Are police a waste of space?

Question

My son just got a £30 pound fine for having his fog light on.
Dam I'm cross. Advice and warning would have been reasonable.

End of the month detections rates required ?

Answer 1

Joke of the Day: How to get out of a speeding ticket!


A police officer pulls a guy over for speeding and has the following exchange:

Officer: May I see your driver's license?

Driver: I don't have one. I had it suspended when I got my 5th DUI.

Officer: May I see the owner's card for this vehicle?

Driver: It's not my car. I stole it.

Officer: The car is stolen?

Driver: That's right. But come to think of it, I think I saw the owner's card in the glove box when I was putting my gun in there.

Officer: There's a gun in the glove box?

Driver: Yes sir. That's where I put it after I shot the woman who owns this car and stuffed her in the trunk.

Officer: There's a BODY in the TRUNK?!?!?

Driver: Yes, sir.

Hearing this, the officer immediately called his captain. The car was quickly surrounded by police, and the captain approached the driver to handle the tense situation:

Captain: Sir, can I see your license?

Driver: Sure. Here it is. It was valid.

Captain: Who's car is this?

Driver: It's mine, officer. Here's the registration.

Captain: Could you slowly open your glove box so I can see if there's a gun in it?

Driver: Yes, sir, but there's no gun in it.Sure enough, there was nothing in the glove box.

Captain: Would you mind opening your trunk? I was told you said there's a body in it.

Driver: No problem. Trunk is opened; no body.

Captain: I don't understand it. The officer who stopped you said you told him you didn't have a license, stole the car, had a gun in the glove-box, and that there was a body in the trunk?

Driver: Yeah, and I'll bet the big liar told you I was speeding too!

Answer 2

First of all the police are not a waste of space, but then I am obviously biased anyway.

One of my pet hates is people that blatantly drive around with fog lights on when there is absolutely no fog at all. Its seems to be the cool thing to do. Instead of being cool all you actually do is dazzle and annoy other motorists. It's worse still if its a wet evening and the car is following you. In some cases advice and a warning are reasonable. The officer had the discretion to advise your son. This may have depended on your sons attitude to being stopped and advised, or the officer had decided on the outcome from the onset.

The disadvantages to just warning the driver are that when the officer has gone he/she will carry on as before, because all they get is a warning. If it costs them £30 each time then they are less inclined to do it.

I personally do not care where the money goes from the ticket. Likewise this would not be a figure I would be interested in. Arresting murderers, armed robbers, rapists, burglars, car thieves, drug dealers, users, thieves, muggers, paedophiles etc etc..... then yes!!

Accept it for what it is..... a minor penalty. There is no need to start ranting about the police.

Answer 3

Well, here in the U.S., ignorance of the law is not a viable defense for breaking said law(s). You're son had to pass some sort of examination to get a driver's license/permit, am I correct? Then he signed a paper acknowledging that he understood ALL traffic laws, rules, and regulations, and that he would thereby, abide by said laws. I wish that more people here would get tickets for driving with their fog lights on when it's not foggy. They're bright, they blind oncoming drivers, and here's one for ya'.....IT'S NOT FOGGY!!!!!! We have quite a few more idiotic infractions that I would love to see enforced. Driving on the shoulder of the road, running red lights that just changed, unsafe 3 and 4 lane changes (or as I like to call 'em, "the suicide exit"), tailgating, putting on makeup, eating, or talking on a cell phone without hands-free equipment, driving 30 minutes before sundown and 30 minutes after sunup without headlights, driving with high beams on, aggressive driving, driving while reading, not knowing how to execute a 4 way stop intersection with multiple cars, turning left from a center lane that isn't a turn lane, going straight in a turn only lane, crossing solid double yellow, and solid double white lines, not yielding to exiting traffic on service roads no matter what lane you're in. I can do this all day, but I prefer to find something else to answer that doesn't make me quite as mad. Your son deserved a warning, but as a driver, he should have already known the law. Pay the fine and be done with it. Sometimes warnings don't stick in the mind as heavy as a full penalty. I'll bet he never does that again.

Answer 4

I agree with Lisbeth.

How would you feel if someone else's son was driving with their fog lights on, blinded you, causing you to swerve and kill someone. It would be a different story then.

Then they would be a waste of space because they did not act.

Damned if you, damned if you don't.

Why should yours or my son be exempt from the law?

Would anarchy be better in our streets?

Are they a waste of time when they warn us each year about drink-driving, or are we the ones killing ourselves because we know better?

How many car deaths have you been to?

How many people have died in your arms due to pure and sheer stupidity?

How many mother's have you had to inform that their sons or daughters have passed away?

Should a warning be reasonable because the other driver was doing "only 35mph?" or should we give them a ticket because they "only failed to put on their seat belt?"

And then we expect "the waste of space" to clear up after us?

Sleep on safely at night, knowing that the very thin blue line, will do whatever they law and the restrictions allow them to protect you and your property!

The question is though what do you do as a citizen to make your town and country safer?

Or... it has nothing to do with me Jack until I need to call upon "the waste of space" and I want them here and now!

A coin has two sides?

Safely logging off, knowing that someone out there will do their best, whatever the abuse.

C

Answer 5

If it were you being blinded by the fog light, would you want the offender warned or ticketed? Opinions change when it is a relative and not a stranger. There could have also been some "conversation" between the officer and your son that you are not aware of.

Answer 6

Anyone with common sense knows that you don't drive around with your fog lights on. At least your son can take it as a lesson learned, and hopefully he won't do it again

Answer 7

sorry but your son should know not to have his fog light/s on unless it is necessary, I do get what you mean but hey, coppers are there to do a job and that is what they did.
If it were my son, or daughter they'd be banned from using the car for 2 or 3 days to remind them to respect other people and the law

Answer 8

yes,i think they can be sometimes (no offence to those black n white clothed thingies). But id say wardens are worse,like in the war theyd come bursting into your house and scream at you if you black-outs weren't completly covering the windows! So stupid! lol xxx

Answer 9

Normally officers would give a warning maybe your son shares your views and gave the officer good reason to think a warning would not be appreciated .

Answer 10

Stop bleating he broke the law fines are to small these days anyway all fines should increase 10 fold hit them in the pocket then they might have some respect for the law.