"The Count of Shonky Citro" thanks everyone for your support

[scooters]

Well last night's shenanigans are the last straw, I have 5 separate scraps with the DVLA at the moment who seem incapable of updating their systems properly and then apply statutory - 'guilty until innocent' methodology sticking you with a grand in fines unless you travel 500 odd miles to fight it.

 

Last night was the final straw.

 

Background - I have lent the BX to a friend who hasn't got a car and can't afford one at the moment. I have transferred the car into his name on the V5, 3 weeks ago BTW and the car is insured for him and me with him as the main driver with Adrian Flux. Now P is a lovely bloke, the father of one of my son's schoolmates. He's not the sharpest tool in the box but I trust him with my kids.

 

Background 2 - From 27 December 2010 to 14 January 2011 I was in hospital in Edinburgh, my wife and kids had moved in with my mother. I had a different BX and the Sherpa van parked on the road outside Scooters Towers with tax disc expiring on 1 Jan. Due to the stressful situation the tax discs which had arrived before the end of the year were not put on the vehicles, there was no one at home and I was in intensive care. On being discharged I discovered two criminalised parking tickets on the vehicles for not displaying tax. Now the £120 in total was more that I could afford, I asked for opinions on here, you may recall, and some advised to fight it some to pay it. I spoke to the Citizen Advice Bureau and to my godfather, who is a pretty senior High Court Judge, they both said to appeal the issue on mitigating circumstances. This I did, writing an appeal, searing an oath on it and posting it to the court....fast forward to Easter this year, I get a card through the post from Lothian & Borders Police - ho ho fucking ho - it's an Easter card informing me that t hey have a warrant for my arrest. I call the station mentioned and ask them what is going on - they said that it was the enforcement of the fine...the one I had appealed against. I explained the situation, was told not to worry by the desk sergeant who suggested I contact the court and then if I hadn't heard anything by mid May to chase them up again to see if my name had been removed. This I did, a very apologetic clerk said that my appeal had been 'mislaid' but they would reopen the case and inform the police accordingly.

 

OK, 2.00am this morning at Scooters Towers I'm woken by the dogs going mental. I go down stairs to hear knocking at the door so I answer it. It is a PC and a WPC who have my mate P in tow. They say,

 

"sorry to wake you Mr Scooters, do you own a Citroen BX?" -

"Yes" -

"is this man entitled to drive it?"

"Yes"...

"well we stopped him because the vehicle is not coming up as insured and can you show us the insurance certificate?"

 

"OK, I'll have to dig it off the computer"

 

takes me 15 minutes to find the file , it is after all the middle of the night, I am tired and very sore as I always am when woken due to my condition.

 

I show them the file...

 

P is covered as main driver

 

- They say, "Oh sorry about that, as we say the car is not on the computer"

 

"Ok, could this have not waited until the morning?" says I, "when was there a legal requirement to carry your insurance documents with you?"

 

Next thing, they radio in closing the incident and then turn round and ask me to confirm my name and address, which I do, and then arrest me for the outstanding warrant as described in background 2

 

So I spend the next 3 hours going through the humiliating process of being taken into custody...At the station on the far side of Edinburgh, the desk sergeant is surprised that the PC's have thought this was something that required me to be arrested at 3.00am and the explanation I gave corresponded to the notes on the system, ie "use some discretion here, there's been a cock up at court'

 

I am forced to share my income and expenditure in public surrounded by villains. On top of this the chronic pain I suffer from was now developing into a major attack.

 

They eventually drive me home at 5.00am. Lots of 'over hearty' comments to my wall of silence - my late dad was a former PC and a Judge and he told me that if ever arrested, once arrested say nothing more than they are entitled to hear - NOTHING - they are not your friends...I followed these instructions and met their 'jovial humour' with silence until they had discharged me at which point I said:

 

"last year I had a car broken into in an attempt to steal it. The car was damaged so badly the insurers wrote it off, 3 months later another car of mine is vandalised by some yobbo trying to steal it, they don't succeed but end up causing some 600 damage in second hand parts. In both these situations I reported the crimes to the police and NO ONE came to see me about it, NO ONE took any prints, in fact all I got from you lot was a lecture about where to park my car. Yet, this morning I am woken in the dead of night and hauled into custody in front of my young family and neighbours for a computer error that is clearly mentioned on your system. On top of this, you stopped P in the first place because you say, the car is not on the MID...do you understand why I am pissed off about this?"

 

"well, yes" says the boy scout "but the car isn't on the MID so we had no choice but to stop Mr P"

 

On the way home he pulls over an A3, suspicion of drunk driving as he was 'driving erratically' ...he wasn't, he was keeping under the speed limit because he saw a police van on his arse and the driver proved to be a postie about to start his shift.

 

So eventually they get me home.

 

The first thing I do is to boot up the computer and check the MID - and low and behold! the car is insured and on the system as insured....

 

To be honest everyone, after last night I am very depressed, the root cause of the mess is because the BX looks old - simple as that and some squirt of a PC thinks that is reason enough to pull it despite being taxed recently and on the MID (he lied). I am too ill to go through nights like last night, I am horrified to the extent that our right to innocence until proven guilty seems to have gone out the window. I am also horrified at being dragged out of bet at 3.00am and arrested in front of my wife, young kids and neighbours because some idiot in the court had not updated a system properly. My heart has gone out of chod collecting completely. I've had to cancell my meetings today as the pain levels are too high for me to function and I am exhausted. I've decided that I'm going to cut my fleet, P can have the BX, I'll swap the Rover for another car, an anonymous one.# - it is just too much hassle .

 

When I get up later I will telephone the police and ask them to test their MID interface system as it 'clearly isn't working' point out that my vehicle was stopped last night and the reason given was that it was 'uninsured on the system' when in fact it is showing clearly as covered.

 

Essentially the PCs stopped P because he was driving an older car and not being a confident or educated man P panicked, poor bastard and the lone Ranger and Tonto decided to think they were Rebus for the night and end up nicking the master criminal! ie me.

 

I'm not going to tell P what happened last night, he doesn't use the internet so there is no reason for him to find out. If he knew what had happened it would destroy him and hes the sort of guy who will go down to the station and kick off.

 

Postscript:

During the great purges of the 1930s in Soviet Russia, the Cheka and OGPU and KGB would always arrest their victims between 2 am and 4 am because this is when people are at their weakest, they are disorientated and confused. Had I been awake there is no way I would have complied with what happened and they would have been speaking to my lawyer.

 

I remember my old man's words when he was appointed Sheriff of North Strathclyde in the mid 1980's, after the ceremony he got cornered by the Chief Constable who effusively told him how made up they all were about a policeman being eventually made a judge, how rare it was and was there anything he had learned as a copper that he would bear in mind when sitting on the bench?

 

- I learned that policemen, like everyone else, tell lies, Chief Constable

 

the smile faded from the copper's face

 

vindication indeed

[tonedepear]

Fucking hell fire mate. No fun at all.

[dollywobbler]

That's shocking. I'd be gunning for someone in your position. Local MP for a start? Dragging ill constituents out of bed at 3am. Appalling.

[cobblers]

Fucking spiders! That's awful!

 

 

I never thought that DVLA cockups would get someone arrested and dragged into a cell at 3AM. Get Anne Robinson on the case, their lot already have a bone to pick with those knobs at Swansea.

[Cavcraft]

What a complete shower of shit situation that is. Unfortunately MID flit between being useful and good to a bag of wank. The Internet database and the police database don't actually seem to run in conjunction with each other at times and I've had MID and some coppers telling me the system isn't always reliable.

[M'coli]

That's awful, Scooters. Such discrimination against old cars I believe will become more common, because to a lot of people it's just an old car, a banger even if immaculate, and not in anyway shape or form worthy of respect - "only things like MGBs and E-types are classics, y'know". I know that I would be utterly livid at such events if they happened to me. I can't really think of anything else to add.

[scooters]

well, I've just spent 30 mins talking to the complaints dept at Lothian & Borders who are somewhat shocked at what happened.

 

I am not one who believes in nepotism and there is nothing worse than a clype but I have called in a few favours this morning from my late dad's mates and dropped a few names in the course of the conversation - these names seem to be doing the trick. I understand that as far as they saw it the coppers were doing their job but there is a question of 'the spirit and the letter of the law' especially in statutory situations which exist not to protect the innocent but to speedily process the guilty - they are only as good as the data they get and in my situation it was a total farce. The WPS I just spoke to did tell me that the PC's involved were quite inexperienced but would have thought that their sergeant would have seen the issue for what it is - it is hardly good use of man power to have a unit and two constables spending over 3 hours of their shift harrasing innocent motorists.

 

I would strongly urge that despite it not being a statutory requirement and in fact, was always in the past actively discouraged, to carry your insurance and V5 in the vehicle even though there is a risk of identity theft or illegal ownership claim should the car be stolen.

 

they recommended I complain to the chief constables office and write to the AA and RAC o put a rocket up the DVLA's arse

[wackywacerwill]

That's very much a royal PITA. Others are right though, it needs chasing up. I know that is more pain but it could be ultimately quite rewarding in the long run.

 

Due to my own slackness in such matters I have a tax in post situation on the van, I always kind of think it will be alright as it is taxed and should be on the system as so though I guess they can still have you for non displaying.

 

Apart from the tatty looking car bit all these issues could occur with modern chod too. Thinking about it, anything vaguely modern I could lay my hands on would be more tatty than my older vehicles!

 

Don't let the fuckers grind you down scooters.

 

*Edit for slow typing. Get in fella, give um what for.

[theorganist]

Really sorry to hear that, must have been an extremely harrowing experience. Sometimes the police seem to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut!!

 

I would definately make a fuss about it, after the police and DVLA I would send my MP a full report.

 

Presumably the authorities are aware that computer records are not always up to date and therefore I would have thought double checking the facts first would have been preferable to getting someone out of bed at three in the morning in the same way your would a drug dealer!

[jonny69]

This is why I keep a copy of my insurance and MOT in the car. I'm not so bothered about the tax disc, because it's free, but the MID means there's a "computer says no" situation and if you have the paper proof in the car, there cannot be an argument about it.

 

Sorry to hear about the dog shit through your letterbox. Don't let it get you down, just learn the tricks to play the new system.

[barefoot]

Don't give up yet.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Thats a pretty grim story SKUTRS, i’m sorry to hear all that. Sounds like you handled it about as well as anyone could do under the circumstances.

 

Since the MID has been introduced it seems to be the case that the motorist has to be able to prove his insurance status immediately. The idea of the producer seems to have gone right out the window, and if you can’t prove it definitively there and then you get bummed, seems wrong that.

 

I wouldn’t get too hung up about driving an old motor, i think the story would have panned out much the same whatever car your mate was driving, it sounds like inept coppers are the real root cause.

[theorganist]

  Quote

or would you rather the police seize vehicles until they are proven to be legal ?

 

also if someone is wanted on warrant and the police don't lift them then they are open to all sorts of criticism .

 

being police officer, like working in the NHS is a case of damned if you do and damned if you don't. ( i'm a nurse, my brother is a copper)

 

I wonder if you read the opening post?!

 

I have nothing against the police I have friends in the police and I generally respect the job the police do!!

 

However, I wonder if sometimes they get their priorities wrong (probably due to pressures from above). Being arrested at three in the morning in front of your family must be a very frightening and unpleasant experience, especially when you are innocent! It can also do severe damage to your reputation!

 

  Quote

I wouldn’t get too hung up about driving an old motor, i think the story would have panned out much the same whatever car your mate was driving

 

Precisely, I would have thought that a BX would be getting to old to be of interest to the police. I would imagine that cars like barried up Corsa's or Saxo's would be more suspicious to them.

 

I have had some very strange looks by our local police when I am driving the 14 but have never been pulled over in it!

[Lufthansa-Terminal]

  theorganist said:

I have had some very strange looks by our local police when I am driving the 14 but have never been pulled over in it!

 

Your case is because its left hand drive which is what got me pulled up a few times in the Opel Kadette I used to have.

 

A.C.A.B

[Ross_K]

I know it's an old chestnut but here goes: have cops got nothing fucking better to do?

 

Being in my mid-30's I'm hardly an old fart, but cops my age and younger are arseholes plain and simple. Perhaps they don't teach discretion or critical thinking in police college? Maybe they should?

 

That's absolutely shocking treatment by the cops scooters. Heads should roll, but they probably won't as that shower of cunts look after themselves.

 

Although saying that, if I lent my car to someone I'd make sure they had a copy of my insurance cert in the car at all times if only to avoid having the car impounded. Or in freak cases like this - cops coming to the door and arresting me on unrelated charges.

[e287yba]

  Cavette said:

What a complete shower of shit situation that is. Unfortunately MID flit between being useful and good to a bag of wank. The Internet database and the police database don't actually seem to run in conjunction with each other at times and I've had MID and some coppers telling me the system isn't always reliable.

 

This is aimed (well, not aimed, but you know what I mean?) at several posters and not you, Cavette, but yours seemed the most appropriate to quote .

 

ANPR MoT, Insurance and VED databases are downloaded copies of live databases - they could have been downloaded 10 minutes ago or several days ago (one one forum I frequent, "a few weeks" was mentioned!)...

 

The ANPR & 'live' databases do not run in conjunction with each other at all as far as "roads policing by database" is concerned, and by definition any ANPR system won't be 100% accurate - with increasing inaccuracy as the date/time of the last update recedes in to the dim and distant.

 

If we insist on 'roads policing by databases' then the info must be live from the cradle (of insurers updating newpolicy info on the MID there and then when a newpolicy begins, currently they have 7 days) to the grave (of ANPR databases) - but this won't happen in the foreseeable due to massive cost and ICT resource implications.

 

Scooters' case is a prime example of why the info must be 'live' if we are going to use it to police effectively - yeah, the car is on MID but it wasn't on that police car's ANPR system ... Cost and hassle implications all round on this occasion, and numerous other occasions for innocent motorists daily as well.

 

At least the BX wasn't seized, and they believed the driver's explanation (although, being cynical, they possibly had a vested interest in arresting Scooters!) .

 

ACPO acknowledge that this issue (of ANPR databases not being 'live') is a credibility issue for the use of ANPR... And still 'roads policing by database' continues!

 

As for Scooters' DVLA/Road Tax issue, words fail me.

 

 

But, Scooters, don't give up on the old cars - this sort of nonsense regards the ANPR happens numerous times daily to people who have recently renewed or changed their insurance policy in the previous few weeks, and the DVLA drivel can - and does - happen to anyone over a period of time .

[theorganist]

  Quote

ANPR MoT, Insurance and VED databases are downloaded copies of live databases - they could have been downloaded 10 minutes ago or several days ago (one one forum I frequent, "a few weeks" was mentioned!)...

 

The ANPR & 'live' databases do not run in conjunction with each other at all as far as "roads policing by database" is concerned, and by definition any ANPR system won't be 100% accurate - with increasing inaccuracy as the date/time of the last update recedes in to the dim and distant.

 

Which presumably the police are aware of!!

 

I am all for illegal drivers being taken off the road and if that cause is being aided by technology then great. However if the technology is not up to date and innocent motorists are being arrested and being inconvenienced as a direct result then that is not a good thing and something the authorities should somehow guard against. However I am speaking purely as a layman. I am sure the situation is harder on the ground but if I was getting someone out of bed at three in the morning as the result of a "possible" motoring offence on the evidence of a database that I knew may not be up to date, I would be asking myself some hard questions!

 

One thing I have often wondered about Roadwars and the like. They show you the footage they want you to see, I would be more interested in the footage you don't get to see!!

[eddyramrod]

Scooters, that's awful!

 

I agree with you about the nepotism issue, but sometimes, if you have a big stick in the hallway, you have to use it, and this might be that time. There's no way any of this should have happened and your local cops, and DVLA, need to be reminded of this. Where were the police when you needed them?

 

Don't give up. You know you can't live with a series of new silver Golfs for the rest of your life...

[Wilko220]

If I were you, I would send a copy of your original post (or an edited version of it) to your local paper (Edinburgh Evening News, is it?) It's amazing how a bit of negative publicity can concentrate minds...

[HillmanImp]

I had written a long post on this subject but then my sodding computer threw a flyd and deleted it all.

 

Thats really shit. Sounds like the usual lack of common sense and shitty admin that gives the police a bad name. I have been on the receiving end myself several times and quite frankly don't even bother with them anymore. I am left wing in most issues but due to the lack of ability of the police to protect our streets I am very right wing on crime and punishment.

 

In what world it seemed a good idea to go round to yours at 3am is beyond me. A possible minor motoring offence can wait until the next day. It boggles the mind.

[Cavcraft]

There's definately a case of 'damned if they do, damned if they don't with the police. Can only go back to a time a few years back when I got pulled as the car I was in was flagged up as uninsured which was my fault as I'd not rang it through to the database. The coppers who pulled me could have easily taken the car off me but were actually really sound young lads and listened to my story.

 

I reckon the potential bigger problem with ANPR is that people can drive cars that are 'legal' for others so are unlikely to get pulled if driven sensibly so it's easier to drive uninsured even if just for a short while. I frequently get people asking me not to cancel my insurance immediately when selling a car because they're blatantly not covered themselves to drive home. They can get to fuck as I'm not running the risk of some arsehole crashing then doing a runner because of the grief it causes.

[scaryoldcortina]

That's really shocking, although it doesn't surprise me much. TBH, the system regarding them having a warrant for you hasn't changed - as far as the police are concerned you are nicked. Once you confirm your name and address you are in the system and it is beyond their power to let you go. I'll give you an example -

 

Sometime in 1991 Durham police arrested someone for drink-driving. This person gave my name and DOB, and a false address, he was detained overnight and bailed by the morning session of the magistrate's court.

 

First I knew of this was 27 december 1994 when two DCs from Newcastle west knocked me out of bed at 5am to confirm my name - soon as I did they arrested me. They got my address from my driving licence record. I had lived there for 3 years at that point. Anyway, I protested my innocence, insisting I knew nothing about it. I said the same to the desk sgt, adding that the physical description on the warrant was wrong too - I'm taller and have different hair (anyone who has seen my hair can confirm this). Made no difference - bunged in a cell while they waited for a car to come from Consett to collect me to answer the charge. I was told that it would all be easily sorted there because they would have the arrest record with photos and fingerprints.

 

Around 10am two very grumpy Durham PCs in a diesel mk2 fiesta turned up to collect me, and drove me to Consett. It transpired that the phonecall from the desk sgt was the first they had known of this high-priority arrest. They processed me into custody, I asked to see the photos and prints, again insisting that I had done nothing wrong. I was told that there were none, Drink-driving was not an indictible offence in '91 so they didn't take any. I asked for a solicitor, they went off to interrupt some magistrate's christmas break just to deal with me. Solicitor arrived, listened to my tale and advised me to repeat it to the magistrate.

 

Early afternoon, the PCs drove me round the corner to the court - I was in there 5 minutes while they decided that there was "some doubt" and decided to call the arresting officer to check my identity. They adjourned, and bailed me to appear in a fortnight. Suddenly, I'm free again because the court said so - I looked towards my former captors with the fiesta, asked about a lift home. They said no, you aren't arrested any more, and left.

 

I'm in Consett - 20 odd miles from home with no money (and no socks) because I was banged out of bed at 5am! Luckily, the legal aid solicitor was about to go to Newcastle for a party, so he gave me a lift home (in a Volvo 480 turbo)

 

Two weeks later, I went back to answer the charges. Sat around for a couple of hours waiting to be called, then asked the Clerk, who got the CPS barrister (a Mr Crook - I remember that particularly) who told me the case had been discontinued as the arresting officer felt unable to identify anyone due to it being 3 years ago, and that they wrote to tell me about it. He produced a copy of the letter, I looked (and laughed) - instead of sending it to my house, the one I was arrested from and bailed to, the one listed on my driving licence, they had sent it to the false address the drunk gave the police in 1991

 

That was my first experience of the police with me as "bad guy" - I've also had a gun pointed at me for driving a Montego, and been arrested for stealing a derilict Datsun.

[scooters]

  mph1977 said:

  theorganist said:

Really sorry to hear that, must have been an extremely harrowing experience. Sometimes the police seem to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut!!

 

I would definately make a fuss about it, after the police and DVLA I would send my MP a full report.

 

Presumably the authorities are aware that computer records are not always up to date and therefore I would have thought double checking the facts first would have been preferable to getting someone out of bed at three in the morning in the same way your would a drug dealer!

 

or would you rather the police seize vehicles until they are proven to be legal ?

 

also if someone is wanted on warrant and the police don't lift them then they are open to all sorts of criticism .

 

being police officer, like working in the NHS is a case of damned if you do and damned if you don't. ( i'm a nurse, my brother is a copper)

 

 

OK several points:

 

1/ yes, being a PC is a difficult job and it is difficult for a reason, in a democracy it has to be difficult, if it were easy we'd be living in a police state.

 

2/ yes, according to the letter of the law if the 'computah says itz a warrant' then they have to act - whether it is a good use of resources to drag a cripple off in a Black Maria at 3 in the morning? My neighbour was arrested for dangerous driving (a much more serious offence) and they politely arranged a time for him to discreetly pop in and be arrested

 

My gripe is 3 fold here

 

1/ the 'live system' isn't a live system but is used to enforce a poor bit of legislation which is difficult to police and has unforseen consequences, god only knows how much police time is wasted

 

2/ the clerk of the court who didn't update the system correctly, these systems fuck with peoples lives - this happened because someone did not remove the warrant from the system. The warrant was void

 

3/ the arresting me at 3.00am ....low hanging fruit day?

 

I have since had a further call from the HQ, division commander apologising now...methinks if they could justify it then they would not be so contrite. Let me put it this way, it's the bang up a warrented arrest at 3.00am but at the same time not bother getting CID to follow up clear forensic evidence when it could have led to an arrest of a REAL CRIMINAL.

 

and lastly - a system that allows this to happen!

 

but what do we expect, those arses in parliament have been governing by ministerial decree rather than by debate for nigh on 30 years now which is probably why our civil liberties are less now than they were in our darkest hours during WW2

Sorry but if they are going to police by statute they MUST get it right.

[scooters]

oh - that and the copper told a porky -the car is on their system as taxed insured and MOTd - he said it wasn't- the car has been on the MID for 2 weeks and is up to date with all information. The only delay has been the transferal of the V5 and that's the usual DVLA delay

[autofive]

sounds like an excuse to arrest you, the rest of the charade was window dressing

 

1st i would write to your MP demanding answers, requesting a reply within 14 days.

 

2nd file an official complaint against the arresting PCs, desk sarge. and duty inspector

 

3rd dont answer the door at 3am in the future

[SambaS]

What a horrible experience you've had. Don't give up a hobby you enjoy over it though, that would be the biggest shame of all. Definately get your story out there and definately...

  autofive said:

dont answer the door at 3am in the future

[SambaS]

Also the 'fuss' you kick up should be equal at least, to the stress they have caused you.

[Lord Sterling]

Fuck the tarmac! I'm really sorry to hear that Scooters, that is a really shocking/sickening story man, I also know how you are suffering, sound like the coppers didnt really give a shit. You are absolutely right, these days, no matter who you are, you are held guilty until proven innocent. Fuck knows how real criminals get away with a mere slap on the wrist.

 

It is true that to many coppers, our cars are seen as nothing more than 'old bangers' which they think are often only driven with no insurance/tax/MOT.

 

What a sad state of affairs.

 

  Quote

sounds like an excuse to arrest you, the rest of the charade was window dressing

 

A few months ago, I saw something on TV where the police are given 'incentives' for making arrests no matter the outcome. Much like how sales people get commision on the sales they make. How sickening.

 

I agree with Autofive, kick up a fuss, it might not make a ripple but it'll certainly kick the wind up into them.

 

If you do give up on shite autos, please dont give up on us and autoshite.com

[e287yba]

  scooters said:

oh - that and the copper told a porky -the car is on their system as taxed insured and MOTd - he said it wasn't- the car has been on the MID for 2 weeks and is up to date with all information. The only delay has been the transferal of the V5 and that's the usual DVLA delay

 

The car is on the MID - you checked on http://www.askmid.com or whatever it is so that is estabished. But I'd bet money it wasn't on the ANPR system in his vehicle hence the vehicle was flagged up as uninsured and so on and so on. They are two seperate systems, not linked to each other. One is fairly reliable and almost up to date, the other significantly less so hence your visit in the wee small hours .

 

Nowadays, the insurance drones have up to 7 days to add the vehicle's systems to the MID; I will assert that the ANPR system in that particular police vehicle was last updated before the MID was udated with your vehicle's details (that's over two weeks then... such a long period has been mentioned elsewhere on the 'net so let's not discount it ).

 

Or, a less savoury alternative is that the police person is *shock horror* being less than truthful; he heard your details, checked you out and lied to get your attention so he could then arrest you (no, they never ever lie, ever etc - I don't believe this either, having been the subject of it in court ).

 

But then again, the police person could have rung - or had someone at the station check -the MID to check the vehicle's insurance status without disturbing you.

 

 

Brave new world, eh? What a bleedin' shambles.

[e287yba]

  Cavette said:

I reckon the potential bigger problem with ANPR is that people can drive cars that are 'legal' for others so are unlikely to get pulled if driven sensibly so it's easier to drive uninsured even if just for a short while. I frequently get people asking me not to cancel my insurance immediately when selling a car because they're blatantly not covered themselves to drive home. They can get to fuck as I'm not running the risk of some arsehole crashing then doing a runner because of the grief it causes.

 

Can't fault you on that!

 

I would add that, as long as individuals insure cars but we police by checking vehicle registration numbers we are barking up the wrong tree . And while you may update the MID ASAP, the records on individual police cars' ANPR ystems aren't linked to it so your buyers have longer than they obviously think before they might 'trip' an ANPR system in a police car!

 

What a back=to=front, half-baked way to try to police, eh?