Wannabe Police Nazi Bikers

[limbimtimwim]

So when he pulls you over and you ask him why and he says 'no reason' does that mean you'll run ranting and sobbing to his commanding officer? But if he says "to check your licence" you would shrug your shoulders and say 'o.k. good-as man"???

Yep.

I always say 'no reason' when some wannabe bush-lawyer starts into me about "why have you stopped me? I haven't done anything wrong, why are you picking on me? Haven't you anything better to do?" at the side of the road before I even get out of the car. Decent folk get a courtious explanation as to why I stopped them and are most accepting and we part in good spirit. Which catagory are you??

I've never had to ASK for an explantion. The last one just said "One hundred and twelve" and that was that. Actually, I'm such a goody good I've only had one speeding ticket in my entire life. But if I were proceeding along a road having done nothing wrong (Because I, in general, know when I am doing wrong) and I got pulled over, I'd be a bit peeved and want to know why. YOU personally (I mean Mr Scumdog) don't have to worry about it, you are probably a good enough person not to waste everyones time, so it is not an issue for you. I would think 99.5% of police wouldn't pull someone over to 'no reason', they'd have their reason, and the driver would probably know what the reason was.

But it'd be a cold day in hell when a police officer says unprompted 'random pull over for the hell of it in the middle of the day is my reason' and I don't get upset.

You'd be annoyed too.

[terbang]

When cops pull me over I just ask them politely to get on with what they are going to do (write me a ticket or whatever) as quickly as possible so that I can get back on my way. Makes me laugh as most of them ask me the reason for the speed to which I allways ask back. 'will it make any difference'. They allways reply with 'No' and sometimes a little blurb about safety and so on. I give no reason and thank them for their concern. Their fines are in my biking budget.

[scumdog]

When cops pull me over I just ask them politely to get on with what they are going to do (write me a ticket or whatever) as quickly as possible so that I can get back on my way. Makes me laugh as most of them ask me the reason for the speed to which I allways ask back. 'will it make any difference'. They allways reply with 'No' and sometimes a little blurb about safety and so on. I give no reason and thank them for their concern. Their fines are in my biking budget.

Your biking 'budget' seems like it would be a shitload moe expensive than mine.

[terbang]

However I also believe in credit where credit is due. Rode back from Tauranga in all that shite weather and just as I was approaching home the weather fined up and the road dried. Bumped the speed up a bit and just as the Kays started reeling on, over the brow of the next hill comes a police car. Might be in the budget but I am a Scotsman from way back. On the picks and glance at the speedo as its swinging back through 130K..! On come his flashing lights and I get the finger (not the rude one) waved at me. Turned his lights off and carried on. I was surprised because it would have been a fair cop. Anyway to the point here, it gave me a bit of a fright and was an effective warning as I certainly towed the line a bit more for the remainder of the trip.

[spudchucka]

Hm. But there are other criminals, and some no less dangerous to the innocent. And not all of them drive, or not all the time anyway.

So, by logical extension, do you suport random stopping and search of pedestrians? After all, that innocent looking guy may have a pocket full of P.

Likewise, not all folk carrying out illicit acticities in their houses give external evidence of their wrongdoing. So , you would support random searches of peoples homes, too? After all any one of those houses could be harbouring a clan lab?

And what about those crimes that have no physical evidence, or the evidence is ephemeral. So, the guy has nothing in his car . Or his pockets. Or at his house. But, he COULD still be, say, a pedophile. So, by extension, should you not select random people for extensive interrogation. Or monitoring, surveillance. Think of all the innocent kiddies that could be protected , just by eliminating that archaic nonsense about presumption of innocence and freedom from arbitrary this and that.

Why should anyone object? After all, if you've nothing to hide, you've nothing to fear. right? Just a minor inconvenience.

You are delving into the huge debate over the balance between an individuals rights to privacy and crime control.

Don't dig too deep because it will end up being bigger than the scottish thread.

There are currently quite reasonable means for dealing with the scenarios you depict. Supporters of crime control, (not just the police) would quite happily agree to extending current powers of stop and search but I more or less 100% guarantee you it will not happen in this country under this Govt, (even with National in power it would be extremely highly unlikely).

[spudchucka]

The question was "should police have the right to arbitrarily detain and search".

Check sections 21 & 22, New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990.

[scumdog]

But it'd be a cold day in hell when a police officer says unprompted 'random pull over for the hell of it in the middle of the day is my reason' and I don't get upset.

You'd be annoyed too.

I'll let you know the first time it happens.

I've been pulled over four times in the last 15 years, in circumstances that the precious types could have thought "He's pulling me over, I haven't done anything wrong, he's pulling me over for no reason"
Once 'cos my number-plate was bent (had a ding-dong at the side of the road over how it had to be bent to fit the no. plate bracket), didn't get ticket though.
Once for a licence/WOF check.
Twice at road-block breath testing

And no, they did not know who they were stopping and the two first stops were when I was a freezing worker. (Unshaven, long hair, tattered black jersey, steel-cap boots - the whole nine yards) and still got no grief from the cop apart from the 'discussion' about the bent plate.

[Patrick]

Hi guys, was going through Onehunga a short while ago and came across a bike cop waiting to turn right behind a set of lights, as I got closer he was underway on the arrow, and it went amber before I got there, so I stopped.

I turned on the green, and another biker coming the other waved at me and made the spinning light sign, I wasn't speeding (but thanks anyway if you are out there).

The cunning cop was waiting just before the motorway and pulled out after I had gone past, must have pi##ed him off when he saw I wasn't speeding.

Now stopping and waiting for me, is that getting close to entrapment??

Haven't they got anything more important to do than try to aggravate bikers??

Lay off the "P" you paranoid crack head...

[Fatjim]

I met a cop last night that seemd a decent bloke.

[Ixion]

You are delving into the huge debate over the balance between an individuals rights to privacy and crime control.

Don't dig too deep because it will end up being bigger than the scottish thread.

There are currently quite reasonable means for dealing with the scenarios you depict. Supporters of crime control, (not just the police) would quite happily agree to extending current powers of stop and search but I more or less 100% guarantee you it will not happen in this country under this Govt, (even with National in power it would be extremely highly unlikely).

Yes, I agree with you. But, that is only because whenever someone sticks his head up and suggests it, enough people jump up and down and make noises about it. Price of liberty and all that.

BTW, FTR, I've never been stopped , in 40 odd years, without there being a reason for the stop . Excepting booze bus type things I guess, but I don't have a problem with them, because it's not random. They stop everybody.

[Squeak the Rat]

Was this copper on his bike or off it? If he was on it he wasnt doing speed checks, NZ Police bikes dont have mobile radar yet and the laser pouches havent been approved yet.

Yet?...... D'oh.

[Patrick]

They are getting them approved....well i know at central they are looking at it.

To be honest i get pissed off with people speeding in Auckland City, so many fatalities and injuries from cars not being able to stop in time to avoid push bikes and peds.

and motormicycles...

[ManDownUnder]

Yep...all the fatal an non fatal ones i have seen though are from red light runners or crazy u turns. Speed in town becomes a problem when push bikes or peds walk on the road or accidentally fall onto the road.

Was a nasty one about two weeks back.

So... is it illegal for us pedestrians to point them out with a.. say... paintball gun? What a lark that would be

100 people lined up and every bastard that runs a red light gets 200 paint balls decorating the front/sides/back (and hopefully inside?) of the car. I reckon they'd change their habits pdq

"EAT RED SUCKER *WHACKWHACKWHACKWHACKWHACKWHACKWHACKWHACKWHACKWHAC KWHACKWHACKWHACKWHACKWHACKWHACKWHACKWHACKWHACKWHAC KWHACKWHACKWHACKWHACKWHACKWHACKWHACKWHACKWHACKWHAC KWHACKWHACK*

... "fuck"...