Safe Speed Forums

Sadly.. very sadly..


As most know // our head trainer got pinged in Falkirk at 118 mph on a motorway. He has recieved a three month ban after pleading guilty on the basis he had not cleared per protocol This was advised on legal advice seeking to miti8gate length of ban on basis that Paul had since retired


I guess we can say there is not one rule for us and another for others on this basis

I have to report that our fine Inspector who until he took early retirement - trained up the team here and did a STERLING JOB which made our team one of the ACCEPTED FINEST in EUROPE as tough on car crimes, traffic offences and kept Durham SAFE as a coninuum.. and no ban can take this way from Paul G

He did a difficult job.. and he had the ultimate responsibility of ensuring the Durham RPU team delivered the goods and he succeeeded - placing our RPU on the platform to emulate.


Many think he got a raw deal .. especially when you consider Milton's paltry excuses which never convinced us and which action we would take a dim view of.

But our Inspector was on a normal recce. Admittedly he did not follow protocol and admittedly he was also picking up another of our staff from a hospital after being treated for injury sustained whilst on duty here - and admittedly he found himself on a motorway which just seemed to provide the right criteria for an "unseen" test.


Oh.. we do not just train "abroad" because it is "less congested" per the tabloid spin for effect.


We train within our patch. We TEST beyond our patch as you cannot really test a skill on tried and tested grounds. All exams have to show the candidate fully understands the logic.. the theory and we have to then test on UNSEEN territory to fully put skills to test and assess properly so as to deliver safety at all times to our long suffering public.

Even Dick B does this./... along with every other Police Force in the land.

Our Inspector realised the training potential; as he is/was dedicated 101% to his job. He got short shrift as seniors carry a much heavier burnde than lackeys like PC Milton


Oh - we accept he bent the rules.. but he was still more in order than PC Milton who was "just testing the car". Our guy was testing a potential test area.. admittedly on a spur of moment decision and not formally agreed in advance A mistake and we learn from the mistakes .. only in this case we paid the price of losing a fine officer and a slur on our reputation of fair and professional.

I am sure road safety will be well served by not training to collar criminals in accident black spots.., but with least risk to the public by virtue of such training

Serious criminals . and I am talking of that sich majority out there who really have no regard for the lives of any other person - they do not care how many collisions warrant a speed trap either

We need to practise how to respond without compromising any safety of the normal road user so how they travel and the best way we can do this is by taking the classroom theory,, the computerised "virtual". the track/old airfield ,, out onto the roads which we will ultimately have to drive on .. and respond to the normal law abiding driver who will "FREEZE" when faced with blue lights and sirens "as natural reaction"

Look .. we know you normal types will just freeze... jellify .. and all I can say is to keep calm as we are aware of panic buttons

But we are trained to accept this all the same and just deal with the situations as they crop up Our former Inspector excelled in this aspect of training here

I am sure the C+ militant cycling types will be farting hot air over this.

I will remind again that our patch are cycling friendly.. have less carnage overall than anywhere else and that this achievement happened to be down to Inspector Paul G./ He planted the seed of expertise.. we continue that legacy.

I will also remind again.
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DO NOT EVER break the provision of the Road Traffic Act. Because of Inspecot PaUl G.. we have a team perfectly au fait with the law ans its enforcement .. and we are not at all "soft" on the idiotic out there so how they try to travel We have words regardless and it is no accident that we have a decent reputation :popcoirn:


I agree it could be better - but we are dealing with human beings who wil have accidents despite their best intent to the contrary and why we need the courts to take account of the genuine fleeting human error and differentiate from the idiot whjo drove whilst unqualified - knowingly unfit or in vehicle he or she could not be "bovvered" to maintain


Because of this knowledge of our hono sapiens but accident prone species.. we have to accept human error and wight this error on the scales of justce all the same.


I think I am saying that I perhaps understand King Solomon here ..


Oh .. I sing in a choir in the churches and our Cathedral. I also attend Church. which does not make me a "nutter":wink: - but someone who enjoys the values of the Christian society which underpins the stature laws of this land.

_________________
Take with a chuckle or a grain of salt
Drive without COAST and it's all your own fault!

A SMILE is a curve that sets everything straight (P Diller).

A Smiley Per post
FINES USfor our COAST!

Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon - but driving with a smile and a COAST calm mind.

Perhaps he should now come forward as a proponent of excessive speed kils as he felt he was driving safely at 118mph, some 48mph above the limit. For 6,7, 8 and 9mph over the limit many get a 6 month ban.

Come on if speed kills say it if you believe otherwise say so.

Let's get a proper safety policy in place and not a money making machine.

With respect eyeopener, I think you should know that Inspector Paul G. worked as part of one of the few constabularies that refused (and refuses) to be part of a camera partnership.

As I understand it, Durham use traffic police to minimise road accidents assisted by one speed camera (police operated). As InGear states this is how they have managed among the best road accident statistics in the country. In Durham inappropriate driving both within and outside the speed limit is likely to be noticed by police officers who will take appropriate action to correct immediately.

In Durham they already follow "Let's get a proper safety policy in place and not a money making machine" and this is, in part, due to Inspector Paul G.

It appears to me that the Inspector, by virtue of his position, was entitled to decide to carry out such a test at a time and place of his own choosing. The only problem appears to be that he carried out this test without formally notifying the local police of his intention. In addition he was in a camera partnership area where, by definition, no discretion is applied.

I can only agree with InGear that the Inspector's departure is a loss to the Durham Constabulary and a loss to the road safety community as a whole.

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Malcolm Cooper

Our Inspector was on duty. He made a snap decision . but had not cleared it officially.

His case was confounded by the fact he admitted he was on the way to pick up another officer from rehab after injury sustained on duty :banghead when he realised the setting was ideal for testing skills for the trainees on an "unseen" test.

He was not doing a Med Hughes nor a Milton.. but genuinely considering a road as a training and test route. Only he did not clear with his boss or with the Scots police.

He was prepared to challenge.. but advised that the lack of protocol and the fact he was picking up another officer did undermine the "on nromal duty argument on a legal technicality"


We are safety led here and we will always seek to to educate with punishment being the last alternative option and used only if the offence warranted the only option left

Durham certainly siu not the bad enemy here.


Have to say though, we are not a soft touch either We do prosecute careless/downright dangerous and al other crimes here.




We are just above the middle rank in the charts.

We think this reflects life as it is in our mixed area and it's rather unfortunate borders with "knowncrime hubs" - which I stress are not so due to our neighbour's policing strategy.. but because the triumviate of the North East are dealing with some rather nasty hard ocre thugs.


But we do not ever prosecute anyone for the sake of it.. and we will try to apply common sense interpretation of all laws

Our force does have a good track record on "fair play!" on aggregate.

_________________
Take with a chuckle or a grain of salt
Drive without COAST and it's all your own fault!

A SMILE is a curve that sets everything straight (P Diller).

A Smiley Per post
FINES USfor our COAST!

Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon - but driving with a smile and a COAST calm mind.

I couldn't think of a better "Safespeed" ambassador - if he'd be willing...

...just a thought...!

In Gear, you don’t think it would have anything to do with “they where out to get him” by any chance.

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Useless laws weaken necessary laws.

Now Dixie

Don't put words into my mouth

We backed Paul G 100% and we were hopeful that he and we would "ride out the storm" so to speak...


We were worried over "PR" and accusation of "one rule for us and another for the rest" as well .. when we are the one police force who try to do the FAIR PLAY and Paul played a pivotal role in our road safety deliverance with common sense attached campaign .. He was tthe one who kept the team on toes.. planned ther test routes.. trained the team as to how to deal with offenders in such a a way as not to fan flames . and offer time honoured guidance as to what to look for when offering discretionary professional assement. That guy ,, he had 30 years of RPU behind him.. and Durham as a County OWE him.. so we are not going to disown or condemn here. We accept that he should have followed HIS OWN RULES al the same. But we accept that any officer may use his own common sense, judgement , assessment .. just as PC Milton did We supported Paul G and we still do.


This is a force who never ever places the public in danger if we train in public.


We do have to do this.. we have to be able to respond.. and be sure we will not add to risks and danger to the public at large. We have to then train and test whilst neogtiating with and rquesting public co-operation/

I can only suggest assisting vehicles with blue ights/who/whoos. We are trained to accept folk out there can freeze and panic.. No need .. just be aware.. and we are not expecting you to put yourselves in danger.. we can see the situation too. Just assist the overtake when safest to do so.. FOR YOU!

We will, can and do make contingency plans.. our Inspector was ace at training this by the way


He was due to retire anyway after 30 years of good service. I think it a tragedy it was on such a sour note. He left a legacy of expertise though .. a standard.. and Durham owes our Inspector ratther a lot as it his training kept the county safe and also kept relations with our public (ESSENTIAL ASSET IN CRIME DETECTION - ALLL CRIME DETECTION]\\) on an even-ish course.

Was it "teach them rebels down there a lesson"


I do not wish to think so.. Nor does Paul G either ..

We do have a snotther good man in charge though

_________________
Take with a chuckle or a grain of salt
Drive without COAST and it's all your own fault!

A SMILE is a curve that sets everything straight (P Diller).

A Smiley Per post
FINES USfor our COAST!

Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon - but driving with a smile and a COAST calm mind.

HI, apologies, you seem to have taken it as a criticism of him. When what I was implying is that he is a person who knows the difference between safe speed and unsafe speed regardless of limits, otherwise he would automatically crash or injure someone when exceeding a speed limit as the anti-speed freaks would have us believe. (yes I know he will be more highly trained but we are not all numpties at driving as you will no doubt appreciate many of us drive to the conditions environment and speed limit etc,)

Therefore, as Mole states, perhaps he should be an Ambassador, he will obviously know the difference between truth and lies within the current scameraship road safety policy.

Regards