Smoking ban and British Transport Police?

Question

I am sickened to say that the British Transport Police have now been instructed to enforce the smoking ban in front of London Bridge station also. Not just inside but now the surrounding area. This is really beginning to piss people off now.

Last night while in the Pub on the station we decided to take some direct action as a form of protest and I want to know what is our position here?

The BTP PCSO informed us that it is a crime against the railways act to smoke in front of the station. So we decided that it is our duty to report crime where we see it. Therefore, every 15 mins we dialed 999 and reported that people were smoking in that area (it’s a very common area for people to smoke as it is outside the main station and there are hundreds of people an hour going though). Each time it was different people so it was a new crime?

Are we doing anything wrong here? Last night was a bit of fun. Next week it will be a much more organized fight back.

The objective is to SCREW their stats of reported crime. If they want to enforce it then we will help them do it. Otherwise, stop screwing with people lives and leave us in peace.

I recommend everyone do the same. Time to FIGHT back and reclaim our social lives.

Shells - WELL, if they dont have the resources to enforce it then they should say so.

Dry Dreamer - Hey man. Glad to have you. We have 40 already and thats just from last night. The more the better.

Answer 1

Yeah go for it.. The battle of London bridge..I may even join you

Answer 2

The PCSO is an idiot, smoking is not a crime it is a human right.

The railways Act is a regulation not a law and in a common law jurisdiction an Act is only enforceable by consent and I for one consent to nothing.

You are not doing anything wrong in terms of law because under article 61 of Magna Carta you have a right to lawful rebellion against unjust (so called) laws.

Your present policy of annoying our oppressors with numerous phone calls is good and commendable but it is not the best strategy. The best strategy is to learn the difference between common law, Admiralty law and contract law (youtube & google) and then get someone to secretly film you while you smoke in the non smoking area and when some a.rsehole in a uniform nicks you fight the case and win. This is possible when you know how. Once one person wins a case then a precedent is set which makes it easier for other people to win, at this point try and get thousands of people to have a huge smoke in.

Every member of the smoke in should be taught that provided they break no common law nor breach any contract then they have no obligation to even talk to the police let alone cooperate with them and no person or organisation has jurisdiction over such a person.

If enough people do this persistently enough victory will eventually be won. I live in Bristol and I am very busy with a small business to run otherwise I would be there organising it.

Answer 3

The funniest thing about smoking bans is that everyone takes them seriously, when in fact they are uneforceable everywhere.

Example. You light up in a bar. If the owner has removed the ashtrays and put up no smoking signs, the owner hasn't broken the law, and is under no obligation to knock the smoke out of your mouth.

So in the highly unlikely event that some moron calls the police, the police show up. About half an hour to two hours later, maybe, after they've had their free doughnuts and coffee.

By that time, the evildoer's gone.

It takes about four minutes to smoke a cigarette.

So I encourage you--keep breaking the law. Don't tie up emergency phone line over it, just do it.

In the U.S., by the way, we have anti-sexual harrassment laws in the workplace.

I'm sure these will soon be implemented in bars.

Answer 4

Have Bars started to go to the wall in England yet ? That's the next stage.

Whilst I agree with you on principle - 999 isn't something that should be abused in this way - carry on your protest in a different way - use the station number.

Make sure your protests are responsible - box clever mate !

Answer 5

And I suppose you've got nothing better to do than to waste people's time reporting those so called crimes?
Do you think its funny that some person with a real emergency somewhere is being put on hold just because you think thats a clever way to protest?
Why don't you just go and talk to each person who's smoking and inform them they are breaking the law? I bet it won't achieve anything but at least you're not wasting anyone's time except your own.

Answer 6

If you want to report it as a crime then phone the local nick, not dial 999. It's not an emergency and someone who was in desperate need of help may not be able to get through.

It may not have been so much fun last night if someone died as a result of you hogging the phone line.

Edit - I love the thumbs down. Total Plankton whoever did that.

Edit - Oh come on jb. I totally agree with you about the smoking ban, whilst I am loving eating in a smoke free environment I think it is grossly unfair to introduce a law and then expect the general public to enforce it. A man was shot in the face and died last week because he asked someone to put their *** out. HOWEVER, calling 999 because of it is pathetic. It's not an emergency. Have the number of the local police station on you and in-undate them with calls on that number.

Edit - Doctor John, I dont care lol it's all pantomine.

Answer 7

Do you realize that by smoking in a public area you are a danger to pregnant women, children and anyone that has a weakened respitory system? People that have asthma (Like young children) can have severe attacks that can send them to the emergency room! Please quit acting like a spoiled brat that doesn't get their way!

Answer 8

So in order to make your point, you endangered the lives of those who might have actually needed to contact the emergency services by calling 999 repeatedly? And you call that "a bit of fun"?! Tell that to the woman being raped or someone reporting a bomb threat when they can't access the police.

Any backing I might have had for you went out the window right there. There are better ways to make your point.

Dropping litter is effectively a crime - do you call the police every time that happens? If you think what you did will somehow change the law on smoking in public places, you're sadly mistaken.

Answer 9

Whilst I agree with your arguement, I cannot agree with you dialling 999 - that's bang out of order. The emeregency services and switchboard have enough to contend without without some **** ringing up 15 mins and disrupting their time

Answer 10

Could you get the number of BritishTransport Police and ring them. Make their lives hard. Seems well out of order to me. Don't know what they are trying to prove. I'm a hard line anti- smoker, but this is over the top.

Answer 11

Hear hear!!!

I totally agree with you, These ppl should stop persecuting smokers. ( I didn't know if the city is so devoid of crime that they started stopping ppl like that. Reminds me of that bungling policeman in a PG Wodehouse novel ).