I rather think the point isn’t communities looking out for each other, rather the perception that policing is being done on the cheap, that police officers are tied down with ever greater levels of paperwork and box-ticking, rather than enforcing the law, and civilians are thus being recruited to do the job for free. I’ve happily reported oiks hooning around helmetless on minimotorcycles on local roads, footpaths and cyclepaths, but I feel uneasy with unpaid civilians getting radar guns. There have been many proven instances of these instruments giving false readings in the hands of trained law enforcement officers, so there’s plenty of scope for perfectly innocent drivers being persecuted by some clumsy numpty with a radar gun.

After a bit of thought I would like to retract my post about “going on the offensive” silly post.

Honestly there is NO comparison between the two situations you mention.

You mean expect the fact that in both cases it’s civilian doing police job…

After seeing some of the really crap driving in South Wales last week – I’m all in favour of them if it saves lives and encourages people to adhere to speed limits.

You mean expect the fact that in both cases it’s civilian doing police job…

Except it isn’t.

Juan the final solution was done by the army at the behest of the Nazi Party /Himmler. It was not implemented by concerned locals.

Anyway to compare the attempt to slow drivers down with the attempt to eradicate an entire race is ridiculous in the extreme.
Yes people did them both but that is about the only similarity there.

“There have been many proven instances”
Source, Count?

Where can I get in on this? A recent speed monitoring scheme on the road at the end of my street found that 1 in 3 drivers were breaking the 30mph speed limit and 1 in ten were exceeding 40mph! Apparently, that’s not bad enough for the police to do anything about it.

So you got caught speeding, didnt get a fine, didn’t get any points and didnt kill anyone?

Whats your problem?

Anyway what pisses me off more is parrish councils now have the ability to set speed limits, meaning everywhere within a couple of miles of melbourne (derbyshire) is now a 40 limit. Despite the fact I can only think of one corner that ever had a problem with accidents and most of the roads affected are wide open straight roads! The police and council have already said (on the record) that they have no intention of enforceing these new limits as they dont agree with them!

note: new Jews were killed in the typing of this post (and I completely fail to see the analogy of catching speeders and the holocaust)

I’m a cyclist. I hate it when people speed past me. Just one wobble and I’m dead/maimed.

Anything that stops idiots misbehaving with over a ton of fast moving metal in close proximity to me is going to get my support.

junkyard I am talking about all the nice people telling the nazi police about the suspicion of their neighbour being jews, about being members of resistance. As it was illegal to be any of it during WWII. You still can’t see on the principle the differences of civilian grassing their neighbours when they brake the law?

I was more concerned with the OP second post. At that point the concerned citizens demonstrated they were not fit for the job. A letter to the chief constable and your MP should be sent on complaining of vigilantes and conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace. (NB this is for the second post content, I have no problem with reporting speeding motorists).
This would appear to be a cheap way of collecting data for a concerted anti-speeding campaign with an officer in attendance. As a matter of policy I think the police should concentrate their efforts in towns and residential areas. Improve driving standards in urban areas and there should be a positive knock-on effect in the great outdoors.

hang on a minute, how the fek is shoping your neibour for being a jew in Nazi Germany the same as shopping them for speeding?

One was one of the worst genocides in history, the other is someone doing whats right to protect the rest of us? You’ve either got a pretty twisted mind and think that being a Jew is illegal, but we shouldn’t shop people for it. Or think that speeding is legitimate? Come on, which is it?

Should we ammend the quote to…….

“first they came for the murderers, kiddy fiddlers, rapists and corrupt politicians, and I didnt speek out, then they came for the speeders and there was no one left?” (probably missquoted)

junkyard I am talking about all the nice people telling the nazi police about the suspicion of their neighbour being jews, about being members of resistance. As it was illegal to be any of it during WWII. You still can’t see on the principle the differences of civilian grassing their neighbours when they brake the law?

I think a guy round the corner killed his wife and buried her under the patio. Should I not grass him up?

I saw a young woman nick an iPod from a shop. Should I grass her up?

I saw a guy steal some bread from the entrance of Sainsbury’s; he looked homeless and pretty hungry. Should I grass him up?

I saw a young lad doing wheelies on the road on his scooter; I noted down his reg number. Should I report him?

A relative puts out the bins for the old lady over the road before 7pm the day before bin day. Should I grass her up?

The state have implemented a programme of ethnic cleansing. The guy next door has a big nose. Should I inform on him?

Are all these examples the same, Juan?

If some one claims to never speed then they are talking utter bobbins. The only time I have seen civvies out with a speed gun it looked like something out of dads army, a bunch of grey heads with a new toy they all wanted a go with.

I think blurring the roles of civilians and the police is setting out on the road to hell.

first of all im with the dont speed in a built up area its not just the law its common sense, if you cant see that maybe you shouldnt have a license at all

secondly whats wrong with empowering local people to make try and make their own village safer, sounds like a brilliant idea to me
frees up police to investigate robberies murders etc, makes roads safer and gives older folk something to do, other than watch diagnosis murder

Mike legally they are, morally they are not, where do you draw the line?
I am against anything that encourage/help people grassing each other. But that is my opinion.

I am against anything that encourage/help people grassing each other. But that is my opinion.

So to clarify, if (hypothetically) my next-door neighbor stole your bike, you wouldn’t want me to tell the police?

juan what a model citizen you are there
Lets hope if you are beaten in the street/run over by a car/robbed etc everyone is as helpful as you are and turns the other cheek.
If I see any of the stolen bikes listed on here again best not grass eh as for the guy beating the old lady …i saw nothing sir was not there

It isn’t going to happen round here, the local scum will nick the guns in no time.

Mike legally they are, morally they are not, where do you draw the line?

How do i draw the line? Morally, is the key word there…

Best bet is let machines do the job, they don’t bear grudges.

Average speed cameras on all roads should sort it out.

Why not simply find out the the registration number of the tvats with the gun, wait till they’re in position and do a few quick laps (*obviously you’d affix the cloned numberplate).

I can’t quote specific examples of radar gun inaccuracy, and I’m doing this on a phone, so extended research and cut’n’paste aren’t an option, but I have seen a number of TV features, including Watchdog, where accuracy is called into question, where drivers have been taken to court for doing excessive speed, only for the case to be dropped after the car manufacturer proving that the model in question was incapable of doing the quoted speed. I believe in some countries, Canada being one, certain types of speed gun have been banned due to their inaccuracy except under the most rigourously controlled conditions. When a speed gun is handheld, the margin of error due to hand movement with the gun throws up all sorts of discrepancies. One newspaper test proved a static car was doing 72mph in a built up area. These things are not infallable, and in the hands of people with virtually no training, but an over-enthusiastic zeal to nab wrong-doers, mistakes will be made.

just wave at them.

a stern letter is hardly a major discouragement is it now?

I love the way petrol heads get all indignant about speed cameras 🙂
It’s simple really, don’t break the rules and you won’t get busted.
If you have a problem with your neighbours spying on you, then don’t be anti social in your own communities and there would be no need for any spying.

just wave at them.

a stern letter is hardly a major discouragement is it now?

exactly its only a letter its not points or a fine

if it isnt enough to shame you into keeping your speed down in a built up area then maybe you should emmigrate from this ‘nazi state’ coz quite frankly we dont want you!

im all for it!

coming from a quiet rural village (very quiet, blink and youve missed it sized)

I KNOW kids from next door run out into the road when the ball goes over the fence and i KNOW people come through at 70!

i saw some of the vigilantes the other day pointing thier hairdryer at me, and although i did wonder if they actuallyt HAD jobs/lives, i did check my speed.

if they get enough positive readings, they can have a GATSO put in, or traffic calming measures and THEN youll be whinging.

if they want to waste thier time, slowing people down/gathering data to get some traffic calmin in, then good luck to them.
if people respected thier community and stuck to the speed limits, they wouldnt have to bother!

so what if they are nosey, pulling up and asking them “who do you think you are” makes you nosey AND a prized ****.

Well said, Olly

I’m afraid after my recent thread about speeding, this response is going to get boring and repetative…..
If you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime” Right?

😉

Personally, I think average speed cameras are the best option through villages and the like. That way, no issues.

yep, id happily have average speed camers in villages, would make life much more pleasant.

G – Member

I’m afraid after my recent thread about speeding, this response is going to get boring and repetative…..
If you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime” Right?

Indeed.

German submarine captain in Dads’ Army episode: “Your name shall go in ze book. And when we get back to Germany, your name will be passed on, and the YOU SHALL BE SHOT!”

i get it! jon1973 was speeding in the privacy of his own home. that’s how come it’s spying! oh, wait, it was in public. in view of everyone. hmm, it’s not spying at all is it.

Just don’t speed!. I have no sympathy for speeders in the slightest.

This system is kind of it’s own enemy, my old boss fully supported this community involvement – as it meant that the police wouldn’t be parking a van there from time to time as they had some busy bodies instead, who have no authority and would probably let him pass as the kind benefactor to the local church that he is.

+1 for average speed cameras in cities/towns/villages

Olly – Member
im all for it!

coming from a quiet rural village (very quiet, blink and youve missed it sized)

I KNOW kids from next door run out into the road when the ball goes over the fence and i KNOW people come through at 70!

Blah, blah, blah…

I see the standards of parenting and education aren’t very high in your quiet rural village.

I see the standards of parenting and education aren’t very high in your quiet rural village.

I’m not sure that’s entirely fair. It’s human nature to treat a road differently that has 1 car passing per an hour compared to 1 per second.

Standards of parenting and education aren’t very high if drivers assume that speeding through a village to save seconds off a journey, at the detriment of everyone else, is somehow a fundamental human right.

I like the idea of kids and parents feeling it’s safe enough to cycle on the road.