This one's going down

[xpod]

I wasn't referring especially to this case (although I don't think hearing is blocked by hills) but in general people think the lights and sirens are enough to make everyone behave in a sensible manner and I can assure you that they don't.

Well i can agree with that.
Lights & sirens can indeed make people act in all manner of senseless ways.
It`s just a pity that the lack of lights and sirens at 94Mph were deemed the sensible thing to do in this case.

[Lord Nikon]

Originally Posted by Derek S

I wasn't referring especially to this case (although I don't think hearing is blocked by hills) but in general people think the lights and sirens are enough to make everyone behave in a sensible manner and I can assure you that they don't.

With all due respect Derek, and without knowing the area myself at all, it's entirely possible that the reflection of sound from the hill and / or surrounding buildings could have led to the impression that the car was a street or more away. The fact that it was night sometimes exacerbates that effect due to reduced traffic, The biggest help at night is the flashing of the beacons on the roof of the police vehicle and the presence of the headlight strobes, since at night the eyes tend to notice perceived movement more readily and a strobe gives the impression of rapid movement. Furthermore, today's modern vehicles have a low audible signature even under aggressive driving conditions. The main VISUAL indicators to pedestrians and other road users present on the police vehicle also were not in operation, and since the battenberg markings are reflective high visibility strips designed to reflect directed light, they would not have helped in the circumstances.

This is not in any way an attack on any posts in this thread, or posters, but an observation.

Originally Posted by Derek S

Ah nice to see the usual feelings of goodwill and peace are still about on CF. Oh...




Broken legs and nooses all round for some people. I suppose all people convicted of Death by Dangerous Driving automatically get a bullet in the kneecaps or back of the head in Zingle and Moldova land? Or just the ones in white hats?



I suppose that would all depend on if you had a reason to drive at 90MPH which despite what some people want is sometimes necessary to do and is sometimes safe enough to justify doing it.

Have a good look at the video from inside the car.

I'll even go through the salient points for you.

0 - 49 Seconds - Car is travelling at around 30MPH, the driver isn't hooring it about for a laugh. He gets up to just over 40MPH for a few seconds.

50 seconds - A car goes past him in the opposite direction. It is read by his ANPR camera and alerts him by means of a noise and he (I imagine) looks down at the screen to see the vehicle is wanted in connection with a crime.

51 - 72 seconds - Still going at about 30MPH (probably reading why the vehicle is wanted and deciding if it is acceptable to pursue it he finds a spot to turn his vehicle




73 - 96 seconds - He accelerates hard away up a hill to catch the vehicle. In these 20 seconds or so he has to (he is alone in the car so no neighbour to do it

• Continue driving
• Make ground on the vehicle
• Inform his control room he is pursuing a vehicle
• Decide whether to activate his lights and sirens which may alert the vehicle (still unsighted) he is after it any allow it to dive down a side street

Those 20 seconds has cost a girl her life but he wasn't out with the express intention of killing someone and his driving was in no way dangerous or unprofessional till that point.
As well as him losing his job he'll probably never drive again and he *will* feel remorse for the death, far more than half the people who kill when driving.

The other thing which I've noticed is the only other people in the entire video are at the very end when they were crossing the road. In the previous footage not one other pedestrian was seen and bearing in mind it was after 11 its possible that might have had an impact onto whether or not he activated his warning equipment.

But hey why let that get in the way of a decent witchunt.

Each case on its own merits

This guy denied it he didnt hold his hands up so let him rot

How you can speak for how he feels I do not know? Will he feel remorse for causing a death or right now will he be feeling remorse cuz he is locked up where he belongs??

You just feel vunerable Derek cuz one of your own has been sent down earlier in the thread you were happy to wait for the verdict now the verdict has been read you are still defending the guilty

zingle land is not that bad you are not surrounded by fairies and pansies and do gooders in it

I quite like my land of fairies and pansies and do gooders, actually - feel the love....

Originally Posted by foreverwar

I quite like my land of fairies and pansies and do gooders, actually - feel the love....

Problem is when someone comes into the land with hate no one knows what to do with them and as you try to stroke their hair and say hello they are sticking a knife in your guts

Well it might be nice and an eye opener for the judgemental types here to actually walk a mile in a policeman's shoes.

So many of you really seem to equate ALL policemen as being of the same mettle..they are not.Some of them are decent people doing their best whilst being tarred by armchair critics as a bunch of violent speed freaks with no regard for the public.

I wonder how many of us would fare as policemen and if we could actually take split second decisions that do involve life and death decisions and make the correct decision.

[Gary L]

Originally Posted by Maggy J

Well it might be nice and an eye opener for the judgemental types here to actually walk a mile in a policeman's shoes.

You're generalising Maggy. it's all about this one officer and the death he caused. nobody is really talking about the police in general.

Originally Posted by Gary L

You're generalising Maggy. it's all about this one officer and the death he caused. nobody is really talking about the police in general.

I've seen too many threads on CF that really show that a few of those posting in this thread dislike the police intensely..

As for generalising try re-reading some of the posts in this thread.

Originally Posted by Maggy J

Well it might be nice and an eye opener for the judgemental types here to actually walk a mile in a policeman's shoes.

So many of you really seem to equate ALL policemen as being of the same mettle..they are not.Some of them are decent people doing their best whilst being tarred by armchair critics as a bunch of violent speed freaks with no regard for the public.

I wonder how many of us would fare as policemen and if we could actually take split second decisions that do involve life and death decisions and make the correct decision.

I have made it clear on many occasions that there are a few bad apples that need to be got rid of. Talking of being judgmental my uncle is a copper when I was about 15 I stole some money off my mother he took me to see the chief constable as a frightener. Well he made a judgment on me that day thats lasted about 10 or more years after I had totally cleaned myself up and my twin cousins were visiting my uncle (his nieces my mum has 4 siblings) I was at his brothers house and he told me about the visit so he called my policeman uncle and asked if I could go visit. He said once a thief always a thief and he refused to let me visit . So we are all capable of being judgmental

He is also the same one who was violent and the old boys brigade covered it up

I judge as I see on individual merit. I have had my run ins with the law in my youth and I have experienced both sides good coppers and bad coppers so I do know what I am talking about

[Derek]

I wonder what this guy will get. I'd imagine a hell of lot more than 3 years.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8269173.stm

An ex-Met police officer who crashed into a woman after driving at 100mph on an errand in a patrol car has admitted causing death by dangerous driving.

[Gary L]

Hopefully about 15.

[papa smurf]

Originally Posted by Derek S

I wonder what this guy will get. I'd imagine a hell of lot more than 3 years.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8269173.stm

a life time to reflect on what he has done

[Derek]

Originally Posted by Gary L

Hopefully about 15.

14 is the maximum IIRC. With a guilty plea knocking at least a 1/3 off it even if the judge puts him as an example he'd only get 10-ish.

Originally Posted by papa smurf

a life time to reflect on what he has done

Yep. A stupid, stupid thing to do.

[punky]

I can't see him getting the maximum. Noone does. Its rare anyone does end up even with a custodial sentence.

This chap was considerably worse and only got 7 years http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/s...re/8268874.stm

Probably 3/4 is what he would get.

[soicky]

It'll be a lot worse for him though being a copper.