Just been berated by police officer for friend shaking head!

[rabatsa]

Many years ago when I was a teenager, I was hacking home with a friend from a days hunting when a passing policeman stopped us to tell us to have two hands on the reins, we were both riding one handed. When he left my friend commented that he had looked like a certain cartoon character and we burst out laughing.

He returned to tell us off for laughing at a police officer.

 

[Fransurrey]

Hopefully your friend (and you) have reported this by now. As has been pointed out, police are still subject to the rules of the road when on a call. Your friend could have been shaking her head at something you'd said and to have such a fragile temper that he stopped and went back is worrying, as someone else above has said. I doubt he would have been using sirens if he wasn't of that grade though (my ex was a police officer and he was the grade below, where they can use lights but not speed/sirens). That would be a sackable offence, surely?

 

[PapaverFollis]

Shaking your head at someone, even a police officer, (even if it was a completely unjustified shake of the head), is not a crime. Stopping on his way to his "urgent call" to berate you for a non-crime was completely out of order. What does he do when someone in town calls him a **** on a Saturday night? If he can't handle having someone shake their head at him.

He's responded so strongly to the head shake because he knows he was in the wrong and deserved it I reckon. So although you weren't troubled by how he passed the horses, your friend who is more knowledgeable on what he should and should not be doing on a country lane with his sirens etc has caught him out. He has responded aggressively because he knows he was in the wrong, he'd been cornered.

A cornered ego on the attack.

I'm sorry you had to deal with that. I hope you can report and it's taken seriously.

 

[scruffyponies]

It's a sad fact that some people really like having authority over others. They're bullies, and of course they're attracted to being police officers, so the police force is disproportionately stuffed full of them. Sounds like this chap was one of them, and for sure he wouldn't have said it to a bloke.

What makes me really angry is that the behaviour is nurtured and even the worst examples are protected by the system when they are called out. Until this culture of bullying, cover up and misogyny is changed I will be one among millions who have little confidence in the police to act, and feel it unwise to trust them. Before anyone says it, 'not all policemen' blah blah blah... which is just as fatuous as saying 'not all men'. ALL police and ALL men have a duty to change the culture and challenge the poison, because I don't believe for one minute they don't all see and hear it daily and ether join in or turn a blind eye.

OP, this includes your friend, I'm afraid.

 

[Mudfukkle]

Reporting this also gets my vote - he was completely unprofessional!

 

[FestiveG]

Having worked in a role where I was actually in charge of the process, with police officers, I found that they have an attitude that they know the law in all circumstances and find it difficult to accept other information. One interesting example was an inspector, who informed me that a chap in custody had to be detained under the mental health act, because the doctor he'd spoken to on the phone, (having never met the chap) thought he was psychotic and this doctor could detain without another doctor or an approved mental health professional. He was not a bit happy to be told he was wrong. The inspector appeared to me to be a misogynistic bully and had been promoted even so.

 

[Birker2020]

Shaking your head at someone, even a police officer, (even if it was a completely unjustified shake of the head), is not a crime. Stopping on his way to his "urgent call" to berate you for a non-crime was completely out of order. What does he do when someone in town calls him a **** on a Saturday night? If he can't handle having someone shake their head at him.

He's responded so strongly to the head shake because he knows he was in the wrong and deserved it I reckon. So although you weren't troubled by how he passed the horses, your friend who is more knowledgeable on what he should and should not be doing on a country lane with his sirens etc has caught him out. He has responded aggressively because he knows he was in the wrong, he'd been cornered.

A cornered ego on the attack.

I'm sorry you had to deal with that. I hope you can report and it's taken seriously.

Agree. I think the 'urgent call' was just an excuse to excuse his excessive speed past you. Otherwise if his excuse was genuine he would surely face a disciplinary for not attending the call in reasonable time.

 

[Gloi]

When I was a teenager I was going to the stables on my moped early on a Sunday morning to get my pony ready for a show. I had all my show kit in my bag on the back of the bike and was tootling along the road when a police car stopped and asked where I was going. I told him but he was quite disbelieving that I was out at 5am to go tart up my pony and asked for my license which I had in my purse. He then pulled everything out of my kit bag and searched me. I was a really quiet shy teenager and this really traumatised me and I was still crying when I got to the stables.
45 years later I still totally panic if I get stopped in the car by the police.

 

[FestiveG]

When I was a teenager I was going to the stables on my moped early on a Sunday morning to get my pony ready for a show. I had all my show kit in my bag on the back of the bike and was tootling along the road when a police car stopped and asked where I was going. I told him but he was quite disbelieving that I was out at 5am to go tart up my pony and asked for my license which I had in my purse. He then pulled everything out of my kit bag and searched me. I was a really quiet shy teenager and this really traumatised me and I was still crying when I got to the stables.
45 years later I still totally panic if I get stopped in the car by the police.

Good grief! I think that he probably broke several laws and a fair few guidelines!

 

[ElleSkywalkingintheair]

When I was a teenager I was going to the stables on my moped early on a Sunday morning to get my pony ready for a show. I had all my show kit in my bag on the back of the bike and was tootling along the road when a police car stopped and asked where I was going. I told him but he was quite disbelieving that I was out at 5am to go tart up my pony and asked for my license which I had in my purse. He then pulled everything out of my kit bag and searched me. I was a really quiet shy teenager and this really traumatised me and I was still crying when I got to the stables.
45 years later I still totally panic if I get stopped in the car by the police.

That's awful ?

Still waiting to hear what hacking buddy has decided, she was speaking to a few former colleagues today ?

 

[Spotherisk]

When I was a teenager I was going to the stables on my moped early on a Sunday morning to get my pony ready for a show. I had all my show kit in my bag on the back of the bike and was tootling along the road when a police car stopped and asked where I was going. I told him but he was quite disbelieving that I was out at 5am to go tart up my pony and asked for my license which I had in my purse. He then pulled everything out of my kit bag and searched me. I was a really quiet shy teenager and this really traumatised me and I was still crying when I got to the stables.
45 years later I still totally panic if I get stopped in the car by the police.

good grief, I think you could still report that now if you so wished.

 

[Fransurrey]

When I was a teenager I was going to the stables on my moped early on a Sunday morning to get my pony ready for a show. I had all my show kit in my bag on the back of the bike and was tootling along the road when a police car stopped and asked where I was going. I told him but he was quite disbelieving that I was out at 5am to go tart up my pony and asked for my license which I had in my purse. He then pulled everything out of my kit bag and searched me. I was a really quiet shy teenager and this really traumatised me and I was still crying when I got to the stables.
45 years later I still totally panic if I get stopped in the car by the police.

When I was at uni my boyfriend was driving me back to uni after a football match in my home town (an hour away). The police pulled him over because, and I quote, "You're doing exactly the speed limit." Clearly a quiet evening...

 

[Birker2020]

When I was at uni my boyfriend was driving me back to uni after a football match in my home town (an hour away). The police pulled him over because, and I quote, "You're doing exactly the speed limit." Clearly a quiet evening...

I used to drive through a really dodgy part of Birmingham on the way home from my boyfriends house to Mum and Dads way back when I was 17! I used to ring him when I got home to let him know I'd arrived safely and always locked my car doors! I got stopped about three times in 12 months by police who at 10.30pm clearly didn't think a young girl should be out on her own at that time of night!

All three times I was breathalysed and all three times I'd not touched a drop, was just advised to 'watch my back' driving home alone at that time.

Those were the days (1987) when the police had the time and more importantly the resources to be able to carry out random checks.

 

[reynold]

In about 1973 when I was driving my parents car up the M4 from Bristol doing the speed limit (they'd driven down to pick me up from uni) I was pulled over by the police.

Their excuse was that I 'didn't look big enough to drive such a large car' !!

The car in question was a '72 Ford Zephyr which admittedly was a large powerful car with a 2.5l engine. (Basically a tank on wheels) and I'm only 5ft 4in

After all the usual checks we were allowed to go on our way but they insisted that my mother drove from then on. (I was about 20 at the time and my father didn't drive)

 

[canteron]

I think you should report him for his own sake - whatever way, the guy is either very stressed or has anger issues.
Either one of these will make his life difficult if not addressed.

 

[ElleSkywalkingintheair]

UPDATE, hacking buddy is putting in formal complaint giving me as witness. Not sure we will hear outcome of it but hopefully his attitude in both respects will be addressed

 

[SEL]

If it had been a real urgent call he wouldn't have cared less about a headshake ......

 

[nagblagger]

If he was concentrating on the road, as he should be, i'm surprised he actually saw the headshake!

 

[Aperchristmas]

If he was concentrating on the road, as he should be, i'm surprised he actually saw the headshake!

I was thinking that!

Really glad your hacking buddy has reported this - clearly not the temperament we need in the police force!

 

[sunnyone]

Was the PC who berated your friend related to another PC I heard of, I wonder?

Years back there was some type of protest at Newcastle Uni which a friend attended. The police were called and various arrests were made for disruptive behaviour including the black female student who told me that she too was arrested. She went to court after being charged with insulting behaviour, or some such. The magistrate wanted details, policeman said " she spoke in French sir. I have her words here: "Ooh, la, la"". Magistrate said "Case dismissed"

 

[MyBoyChe]

Im really pleased you decided to report this. He sounds like a jumped up little twerp but who knows how his behaviour might escalate if he gets away with it. Not all policeman fit the brief

 

[Tiddlypom]

So pleased that your friend is reporting the incident with you as witness. Her professional view will inevitably carry some extra weight.

 

[Blanche]

Many years ago when I was a teenager, I was hacking home with a friend from a days hunting when a passing policeman stopped us to tell us to have two hands on the reins, we were both riding one handed. When he left my friend commented that he had looked like a certain cartoon character and we burst out laughing.

He returned to tell us off for laughing at a police officer.

About forty years ago I had ridden my bike into town to meet my cousin. As we walked back to her house I pushed my bike while we walked on the pavement. A passing police car stopped and berated me for riding my bike on the pavement. When I said I wasn’t he then screeched that I would when he was gone! He was practically shaking with rage. He then went off and we just carried on talking. We then realised he kept driving past us but we just carried on talking about rubbish and laughing about teenage girl rubbish! On one drive past he screeched to a halt and said he was going to arrest us for laughing at him. We hadn’t been talking or laughing about him before but we did after that!

 

[ElleSkywalkingintheair]

Some people (being kind as so far it appears to be men people have stories about) really don't have the temperament to be in the police do they, some of these stories are ???

 

[J&S]

Trouble is that there has been in the past, and most likely today too, a shortage of recruits for the police force.
Some people want to join for the wrong reasons, (power, control, opportunity etc etc). now if you have plenty of people coming forward you might spend more time and effort weeding the slightly dodgy ones out. If you are desperate for more volunteers to join then you take them and hope for the best.

Another of my " many years ago" stories: young man, son of a prominent local family really wanted to join the police, he did enjoy "traffic control" at any opportunity in the local country lanes. Sadly he had a gun conviction so he was refused. A few years later the force was running a bit short, he re- applied and got in. We definitely did our best to avoid his attentions!

 

[blitznbobs]

Just to put the other side of the police - many years ago my horse was hit by a car who sped off with out stopping- it just so happened there was a police car coming the other way as my horse understandably ‘bolted’ down the road. I was hanging out the side door with no control but not wanting to come off onto the road… he was out of his car in a second and between him and the other horse i was with they boxed my horse in bringing to a walk so i could get reseated and dismount in an orderly fashion. He walked us back to the yard and made an effort to get a description of the car etc. it was found in a local pub and the occupants were duly processed for failing to stop… police are not all bad he helped to stop a bad incident being much more serious i will always be grateful

 

[Fred66]

Just to put the other side of the police - many years ago my horse was hit by a car who sped off with out stopping- it just so happened there was a police car coming the other way as my horse understandably ‘bolted’ down the road. I was hanging out the side door with no control but not wanting to come off onto the road… he was out of his car in a second and between him and the other horse i was with they boxed my horse in bringing to a walk so i could get reseated and dismount in an orderly fashion. He walked us back to the yard and made an effort to get a description of the car etc. it was found in a local pub and the occupants were duly processed for failing to stop… police are not all bad he helped to stop a bad incident being much more serious i will always be grateful

Agree with this, there is a lot of police bashing going on here. There are over 150,000 police officers in the UK and yes you will get the occasional bad one, but the vast majority are not.
OP said that in her opinion the police man drove appropriately past them, that it was only after he stopped that there was an issue.
On the basis he was on blue lights before he saw them but then after he had overtaken was not then I’d hazard a guess his emergency call was cancelled, possibly due to him having to slow due to the horses. It’s highly unlikely that he decided to ignore an emergency to point out to someone their attitude sucked.
Obviously shaking your head at someone is not a criminal offence, however pointing out to someone that their attitude is crap isn’t either and neither is it bullying.
Horse riders rely on drivers slowing and passping them with care and if when this happens riders not only don’t thank them but disrespect them then they run the risk of alienating drivers.
Please note this is not directed at OP as she was not the one with the issue.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Fred66, did you miss the fact that the OP's friend is a retired police officer and advanced driver, and that in the friend's opinion both his driving and his actions were unacceptable?

 

[Fred66]

Fred66, did you miss the fact that the OP's friend is a retired police officer and advanced driver, and that in the friend's opinion both his driving and his actions were unacceptable?

No I didn’t miss that but I don’t know the friend, I don’t know whether she has her own personal issues, and if she hasn’t I don’t know how long she has been out of the job and whether guidance has changed.

 

[Errin Paddywack]

Regardless of whether or not he was still on a call, there is no justification for having a go at someone for merely shaking their head at them. Had they been abusive then a reprimand but not the sort of response this officer had.