Traffic Cops 05.07.12 BBC1

[earthman]

Mind you I clearly know absolutely nothing about brain surgery or brain tumours.

And the law...LOL

Only joking with you Chewie.

[parbajtor]

I was told once that opinions are like a'holes, everyone's got one and they usually stink.

Opinions are rarely wrong, but often ill-founded

[Rogue]

Opinions are rarely wrong...

Having we been reading the same BB for that last 8 years? Only joking

An opinion formed on incorrect information is correct in relation to the nonactuality that the information represents but incorrect in relation to the actuality that the information misrepresents. Thus a opinion can be both right and wrong. There's a reason why opinion evidence holds such an odd position in court.

Can anyone remember what this thread was about again?

[Kiri]

Yeah, just that, and the definition of "Causing the prostitution of a defective", and the exact meaning of s.25 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, and the specifications of a 125cc motorcycle - if manufactured after x day in y year - and the parts of the Road Traffic Act to which showmen's vehicles are the exception, and the minimum legal muzzle energy of deer-legal rifles, and the precise legal description of a highway, and whether cannabis is a Class B or Class C drug this week, and the terms of the Ecclesiastical Courts Jurisdiction Act pertaining to interruption of worship, and whether your obs point would pass the R v. Johnson, and which items of clothing you're entitled to remove under which search power and...



mirage

I did very clearly say:

"The law on knives to the level that a beat bobby needs is really not difficult"

This is not in any way disputing the other knowledge a police officer may need to have in other situations.

And let's not forget that the police do specialise and do have a chain of command to refer to.

A beat bobby in central London may not know how many CC a motorbike shoud or shouldn't be. A traffic officer probably will.

Again the beat bobby in central London may not know the muzzle velocity for a deer hunting rifle, but you can bet a firearms officer in a rural area will.

Stop and search, points and blades, Off Weap are far more likely to be encountered by the beat bobby. Therefore if you are dealing with something as a reasonably common occurrence, there's no real excuse for getting it wrong.

To return to the programme in question, the incorrect comments by the officers regarding knife law must be because:

Either:

A) The officers didn't know the law.

Or

B) They did know the law, knew the individual's in question didn't, (and knew the pubic watching it didn't either) therefore decided to misrepresent the law in order to railroad the individuals in to relinquishing their legally owned property.

My money is on B. The reason I say that is the officer said very clearly about how given the circumstances and situation they were found in they wouldn't take it any further etc....

What this really means, between the lines is "I know you have good reason and the moment you get to the station you will get the duty solicitor who will have you out of there in seconds, and the CPS will be nasty to me, so I will get you to give up your machete and knife merely by telling you you are not allowed to have it"

[chewie]

I think they just confiscated a machete from two vagrant junkies in a public park.

You'd need to persuade me that was a bad idea before I wasted any time thinking about it further.

[earthman]

My money is on B. The reason I say that is the officer said very clearly about how given the circumstances and situation they were found in they wouldn't take it any further etc....

What this really means, between the lines is "I know you have good reason and the moment you get to the station you will get the duty solicitor who will have you out of there in seconds, and the CPS will be nasty to me, so I will get you to give up your machete and knife merely by telling you you are not allowed to have it"

For what it's worth, that's how I saw it.

[mirage]

"A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject."

Winston Churchill



mirage

[Kiri]

"a fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject."

winston churchill



mirage

[bwildered]

"A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject."

Winston Churchill

On the other hand:

"Never run away from anything. Never!" -- Winston Churchill

I think the guy was advocating fanaticism.