Police Chases

[helipilot]

You have to admit, that officer in the background looks pretty damned hot. And professional, I'd say.

I would agree.... think I need a close up to be sure though

 

[Lady Whistledown]

I would agree.... think I need a close up to be sure though

 

[helipilot]

Ha! If I'd got the job I applied for flying your Explorer out of Shoreham then I would have been able have that close-up!!

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Ha! If I'd got the job I applied for flying your Explorer out of Shoreham then I would have been able have that close-up!!

No longer at Shoreham, they fly out of Redhill now

 

[helipilot]

No longer at Shoreham, they fly out of Redhill now

I know... not sure I agree with NPAS as it seems to be purely cost cutting rather than efficiency... whats the thoughts of the troops on the ground? Notice much difference in response time?

 

[Lady Whistledown]

I know... not sure I agree with NPAS as it seems to be purely cost cutting rather than efficiency... whats the thoughts of the troops on the ground? Notice much difference in response time?

Hmmm, I probably have to be a bit diplomatic here but when it first changed they didn't seem to come out all that much in spite of requests. That seems to have improved dramatically now, so hopefully it will remain that way. They did attend the job that this thread relates to, despite earlier suggestions to the contrary...

 

[helipilot]

Hmmm, I probably have to be a bit diplomatic here but when it first changed they didn't seem to come out all that much in spite of requests. That seems to have improved dramatically now, so hopefully it will remain that way. They did attend the job that this thread relates to, despite earlier suggestions to the contrary...

Probably wise to be diplomatic! I'll probably end up doing that job one day soon. In the mean time I'm living in the USA flying with the US Army... great in some respects but it meant that I had to give up my season ticket in December

 

[Garage_Doors]

Of course there's a strategy, the police are like any other public institution these days. Nothing is ever done without someone who gets paid a lot more money than I do debating it at length first. The strategy would have been to divert that van towards the location where the stop stick was, which is exactly what happened. I accept that the numbers might look a bit Benny Hill, but it's not always just about chasing. If you have a tactic in place- say a stop stick on a particular road- then you need to try and make sure the vehicle goes down that road, and doesn't duck off down a side road to avoid it (or, say, a road where a primary school might be, for example). You need cars to try and get past the subject vehicle to try and feed it in the direction you want it to go and keep it on the road that's safest.

For what it's worth, far more situations like this called off right at the start, purely because either the officers following or the controller in the office perceives the risk to be too high. If the driver is known, for example, whatever he's done, it's often feasible to let him go, to minimise the risk, then wait at his house to nick him when he gets home. But then, what if he's high, or pissed as a fart? What if they let him go and ten minutes later he runs over a child and kills them? The police will be questioned then as to why they didn't stop him at the time. That's why these people make those decisions and not the readers of the Argus. And you. With respect.

What's the difference between the old fashion "stinger" and the stop stick?

 

[vegster]

You have to admit, that officer in the background looks pretty damned hot. And professional, I'd say.

I'm sure the Police are prepared to use their own vehicles to ram and end a pursuit if needed, otherwise they would not have been supplied with Fords.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

What's the difference between the old fashion "stinger" and the stop stick?

Stinger is effectively a large, heavy and unwieldy bed of nails, harder to throw out (and just as importantly, pull out of the way when the following vehicles come along). The stop stick is three large Toblerone-shaped bits of plastic with hollow spikes inside, which is lighter and easier to throw/remove. The hollow spikes remain inside the tyres and act like a valve, allowing slow deflation rather than potentially dangerous sudden blow outs.

It's attached to a string: you just lob it across the road so it's lying near the kerb somewhere, and then when the vehicle approaches, pull it towards you. And then pull it away completely. I think the main benefit is that it allows you to stand further away- which, if you're watching a car coming towards you at 80mph, driven by some desperado who is likely to try and swerve to avoid it, is distinctly beneficial in a not-dying sense.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

I'm sure the Police are prepared to use their own vehicles to ram and end a pursuit if needed, otherwise they would not have been supplied with Fords.

It's very much a last resort thing, not so much for the damage cost- I suppose insurance covers that- but more because of the risk to all involved.

 

[vegster]

It's very much a last resort thing, not so much for the damage cost- I suppose insurance covers that- but more because of the risk to all involved.

I understand entirely ,must be worrying surrounding the renegade vehicle with them nice expensive Beemers and keeping it under control until a disposable lumbering Ford Focus catches up with the chase ?

 

[clapham_gull]

Obviously very very difficult for the Police and something subject to internal debate all the time I'd imagine.

Damned if they damned if they don't.

They could probably do themselves a favour and control the public perception if they hadn't allowed it to become a TV Entertainment Genre.

 

[Weststander]

Well done to the Police. 2 thieving vermin caught, in jail and no one hurt.
No doubt these 2 pieces of grime were career criminals, and in addition had no qualms about driving a 3 ton missile at silly speeds in urban areas.

As to "the police could have shown better planning" .... On a network of roads, they wouldn't have known the random route the crooks were going to take, in this unexpected chase, and therefore wouldn't know where to set up stingers etc.

Now over to the justice system. Let's see how long the driver will be kept behind bars?

 

[Garage_Doors]

I understand entirely ,must be worrying surrounding the renegade vehicle with them nice expensive Beemers and keeping it under control until a disposable lumbering Ford Focus catches up with the chase ?

The cost difference between the two vehicles is immaterial in the big scheme of things.

 

[happypig]

Now over to the justice system. Let's see how long the driver will be kept behind bars?

IF he's only charged in relation to ths incident then the maximum sentence for Dangerous Driving is 2 years. There are several aggravating features so it pushes the sentence towards the maximum however, if the defendant pleads guilty he can expect around a third discount.
I would expect him (if pleading guilty) to get around 16 months, half of which will be served in jail and half on license. Time spent on remand counts towards final sentence.

By my reckoning he'll be out in early February.

 

[Garage_Doors]

Stinger is effectively a large, heavy and unwieldy bed of nails, harder to throw out (and just as importantly, pull out of the way when the following vehicles come along). The stop stick is three large Toblerone-shaped bits of plastic with hollow spikes inside, which is lighter and easier to throw/remove. The hollow spikes remain inside the tyres and act like a valve, allowing slow deflation rather than potentially dangerous sudden blow outs.

It's attached to a string: you just lob it across the road so it's lying near the kerb somewhere, and then when the vehicle approaches, pull it towards you. And then pull it away completely. I think the main benefit is that it allows you to stand further away- which, if you're watching a car coming towards you at 80mph, driven by some desperado who is likely to try and swerve to avoid it, is distinctly beneficial in a not-dying sense.

Thank you.

 

[Seagullbluewhite]

Video here. I think I counted 9 cop cars.

http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/1045...matic_high_speed_police_chase_through_Sussex/

Blimey, you can count too

 

[tom]

A simple solution would prevent car chases ever happening:

Fix a date in the future when all cars need to be fitted with GPS tracking and 'speed governors' that prevent any vehicle exceeding the speed limited designated for the road that it's on.

It would also mean all speed ramps could be abolished!

Would probably save several hundred lives per year too.

Won't be adopted, of course, because all the Jeremy Clarksuckers out there (and their motor manufacturing parliamentary lobbyist pay masters) would object to drivers not having the 'freedom' to choose to buy a car that can do twice the legal limit of any road in the country.

 

[Goring-by-Seagull]

I'm not wading through the whole thread but I saw this chase, we'd just left Drusilla's, heading west. Van driver was overtaking like a maniac and we thought "blimey, he's quite the danger man". Only to then have around 6 OB whizz past, then another couple, then a few more... And thought that surely they couldn't ALL be after the van!!? Turned out they were when I saw the Argus!

I know.. That is a pretty cool story bro.