Pulled over for being in the military?

[superstacker]

Ok ive not put this in Bike chat, as i wasnt on my bike at the time. Although technically it could have happened on the bike....

Firstly, please dont flame me for this post, i understand their was no malice involved by the copper in question.

So im driving the mile home from the gym this morning. As i pull up outside my house, i notice a black BMW stopped beside me and the occupant looking at me. Thinking he might be lost I wind down the window to be met with a policeman telling me to step out the vehicle for "a little chat".

He pulls in front of me onto the kerb and i go nowhere near his car until i see he's in full uniform. (no need to ask him for ID then), and being near to my house i can make a dash for the door, if he turns out not to be a copper.

No issues though the copper is uniformed up, asks me to step on the pavement.

Now im thinking, has he caught me speeding? has my numberplate fallen off or something? Are they routinely stopping modified cars? Am i actually driving my car?

I then get met with a "Who's car is this?", Mine

"Where are you from?" Stafford

"OH, well i stopped you because your car is registered to an RAF base in stafford" Thats because im in the RAF, and im home on leave (in essex).

"Have you got any ID on you?" No but its in the house their, ive just been down the gym.

Copper then checks my insurance on the radio, all is clear and he leaves me to it.


Now i appreciate that the guy was doing his job, and im not about to flame the police.

However i think its a bit stupid to stop a car solely because its not registered in the immediate area. Even more stupid as the address its registered to is an RAF camp, therefore it wouldnt be unfeasable for me to travel away from it? Would essex police like a phonecall when im next dropping down i wonder?

The copper was polite though which was nice, and i suppose the marine style buzzcut backed up my story. Plus i didnt get a producer, which was handy. Although i wasnt happy with the look of dissapointment on his face when the radio told him that i had insurance!

So in short, not happy with being stopped solely because i travelled down to essex, but happy with my treatment, and that i wasnt speeding!

[Finglonga]

Perhaps he knew that 16MU had closed down in Stafford, or got family in the force.
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Andy Sez....
F.Y.Y.F.F.

[superstacker]

im not on 16MU though lol, plus he didnt chat about anything like that, im thinking he may have been on the lookout for something else. deffo weird.

[dainesefreak]

Perhaps he likes the thought of a man in uniform?

[Keir]

perhaps he was just doing his job? Dont worry about it. Next time someones cars stolen in devon and found in essex that copper might give them a tug. stranger things have happened.
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Current : '08 Yamaha FZ1s
Previous: '99 Honda CBR 600FX, 03 ZX636 B1H, 99 Fazer 600 (red), 02 GSX-R 600 K2, 00 SV650s (red), 2008 ZX10R, 97 Bandit 1200N, 04 ZX6RR K1H, 04 GSX-R 1000, 98 Fazer 600 (gold), 05 Madness 110 Pit bike, 04 CR125R, 00 SV650s (black), 06 KTM 625 SMC, 99 SRAD 600 track bike, 03 SV650, 98 Bandit 1200N, Bandit 600SY, 03 GSX-R 600 K3, 01 GSX-R 600, 01 Fazer 600 (black), VFR 400 NC30 x3, 78 Honda Dream, 00 Speedfight 50

[superstacker]

i appreciate the distance thing, but my car isnt registered to any address in stafford. its registered to RAF STAFFORD. I know this becuase he told me. Surely he must realise squaddies like me go on leave?

I might ring essex police next time im going home just to see what they say! lol (beer talking there!)

[binge]

May well of been than a car registerd to the Stafford area has been stolen and seen in the Essex area recently.

I was always getting pulled on my scooter due to thefts and mine matching the description...


Black...

[LustyLew]

Maybe he thought you were AWOL and were going to hold you until the MP arrive to shoot your deserting ass!
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Like a Yorkie - I'm not for the girls

[froggeh]

Damned if they do, damned if they don't...


He checked his computer, thought is might be a touch suss, and checked. Was polite and just asked you a few questions. No harm done...

If it had been nicked you'd have been glad if a cop had been so insightful...


..

[McJamweasel]

[The View Askew]

[zephyrgirl]

At least they asked you before contacting your next of kin!

About 12 years ago I stayed with friends in Portsmouth and parked my VW Beetle in the parking bay allocated to the property they rented.

I had driven down from Wales and had been there barely 20 minutes when I got a phonecall from my mother, practically in tears as simultaneously the doorbell went and a copper was standing on my friend's doorstep.

My mother was repeating "Are you alright, are you hurt?" and after reassuring her and telling her I would call her back I went to the policeman at the door.

The copper asked me if I knew who owned the VW Beetle parked in bay number 9, "Yeah, that's mine, what the heck is going on?"
"Oh, we had a call from the neighbours saying that an unknown vehicle was parked in the bay"
"Yes, that is my car and I am staying at this address as you can see, is there a problem?"
"No, we were just concerned about the vehicle registered to an address in Wales and being parked here in Portsmouth"

Dear God!

My poor mother had received a phonecall from the police enquiring about my car, checking that it was registered in my name at that address. They would give her no further details about why they wanted to know and my mother assumed that I had been involved in an accident.

The other twist in this pointless exercise, is that my elderly grandmother lives 2 doors down from my parents and they had phoned her 1st (same surname and just a couple of house numbers out) and caused her to have a major panic. She nearly had a heartattack running to my mother's house to find out whst had happened.

The bloody nosey neighbours obviously had issues with the parking sapces in that area and so instead of knocking on the door to check that the car was OK to be parked there, the bastards had phoned the police, who had responded with lightning speed, and scared the shit out of my family.

I mean for Chrissakes, why do they think people own cars?

The whole purpose of a car (for me personally) is as a form of transport, which means occasionally they are driven to a place different to the address at which they are registered!

I despair sometimes!
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Fly away on my Zephyr?
I bloody wish.

[superstacker]

[Keir]

not if the person that owns it doesnt know its stolen yet.
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Current : '08 Yamaha FZ1s
Previous: '99 Honda CBR 600FX, 03 ZX636 B1H, 99 Fazer 600 (red), 02 GSX-R 600 K2, 00 SV650s (red), 2008 ZX10R, 97 Bandit 1200N, 04 ZX6RR K1H, 04 GSX-R 1000, 98 Fazer 600 (gold), 05 Madness 110 Pit bike, 04 CR125R, 00 SV650s (black), 06 KTM 625 SMC, 99 SRAD 600 track bike, 03 SV650, 98 Bandit 1200N, Bandit 600SY, 03 GSX-R 600 K3, 01 GSX-R 600, 01 Fazer 600 (black), VFR 400 NC30 x3, 78 Honda Dream, 00 Speedfight 50

[froggeh]

[zephyrgirl]

What riled me in my particular case was the fact that the police turned up on the doorstep within 30 minutes of my car being parked there.

I'm all for quick response times, but I would gladly bet both my bikes on the police not showing for several hours if I reported a serious crime.

My old bug looked like a mobile scrapheap and I couldn't believe that so much police time had been invested in chasing up who owned it, when a simple knock on the door would have given an instant answer.

Also the fact that they would not tell my relatives why they were inquiring about the car pissed me off.

Superstacker says in his post that he wasn't happy being stopped, but was happy with his treatment by the copper concerned.
Same here, the policeman at the door was really fine about it all, but I was flabergasted, on reflection, that a legally parked car (fully taxed MOT'ed, insured etc) had caused such a scene.

I always thought that the police had to have some sort of reason for pulling you over and going over the vehicle and documents. eg. the manner in which the vehicle is being driven, reported stolen, etc.
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Fly away on my Zephyr?
I bloody wish.

[superstacker]

exactly, the fact that i got stopped pissed me off. Not so much the attitude...

on a minor note the leading questions, the look of dissapointment when the car comes back as insured, and the real one that gets me...

DRIVE SAFELY SIR

yeah i was mate, that wasnt why i was stopped

[McJamweasel]

[superstacker]

UPDATE:

I got stopped again!

One week ( i think) after the first incident, I get stopped by a police van.

This time, its exactly one minute after midnight, on the first of december now.....

Good morning sir, we stopped you partly because your vehicle is registered to an RAF base in Stafford..... erm thats because im in the RAF and based in Stafford.

Oh, well where are you staying... erm at my mums house in essex

Oh well also you pulled out of a pub car park, and being this time of year we are on the look out for drink drivers. ITS ONE MINUTE PAST MIDNIGHT ON THE FIRST ON DECEMBER, obviously the quota has started, of course i blew a zero on the breathalyser.

Before you go lads, are you going to stop me every time you see me down here? what do you mean sir?

Ive been pulled over twice this week, is there something in your training that means you have to pull me over every time i come down here?

Thats up to the individual officer sir, as you are registered up north then it looks a bit suss if we see you!

I dont think im gonna win.

DRIVE SAFELY SIR....

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

EDIT: Im not complaining about the drink driving part of the stop, just the being registerd part!

[metallninja]

Dont you get a feeling of "fuck you , I`m in the right and in Her Majestys Forces". A slightly smug feeling?

I would. I served for 11yrs.

Ask them when they`re gonna get a real uniform next time.
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Life is a journey, so travel far and dont waste it.

[freestyler_onli]