of I take it then that you have some sort of 'collectors' permit then as opposed to a firearms certificate??

Yeah a warrant was definatly issued under the firearms act 19??, although it wasn't needed, they could of just asked Was kept in a secure 4 gun cabinate bolted to the wall inside of a ffitted wardrobe, out of sight, out of mind, i suppose if i had sold the cabinate at the same time as the rest of my gear the situation would not have arisen, hay-ho

 

So let me guess, for your honest mistake you now have a criminal record which will impact on your insurance choices, job choices, traveling choices, etc, etc, etc. Nice of the police to remind you that your certificate was about to run out and that you should either surrender your weapons or renew it. Of course, easier to wait until it runs out and then charge you with a 'crime' for which they know they will achieve solvency - helps the figures n' all that

 

Mmmmmmm, 'honest mistake'? read 'stupid mistake'.
But yes a record and all that goes with it

To be truthful my cert was a couple of months out of date and i was/am well aware of the consequences of my lack of action, so no probs with plod 'just doing their job', take it on the chin and crack on

 

wow its all going on in Merstham....

Surrey villagers set up a vigilante gang - Telegraph

 

It's not the Police's job to remind a certificate holder of his responsibility, ffs. How do you forget you've got a deadly weapon stashed in the wardrobe?

What about people who drive with no insurance? Honest mistake? What about causing death through dangerous driving? Honest mistake?

Your assessment of people who join the police days more about the group of people you come from than the police. I understand your opinion comes from your experience but I guarantee you attitude will now cause you to be treated a certain way by the police, too they also look at your body language

Next time I'm murdering a prostitute, I look forward to the police tapping me on the shoulder to remind me it's illegal before I commit the crime.

 

NotoRev, what you infer is plainly silly. Of course I don't expect that all 'crime' should be treated as an honest mistake or, indeed, an initial warning handed out. However, there has to be fact and degree in life and the police of yesteryear knew this. These days, they do not. b13bat was certainly stupid for overlooking his responsibilities however, is he a danger to society? Is he a criminal?. Or is he just an easy target? God forbid that the police are around when a poor law abiding citizen is having his head stomped on by 5 'known' yooofs. Oh no, they are nowhere to be seen in those circumstances as they are off looking for and insta-solving crimes like b13bats.

As for the body language thing. Lol. You have no idea, absolutely NO IDEA, how upfront and cooperative I've been with the police in my 31 years on this planet. Not made the blindest bit of difference

 

It's a firearms certificate not a dog licence. I, for one, am glad the police don't **** about with those things. B13bat does indeed seems to be a nice bloke who probably wouldn't hurt a fly but we don't know this for sure and neither do the police. Hence they take action against someone who, for potentially many reasons, has not renewed his firearms cert. Has he forgotten? Has he gone insane and wouldn't get his cert renewed because he's expressed a desire to shoot up his local primary school etc etc? (sorry to use you as an example, I'm sure you're a normal bloke)

 

I used to be just like you REV



used to

I pray you never see the impact of misapplied law and blind policing like I have.

 

I was once found guilty of an offence I didn't commit due to fabrication of a police officer. Do I tar all coppers with the same brush? No.

 

The problem with your observation Saxo is that you are applying 'judgement' as to how the law should be applied.

You are 'judging' that forgetting to renew your firearms license is not a 'proper crime'.

And yet you are 'judging' the police on how they 'interpret' or 'judge' the application of the law.

The law is a binary thing - you are either within the law or not. It may be irritating, but it is still the law.

We all like to think that coppers can apply judgement - and in many cases they do - sometimes it favours us, sometimes it doesn't. We also like to condemn the police when their judgement does not align with ours - which I guess is your experience.

I think B13BAT is a great example of pragmatism. He accepts he is wrong rather than condemning the police for doing their job.

 

:lol1:

My very piont, an un-licensed weapon to the authorities is just a murder/robbery ect waiting to happen. You f about with firearms and get it wrong, you get punished, simples

 

It is, and they do.

When my Shotgun Cert was near it's renewal date, I got a letter reminding me to renew it or run the risk of having my guns confiscated and maybe destroyed.

And no doubt when my Firearms Cert is due for renewal they'll remind me of that too.

TBH honest, as with most jobs, you'll get some good employees and some bad. For every good cop there'll be a bad one. I work with a complete w*nker. The whole office hates him.

 

....and you are cool with that? Every time you try to renew your house insurance? Every time you apply for a job and are asked to declare your past? Every time you travel to America and have to first of all go to the American Embassy in London to beg your way into the country because you can't use the Visa Waiver Form, etc, etc, etc.

IDK, maybe in time....maybe in time.

EDIT: I really hope the offense you are talking about isn't something lame like speeding. I mean, it's just taken for granted that the police will screw you over when you are driving your car and it if was speeding you won't have a criminal record or the implications I just spoke of.

 

I wasn't cool with it, I had to work around the restrictions. I was young, naive and it wasn't the whole system that was responsible, it was 1 person.

No point in being bitter. Move on and look after number 1.

 

Was just about to say the same thing. The Police issue the certificate and remind you when its due for renewal. I've found our local Firearms Licensing Officer to be very helpful when dealing with my license

 

ahh so it starts to make a little more sense now. once your cards are marked then you are "skating on thin ice" i think the saying is

 

You know a bunch of pussies then, no one i know would ever run to the police, everyone i know would sort things out themselves!


even IF you did run to them they would probably do sweet fa!

 

stop being a ****!

 

So the ****** in question exaggerates the damage done to him, then claims to be depressed by it?


TYPICAL LYING CHEATING SCUM IN A POSITION OF AUTHORITY< SACK HIM!

 

as mickey says there is more to the story....

 

What more is there ?

 

Quite so, a close family friend was raped by a cop - he was tried and found guilty, are all cops rapists? - er no and you cannot treat them as a homgeous mass.

Most cops want to make a difference for all the right reasons, not the wrong ones.

 

Stop getting so aggressive, it is a discussion, chucking insults will not help

 

Where i used to work a young girl (about 19) hid an automatic weapon (loaded) for her boyfriend. The police raided her flat at 3 in the morning, fully tooled up SWAT style and she was taken into custody. All she got was a slap on the wrist. She never gat to play on the playstation or anything, back in work two days later.

 

well said Paul --- but it is intriguing how threads about the police seem to illicit such strong reactions on this forum!!!

 

To start with I agree....but service changes most of them. The problem is probably that the police spend much of their day dealing with genuine scum such that they have a warped view of society as a whole and assume everyone is guilty and engaged in criminal activity.

I've seen this with my own eyes. People joining the force who I regard as fairly decent people and then I watch their attitudes slowly evolve (I prefer 'dissolve') over the next few years as their working conditions and colleagues who've been longer in the job poison their minds. A lass I know and like has recently joined the police force. Unfortunately that means I'll have little to say or do with her but it'll be interesting to monitor her development over the next few years. I expect she'll be no different from the rest. FWIW, btw, this lass has committed more petty crime (for which she's not been caught) than anyone I know. She's not an honest person in her heart....she'll fit right in

 

Why, is that your job?

 

No offence, but are you actually capable of coming on here, joining a discussion (regardless of your views), without being offensive/throwing insults about?

Before you want to come back and moan about over moderation, I'm not 'moderating' you per se. Merely putting a question to you, and asking you to show a little respect to people.

 

No, just a shotgun certificate, I don't collect them, its just a family airlume of sorts, that costs me money every year.