Friday, May 04, 2012

Guilty - not us m'Lud

A driver, scared by the antics of a car which chased him for 7 miles on a motorway, dialled 999 and reported the incident to the police.

The advice he received was to stop because he was being pursued by police officers.

Now Strathclyde Police have been heavily criticised  by the Police Complaints Commissioner who has  declared that the stop was not legal.

The police vehicle concerned was unmarked, did not have any visual or audible warning systems and the officers within were not in uniform.

After stopping the car the plain clothed officers went on to question the driver while their cars sat on the hard shoulder of the motorway.


The Commissioner reminded the force that under the Road Traffic Act, only uniformed officers can require a vehicle to stop
He also cited guidance from the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO)  which prohibits the use of unmarked vehicles that do not have audible or visual warning equipment.

“Start Quote

We cannot and will not accept that the officers acted illegally or without any legal basis”
Dep Chief Constable Campbell CorriganStrathclyde Police
Further, Police Complaints Commissioner for Scotland, Professor John McNeill, described the way Strathclyde Police handled three out of four complaints from the man as "poor". He went on to say "I am happy to say that this man's experience is not typical of what I have seen elsewhere in Scotland".
However, a senior officer from Strathclyde Police has stated that the force "cannot and will not accept that the officers acted illegally or without any legal basis", that they believed "this assertion to be wrong", although they did admit that "The officers did act outwith ACPO guidelines"
Apparently the Strathclyde officers considered the manner of the man's driving of greater risk to the public than their chasing him on the motorway.

Links to this story


Comment
The attitude of Strathclyde Police to the Police Commissioner and his report displays the same arrogance they show in the case of applicants to the force who have colour vision which differs from the "norm".   Colour vision in recruitment is a matter set in law by the Police Regulations and a determination of the Scottish Ministers.   Yet Strathclyde Police continue to claim that they can ignore the law and make make up their own discriminatory standards. 

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posted by Absolutely PC at 6:30 pm