car impounded!! help!!
 

hi all,
decided i fancied a few beers on friday night so i phoned my insurance to add my friend for a weeks cover and off we went to a meet in glasgow city center. was a good night until just after we left for home we were pulled by the traffic police. as soon as the guy got out the car he was acting like a complete tosser!! i explained the situation that it was my car but the driver was covered under my policy. he went back to his car and when he came back told us to get out the scoob and leave all our stuff as the car was getting lifted and crushed!!!! his reason was it wasn't my car, i wasn't insured and the driver wasn't insured. told the guy i'd only owned the car for just over a week so it was probably registered under the previous owners deatils, which i was able to give, to which he said 'aye likely story, its getting crushed'. the guy took me into the back of the car and phoned for the recovery before taking my details. mid way through he got a call over his radio asking him to confirm the car reg, which he did. the reply was 'oh yeah, that vehicle is insured to a .....' and read back all my details!!! at this point i assumed the officer would admit his mistake and let us on our way. but i was wrong. they still took the car and told me if i didn't take my docs into the police station the next day and prove that i was insured it would still get crushed! obviously first thing on saturday morning i was in the police station with proof that myself and the driver were both insured. my local police were shocked that the car had been lifted and after speaking to our local traffic branch confirmed that they had no right to lift the car. they recommended that i claim my expenses back and file a complaint against the officers in question.
as far as im concerned i should be able to claim for the recovery and storage fees, transport home from glasgow (approx 35miles), hire car until monday (recovery agent wont let me pick it up until then) and the costs of putting my friend on the insurance for the night (as he never actually got to drive the car as planned)
has anyone here had a similar experience or have any idea how i go about claiming expenses back and making an official complaint? i want to take this as far as possible because im so disgusted with the way the police behaved. ive never had a problem with the police before but this guy was a complete pr1ck and i dont want to let this drop.
any info or advice would be much appreciated as i have never been in this situation before
thanks
Ross

Take it as far as you can go. This officer puts the police in a bad light. Most are ok however unfortunately I also had dealings with useless doughnuts a few years back. I had parked my car on a garage forecourt, with their permission, for an MOT early in the morning the next day. I couldn't drop it in person as I had work the next day but leaving it outside their main doors would be fine, and post my keys in envelope through their letterbox. Anyway I got a call from the garage in the morning saying my car had been stolen. I was furious. To cut a long story short it turns out the police had in fact "taken" my car (by smashing the window to get into it - which they denied - but one of their colleagues eventually admitted it was the police at the scene who had smashed the window) and they took my car because they thought it was a "dumped" stolen car, matching a description. They didn't bother to speak to the owner - ie me! to first check that it was stolen. They impounded it. Luckily the chief of transport police for Sussex got his car serviced at that very garage, and the garage were very embarassed so it was all sorted out.

But a few years before that I was unfortunately involved in an accident on an icy night and my car ended up in the ditch, overturned, on a thursday night. The local police turned up and said it was fine where it was, as it was safe, off the road, as long as I arranged for it to be picked up on the Saturday. Well on Saturday I turned up and my wrecked car was gone!! I thought, blimey someone has stolen my written off car lol. I went down to the local police station to report my stolen car and after many phone calls it turns out another police division had turned up on the friday and removed it. Again WITHOUT first speaking to the registered owner, or even to their colleagues!! I refused to pay the storage costs and argued it all, however they refused to back down and I (or my dad at the time) ended up paying £300, £12 a day plus the removal. They are a BIG bunch of doughnuts and as thick as two short planks and if I ever pass any on patrol waiting at junctions I never let them out as I know what some of them can be like (I know very petty but I don't have much respect for them as you can tell). So can relate to you totally. However I "hope" these incidents which you and I have faced are in the minority, as I'd like to think us paying their wages does go somewhere useful. Rant over :)

All I can say is speak to their liaison officers who should be able to put you in touch with the right people and don't give up as these things will just continue happening to innocent folk like us and their bosses may never know what happened to stop it happening or train them to be proper officers with respect for those that pay their salaries. Good luck with it all :)

good luck with your complaint but they just look after there own!

really dont know what to say apart from he has to be A. an evo owner
B. a w4nker
sorry, just realised, both A+B are the same thing.
Coppers....fookin genius.

I am not sure how it works in scotland (slightly different rules over there) but they cannot crush your car within a set period, I believe it is 7 days.

You have 7 days to take all your docs to a police station and they then release the car, if it is the same as the UK you would have to pay the recovery charges.

In the UK in this situation they would not seize the car but give you a 7 day producer and maybe make you park the car up as you where in drink.

It is actually an offence to drive without all documents in the vehicle UK Police recognise that this can cause problems if stolen so they give you the producer.

If you cannot prove your friend was insured (your insurance company should supply a covernote) your friend will be reported to the courts and you may be reported for allowing him.

You really need to get on to your insureance and get all your documents sent out

honest speaking they wont do **** you'l get tired writing to them and they will not refund you anything, i have been in the same situation wrote tons of letters to them and nothing really happen was just waste of my time, but i wish good luck, no harm on trying it you mite get lucky and get your money back. good luck bud

Its unusual to be given a 7 day producer these days as all details a kept on the national database.
It is not a requirement in the uk that you carry docs with you, never has been !

I was arrested a few years back because a car matching the description of my vehicle (Bmw at the time) was spotted at the scene of a burgalry,

anyway i was arrested and locked up all day 8am - 3pm interviewd and released and when i got home my girlfriend told me that they had took my car, they had my car for 4 days and i had to get a hire car but because i didnt commit any crime and my car is not the only bmw in the area lol they gave me it back and didnt have to pay anything and got a letter of apology from the police.

At the end of the day they were just doing there job but i was out of pocket because i had to hire a car and lost a days wages.

local police say a 7 day producer should have been given to the driver. we were pulled at around 0130 on saturday morning and his cover only started at 1930 on friday evening, apparently it can take up to 48hrs for any changes to show up on the police system. ive have sorted the issue with the police regarding picking the car up and it is no longer in danger of getting crushed. im just very pee'd off about the way this was dealt with and how much it is going to cost to me for their mistake!! i will fight this all the way, if i dont get a response from strathclyde police ill be going to the ipcc

Very best of luck and I hope you don't give up, but I fear they will eventually cover there tracks and drag it out long enough that you throw the towel in.
Again, good luck.

I hope this failure of a police officer gets what's coming to him!

Good luck.

Yep it is, it is an offence not to carry driving documents in the UK or should I say produce them upton request of a Police Officer HOWEVER it is a law that is not enforced and it is dealt with by a 7 day producer.

Like already said due to the time he was pulled they should have given him a producer as they cannot contact the relavent insurance company to verify if both parties where infact insured.

The police national computer is not always bang up to day its normally a few days behind, infact Motor Insurance Beauro is slightly more up to date but that would not have been an option due to the time of day.

There are fewer producers issued due to the databases, however they are still given and still in use

thats really bad mate,but just more proof that traffic cops are anti subaru..

good luck with trying to claim tho,i had my van took off me after being pulled by traffic and armed cops,they had mine in the compound for a few days with mine and my daughters moto cross bikes still in it,they put a great scratch on her helmet that cost me £400 and cracked the rad cover,i got loads of abuse and got nowhere,mind ya me van had a marker on it for suspision of carrying a dead body BEFORE I HAD MAY I ADD

Police officers and the law, most people wander through life thinking that we live in a free country with good laws and policing.
:lol:

Right up until they have any dealings with the system, only then do you get an insight to just how bad it really is, and that we actually live in a police state and it's no different to a banana republic.

Try standing up for your rights and protesting against the system / government see where it gets you.

you got to be carefull here matey yes the plod did wrong and you should be compensated but we all know this is not an ideal world sadly, at the end of the day no matter which way you look at it your not going to get anything except piss of the local plod get your self/car put on their radar which menas they will be looking out for you at all times the first false move you make and they see it they will jump on you. of course you are well with in your rights to complain and follow it up but seriously do you really think anything will happen but get yourself put on there list of peeps/cars to watch

most copper's are harmless and fare,,,the rest are mini hitler's and probably still live with there mummy's....think you ended up with the latter.anyway fight 4 ya right's mate..

I disagree. In my own personal experience they can't even communicate with each other. They don't have the resources any way to do what you suggest. OP, you definitely have to file a complaint and as they have already promised, claim as much of the expenses as you can. Good luck :)

Disagree. Your not required to carry any form of ID in the uk, hence all the hoo-har about id cards.
The only people who i know have to carry their licence are HGV driver while their carrying hazardous material. They have to carry it because it needs to be checked against their ADR licence at the time of the police stopping them.

Typical glasgow traffic squad were was the car impounded but you should have had the insurance policy number with you if you had spoken with your insurer to put another driver on and if they found him uninsured at the time even though he was thehy still have the right to lift said car as if left by the side of the road you may drive it while under the influence of alcohol thats the way they see it mate,

Trust me it is the case!! You are suppose to carry driving documents as it is a requirement to provide documents if asked to do so by plob HOWEVER they deal with it by way of producer.

If you are pulled over they will asked you if you have documents if you do not they will or should caution you. This is because you cannot produce your documents at that time. Like I said it is dealt with by producer as UK law realise it is not a good idea to keep documents in your car.

I do not carry any of my driving documents as I know this is the case

Hi guys I know its been a while but after lots of emails, letters and phone calls I'm finally getting somewhere!!

After 11 weeks of the police 'reviewing' my case they sent me a cheque for £150! obviously as this didn't even cover the cost of getting my car back from the impound I was raging!!

Wrote an official letter of complaint last week and was asked to go for a meeting with the Chief Inspector of Strathclyde police traffic division on Sunday afternoon. The guy was disgusted with the way his officers had acted and to cut a long story short, he assures me that he will be giving the two guys a massive boot up the ar$e and I'll recieve an official letter of apology from them. Oh yeah, and I should see my expenses reimbursed in full in the next couple of weeks :)

Just goes to show what a bit of persistance can get you.

Good out come. Well done with sticking with it mate.

well done mate! Jokers!!!!!

what a nightmare by the sound of it.. glad it looks like a good outcome now :)

Good lad!

I'd take em for all that they're worth!

plod just dont like scoobies....i have been pulled a few times in mine and coppers hard made comments whilst walking up tocar but they normally go quiet when i get out as normally in uniform and have done nowt wrong.take this crap as far as you can and get back at the plod that pulled you.

Quite a generalisation you make there. I take it you're not aware of any Plod on here then?

Nice one fella. You've gone about things the right way and simply not just reverted to knuckle dragging insults etc. Shows with a positive attitude, armed with the facts and a clear head, that the powleece are not infallable when in the wrong.

nice victory for the motorist . i hope the two know noughts got torn a new ringpiece by inspector . motorist 1 po lice nil point . enjoy the moment whilke you can your car is now marked lol

Nice one, those type of Police Officers we really don't need, see many of a similar ilk on "motorway cops" and other such programmes.

They epitomise hitler in a uniform and are far from representative of the rest of the force, the majority of which are hard working honest people who approach things fairly and with healthy scepticism.

(a large propportion of my family were police officers)