BULLITT

On my way to work this morning I pass a Police car obviously out to pull people (place where they were etc is obvious). Now as soon as I pass them they pull out "here we go" I thought, they followed me for about a mile (bit daft as I can hardly speed when I'm in traffic) anyways, eventually pull me over but unusually both got out and approached me I was polite and turned the engine off when asked etc.

After the usual details were given they then proceed to tell me why I was pulled over...now everyone that has seen my car will say "front number plate in your window" and...they'd be wrong! This, as an after thought, was mentioned and I was told to "just get it fixed back on the front and it'll be fine" Contradictory when you read the next parts...

"Apparently" my number plates are illegal! When asked why, I was told "Its a motorbike size plate and the lettering is the wrong size". After an explanation that the plates were the ones that came on the car when it was bought from an Importers and that they were the plates when it was MoT'd on the day I picked it up, I was told, and I quote, "Look, I don't care, the car is in YOUR pocession YOU are responsibe and YOU have to sort it out!" oh really now?

Then the female officer chirps up "Are you saying your not going to do anything about it? because if your not I'll seize your plate right now"

To which I replied I would be doing something about it but it may not be what they want me to do as I know the plates to be legal. They were insistant that they weren't and that they had put my car on a "watch list" and if I was pulled again for the same thing the car would be seized.

Now I'm usually very polite to police officers, I know they have a job to do BUT I refuse to be bullied by people on powertrips! and my temper started to flair up so I just went quiet as I do when I'm angry and just gave the usual "yeah yeah yeah" and went on my way.

So when I got to work I went to see an OFFICIAL MOT TESTER and asked him to look at my plates, he came out with the M.O.T. Testers Manual (the offical manual they have to go by) and he checked them, the size, font, and space are all 100% LEGAL! And I have been given a copy of the pages in the manual to keep in my car.

Now usually, I will not allow rants about Police, we all know they have to a job to do BUT I will not stand for been told what is legal or not when I know that they are clearly wrong! It is obvious that they these two officers are just quite simply bullies, playing on their position to pick on people thinking that they are the only ones who know the law, when infact they make it up as they go along.

I know for a fact that the plates on my car are legal and that they cannot seize my car or my plate if there is no reason to, for a start the DVLA seize the registration not the police, all the officer can do is report it, this I was told by an officer a few years back. They have quite simply made it clear that they did not know the law at all and the annoying thing is that they are traffic officers.

This totally unacceptable in my opinion and in truth I should report it but feel that the 'me vs. them' mentality will be the main factor and that I won't get anywhere with it. Suffice to say I am NOT happy about this, the West Yorkshire Police have alot to answer for when people like this are given an important position in the community.
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MickWrx

Write to your MP mate I did

Got a visit from the police and an official letter of appolagy

YATESY

This is absolutley appalling, on the police web site there is an official complaints procedure and it goes to a main unit and then the officers will be questioned if they are found to be wrong in which you have the proof they are, they are made to appologise in person to yourself

i wouldnt let them get away with it i wil forward the web link for you

Aileen jims wife

YATESY

Independent Police Complaints Commission Home Page

BULLITT

Thanks guys, I'll have a look at that link

I often think that Police complaints don't often follow through due to the old "us vs. them" thing. Apparently the government is coming down on coppers like these.

Dazza's-STi

Firstly, being the devils advocate what makes your plates different for them to look at them?

Secondly me being me I've had 3 major doos with plod, and all three ended in my telling them they are talking boll-ox... One of which was a panda car who tryied to tell me i was breaking the speed limit on the dual carrigway... Actually I flashed the female driver out of the way for doing 50 mph in lane 2 whilst chatting to plod next to her, then accelerated past them albeit quite quickly upto say 75 and pulled back in... They pulled me outside my house and said"do you know what we've stopped you for" I just laughed... Errr what! because you were going to fast... ok, how on earth do you know that I said , because our speedo says so plod says... TBH it was like watching two kids dig a big whole... Right ok, so your car has vascar, can I see the cal cert please, it went down hill from there for them... Oh dear...
I have the utmost respect for the law, and a good job they do, although some of them think they are the law and are as thick as **** and no better than the scum they catch...
Best thing is know your rights and don't take any **** from them...

BULLITT

Can you see anything that would be considered illegal about this plate?



I won't as you say, I know my car is 100% legal and legit, they had no reason to pull me over besides the fact that I'm (fairly) young and driving an Impreza.

YATESY

HERE...HERE... dont let them get away with it

Dazza's-STi

Looks good to me mate...
2. A group consisting of a single letter and not more than 3 numbers followed by a group of 3 letters (for example A123 ABC).

Diagrams 2a, 2b and 2c.

without a ruler it and being very pedantic its as legal as they come...Daz

Don't forget they have to think of something to stop you, so you have to be aware that they may have thought of this for the tug, then realising your an ok guy may not have intelligent enough to explain there way out very well...

Alan C

Dazza's explanation seems plausible and probably spot on.

It's a real shame they didn't have the courage to say.. "sorry Sir, you're right. We were just making sure you were the owner.. thanks for stopping.."

I'd have no probs with that strategy as it could save a recently nicked scoob from being used in a ram raid or joy ride...

I would still take it to the Police complaints. Maybe not to make an official complaint as such, but to make sure those officers do it right next time.. If they aren't told, then they'll do someone else in similar fashion again. This time the poor sod may be £30 out of Pocket, all the hassle and if getting the docs together and a few hours out of work getting some plates made in halfrauds. Just for their inability to say sorry, admit they were wrong or simply doing their job by stopping a young dude in a scoob..

BULLITT

Yes it does, and because I work in the motortrade and have been interested in cars since I was two years old (according to mum and dad) I know the law regarding number plates and most laws about cars anyway.

If they would have said that Alan, I would've been happy that they did pull me, it would prove that they're doing their job properly and my respect for them would have gone up but they wanted to play the high and mighty with me and they lost out.

BULLITT

I've filled in the form online and sent it off. Will keep you guys informed on what happens.

The Chief

Should have dropped the **** where he stood .

Gits - let us know how you go on mate

scg

Sorry Rich but I can't make out your reg, is it "R543 ABC", think the plod were right............idiots.

When you see the streets filled with scum it is a complete joke that people are pulled over for this. Fair enough if you had a tiny plate like some people do but it's as big and bold as you could wish for. Think you should report them for having poor eyesight as they're not up to the job if they cannae see that.

Sticky Stuff

Nice to see your anger management course is paying off Chef

wrx300scooby

KnobbySP1

Uneducated copper newbies on a power trip are the worst.

I've got a completely legal small plate on the front of the beast.

I'm just waiting for some rookie to pull me over and try spouting law at me when they don't know the specifics of what they are talking about...

Best just to keep cool, let them blaah on and ignore...

As well as getting some evidence together in case it happens again (note to self )

Good on you for standing your ground!!

Claaarkio

iTrader: (1)

Be sure to get the shoulder number of the cop, I had a similar experience and once again he was on a power trip, infuriated me with his rubbish about number plates, I tried to explain about the import size number plate but he would not even listen to me, so i made a complaint about him, had a call from his superior and was told he would be spoken too, even if it didn't happen it made me feel better

BILSTER

I got pulled for the same thing on my old car and it ended up in court, but the magistrates told me it should never have gone this far and that the officer in question was on a power trip. I ended up getting travelling costs and they payed all the courts expenses, and like you i showed them my number plates and a letter from the local M.O.T station saying everything about my plates were fully legal. I just think they get jelous of your car and pull you over when they have got out of bed on the wrong side.

Claaarkio

iTrader: (1)

nice one! Power to the people!!

Nobbie

I bet it was because your car looks narrower as if you modified the wheelbase!, lol.

Seriously though, just wait for them to pull you again and give them the MOT manual page.
One thing to check up on, just to cover your ****, is the law regarding numberplate as posted on the DVLA website.
Their are two parts to the MOT law, stupid as it sounds, there's the MOT law, and road legal law.

You have the MOT page.
Look Here http://www.dvla.gov.uk/media/pdf/leaflets/v796.pdf
And Here http://www.opsi.gov.uk/SI/si2001/20010561.htm, the latter is what the police go by.

BULLITT

See thats what I can't understand, theres a law that states what you need to be road legal via the M.O.T. and the theres other laws that say infact your car could be illegal. I thought if your car passes an M.O.T. test it is then classed as road legal. Thats the point I'll make if I ever had to go to court over it.

So how can a vehicle pass an M.O.T. inspection and then in the same 'breath' be illegal to use on the road. It would mean that the UK vehicle inspection test is out of date and totally invalid.

Nobbie

I know its crazy!

I'd put a letterbox front plate on my old Astra to put a FMIC on, and whilst i was at my dads MOT station i thought i'd check out the MOT law, and technically it passes. Then you drive out the MOT station, and it not road legal. The DVLA pdf if the best to follow from a legal point of view, but it still remains the police should've explained exactly what the problem was, and if they didn't get out a ruler and measure it, whilst giving you a producer, fixed penalty and a defect notice, then it shouldn't be recorded.

I got pulled on my bike which also has a letterbox plate, got my £30 FP, a producer, and the officer measured it, then compaired it to the rules, and told me off.

BULLITT

They said than was for the PND cameras (the ones that read your plates). They said because they were "illegally spaced and sized it can't read it and it wouldn't be able to be tracked if it was ever stolen.

This I think is total crap, the camera system can also read motorbike plates as well so that excuse is no good, what they basically mean is, they THINK the system would have trouble reading it if I was pulling a fast one. Whats up with them, can they not use their eyes to read it and type it in. Obviously thats what they did when they followed me for a mile before pulling me.

Their excuses were useless, the plates are legal, they just didn't have a genuine reason for pulling me they got the info back from the database to tell them I am the owner and driver of the vehicle.

vindaloo

It depends when the plates were manufactured. If before 2001 then there's more scope.... So if you've bought a 1994/5 Impreza and it's imported today with new plates made, then the plates have to abide by the new rules.

That's my take on what's contained in the PDF. Though the info. leaflet thing referenced in the DVLA PDF may contain more information.

J.

Daz-WRSport

I had same thing with a copper who tried to do me for driving with fog lights on during the day time.Thing is I didn't even have foglights fitted to my car, they were driving lights

I told him I wasn't breaking any laws so he couldn't do me

He got a huge book out with rules & regs to prove me wrong but he ended up being pretty p****d off because there was nothing in it to cover driving lights (he flicked over the same four pages covering lights about ten times) Watching him was like when you can't find your keys and you know they are not where you left them but you keep going back to the same place and looking again.

I calmly explained that fog lights have regs for fitting and laws to say when and how they can be used BUT driving lights have no such laws and are not covered by the fog light laws as they are different

I shot him down in flames for everything he said but it was the same thing, Power Trip He ended up saying "If I see you on my stretch of road again with anything other than the correct lighting on I'll do you"

I told him I would see him in court if he did

It has been said earlier know your rights and if you feel justified argue back, don't just sit there and take it, lots of people end up with fines or points because they automatically assume that cops are always correct, not so

PS this was about 7 yrs ago, the laws might have changed now so don't quote me

BULLITT

I think they have now yeah not sure.

Well I've had an email back from the complaints commission, they have forwarded my 'case' on to the appropriate section and I'll apparently be contacted soon.

theboy

I know its nothing to do with care reg plates but a few years back my Mothers house was practically stormed by 4 Police Officers looking for myself and my Brother. We were both out, but after my Mum gave them our mobile numbers they contacted us and said that we had to hand ourselves in or we would be arrested at our Grandmas forthcoming funeral. We did as asked and spent a few hours in the cells on a GBH charge. My Mother hired a hot shot lawyer thinkng we were both about to do time. Turns out it was mistaken identity as neither of us were in Halifax that night.

I complained over there heavy handed aproach and the fact we never got anything other than a ok you can go. I ended up getting a nice letter from the West Yorkshire top pig, saying how sorry he was.

Total Tw*ts the lot of em

BULLITT

Got the paperwork through this morning from the IPCC telling me that they have forwarded on my complaint to the West Yorkshire Police for investigation and was told someone would contact me asap.

BULLITT

Well just had a visit from two Sgt.'s from the local Station who are investigating my complaint. He's had a word with one of the officers this morning who had given his side of the story.

The Sgt. will have another word with the two officers again about their conduct (as thats my initial complaint). He has given me DVLA explanation form about number plates, which is pretty much identical to the M.O.T. sheets I have. The Sgt. has signed those M.O.T. and has said that the plates on my car are totally acceptable. So now, just a case of waiting for an update...