Ask The Copper

[gopher]

i wouldn't think the police would actually do anything about it unless they actually saw it.
i would think they had more important things to do like they keep saying when you have a complaint.

we had a kid that used to ride a trail bike (while his parents were at work) up & down the street for hours on end doing donuts on everyones footpaths in the park or wherever he felt like it.
phone calls to the police resulted in we'll get there when we can (usually never).

problem was eventually solved by speaking to the kids father & the bike hasn't been seen now for about 6 months :thumbsup:

just like this copper when it comes to answering everyones questions

 

[helly]

Yeah, well sometimes we actually do have more important things to do, like go to armed hold ups, lock up peadophiles, arrest blokes who bash their wives, scrape people off train tracks, cut down people who hang themselves and then escort their bodies to the morgue and prepare reports for the coroner, oh and go to their families place and break the news... Blah Blah Blah (I'm not bitter either, just stating the facts).

I'm sure there's another 1000 jobs that come just before the kid doing burnouts on his trail bike... But like I said, police can act on matters reported by members of the public regardles of whether they are summary or indictable. And also like I said before, each officer determines his or her own course of action. So if they had a few suicides on their plate, they actually may have had something more important to do...

Believe it or not!

 

[gopher]

I'm sure there's another 1000 jobs that come just before the kid doing burnouts on his trail bike...

but shouldn't any complaint to the police be acted upon?
even if it is a week or so later.

 

[minux]

Police can investigate any matter based on a formal complaint. Police however wouldn't normally take action unless they had a signed statement from the witness which means that they can subpoena them to court. In most cases it would be a case of having a chat and giving a caution or warning, depending on how serious the matter was.

In NSW police to can also confiscate your car for doing burnouts. However I've never heard of anyone doing it from a public complaint, reason being,if we see it, we know you did it. If we didn't see it it becomes you against him and we would just let it be fought out in court and have the magistrate determine what is the apporpriate punishment. Maybe if you had like an inch of rubber under your wheel arch then you'd probably just be happy you got away with it that many times before they caught up with you...

I understand they can investigate any matter, but i fail to see how they can confiscate a car based upon rubber under a guard. Ive had this many times while spending the night at calder doing legit 1/4 miles. If i was to be pulled over for having rubber under my guards id be pissed at times i have it up the rear of my car.

Anyways, helly, glad to have a real officer on board that can help out the welshman with their questions, kudos to you mate.

 

[9C1pack]

If you wonder why the cops don't attend, buy yourself a radio scanner and hear what the cops get involved with! In my quiet part of country victoria (Bendigo) it would seem that the Police are more like social workers, as they continually get called out to jobs such as, "person has taken pills or threatened to harm themselves", plus welfare checks on elderly and ill people who's family have tried to ring them, but they uncharcteristically don't answer their phone, plus all the other things previously mentioned.
Since the governments closed down loony asylums and the well paid mental health people seem only to work 9 till 5, it is the poor old local cop who has to act as social worker. Leaving them less time for the things that concern us, such as being harassed by unsupervised kids on their trail bikes.

 

[gopher]

maybe when the kid on the bike (without a helmet)comes off it & needs to be scraped up or the pissed off neighbours taking the law into their own hands then police will attend.
because then it will be important.
lets not worry about saving someone beforehand by spending 5 minutes to issue a warning or fine.

 

[9C1pack]

Write a letter to your local MP, stating your concerns about safety in your local area, tell them you want more cops on duty, for faster response times as you do not feel safe!
The thought of losing their seat (job) may spur them into action, Law and Order are usually issues come election time!
I have always been told that a letter gets more resonse form Pollies than an irate phone call, as they realise it takes more effort and also makes them accountable as they (or their staff) have to reply.

 

[helly]

Greengopher...

That depends what you mean
9C1pack has hit it on the head. Yes every complaint should be answered. And it generally does when the complainant calls police.

Quite often the answer is "We can't get there right now", "would you like to see police when they can get to you?" (Yes!) "What's your name sir?" (Why do you need that?)...

You see that's where I hang up... Too many people want things done but don't want to get involved. If you just want someone to drive down your street cos you've got propblems with hoons, then it'll probably get done. especially if you aren't the only person who called.

My motto is, "If you don't want to get involved, don't call, cos neither do I"

But hey if you have a valid complaint and want to see police cos you have the rego and make of car and want to give police statement so we can actually take some action then you'll get a very different response in most cases.

In most cases though, as said a number of times, police have a lot more other things on their plate to deal with, and the person calling thinks that they are the only person in town with a problem(which is only human).

 

[helly]

Greengopher, I missed your next comment while I was typing...

Yeah look that's completely valid, nut the fact is that Police are generally already responding to jobs where the kid has already come off and is being scraped up off the road or out of someone esle's windscreen. But it just comes down to priorities.

There's a big difference between a "WHAT DID" and a "WHAT IF"...
"What did" comes in at a priorty over the "What If" unfortunately. I wish we really had more time to be there for all the What if's b ut we don't...

 

[9C1pack]

Helly:
Do police get allocated a car to drive, or do you rush to get a favourite vehicle?
What is your prefered car to drive, and is it for comfort or drivability?