Police not doing a thing even when presented on a plate

B0bbyEwing

Twice in recent weeks I've used the local police online report form & submitted dashcam footage.

One was a guy who was right up my back end for ages. When I checked his reg he had no tax & no MOT (& they'd been out for some time, not just days or weeks). Reported this - no action will be taken, we don't deal with tax or MOT.

Well I'm pretty sure you stop people when you're out & about so why not now & why not load it to the ANPR cameras??

The second was someone who drove across me as I was parked & they were quite clearly on their phone. Literally 1 hand on the wheel, other hand holding their phone in front of their face as they were clearly talking away on loudspeaker. I guess she couldn't afford a phone mount after paying for her £40k car.

Again, uploaded footage. I gave the original clip at normal speed as well as an edited (slowed down) so you could see it clearly as well as a photo still.

Wont be doing anything. "Evidential issues". 

I've seen it on TikTok lately where people get busted for bad driving & the like and the comments are full of "grass" "snitch" etc. If you want to protect bad driving then that's up to you but I'm pretty sure you'll have a different opinion when someone you care about is ploughed by someone messing around on their phone & not looking at the road. The penalties are a joke but they are what they are.

Handed on a plate & they can't be bothered.

Merlin139

You can report no Road tax to DVLA on line:  https://contact.dvla.gov.uk/report-untaxed-vehicle

ButterCheese

Police budgets have been drastically cut, much like any other service.  Unless they see it with their own eyes, it's more trouble than it's worth for them to follow it up.  It's not fair, but it's the state we are in.  If they respond to third party evidence, they've still got to look into it, and then determine if the driver was the registered keeper, prove they were actually the ones behind the wheel in your photo, etc etc. If you are lucky they will sometimes send the registered keeper a letter saying "do better or risk a fine".

To give it some perspective, a drunk and drug driver ploughed through our garden wall a couple years ago.  Neighbours went out and took his keys, restrained him, called police.  Police came and he was too violent to provide a breath test.  He refused a blood test at the station.  He was already out on bail for other drug and drink driving offences.  We later learned that all charges were dropped as they could not provide enough evidence that it was him driving, even though there were 5+ witnesses who saw him, restrained him etc.  That's what we're dealing with

DullGreyGuy

ButterCheese said:

We later learned that all charges were dropped as they could not provide enough evidence that it was him driving, even though there were 5+ witnesses who saw him, restrained him etc.  That's what we're dealing with

Failure to provide a specimen is an offence in its own right with punishments arguably heavier than drink driving. Clearly there were reasons the CPS/Police decided not to prosecute which you arent aware of.

booneruk

ButterCheese said:

Police budgets have been drastically cut, much like any other service.

I'm not sure that's accurate. It might just not be being spent where you'd like it. I believe there's more spending on terrorism and fraud & electronic crime now than there used to be.

UnsureAboutthis

Hello. I feel your frustration.

At times, to many law abiding people it looks as though the police go for the easy kill, EG, easier to chase/fine/points on licence, etc etc if the driver/owner of the vehcile is properly registered.

There are a few people on the vlogs that go around on bicycles videoing vehicle drivers using their phone when they are not supposed to an/or some type of traffic offence. Even they are times when they send out hard evidence are either ignored or advised as "insufficient evidence."  I take my hat of to these cycle rides but at times in the smae vidoe clips, there are cycle riders that breach traffic regualtions who are not reported, EG, using a mobile phone,, jumping red lights and cutting across pedestrians on a crossing etc. 

I can only urge you to persevere as it is people like you who help us lawful people to get dangerous drivers to drive more safely and within the rules.

As others have stated, it is really difficult at times to get the police to do anything and even for what you may agree is a lot more serious than the info you sent.

I've been a victim of hit and run 4 times over a few decades and the last time is relatively recent 18 months or so. 
The police did naff all even though i sent the pictures of the culprit as he was forced to stop as there was nowhere to go. The bloke was either drunk or on drugs they way he stood/talked for  a couple of minutes - he was on the moible phone as I noted him driving to closely to me and he then crashed his banger into to the back of our car when we pulled up at red lights - he drove off. I sent the police all of the info, and initially it looked promising but they did naff all.

I know, have a couple of friends that run small/corner shops which are often open from 6/7am until at least 11pm, and the shoplifting is, will drive them under as they are struggling due to fierce competition from the mini supermarket outlets. They stopped reporting the shoplifting years ago. One of them was fooled by the new government and their promise to massively reduce shoplifting but all they appeared to have done take some money away from the police, so there is no hope.

I don't blame the police on the whole. Yes, I've met poor police officers but I've also met some that are dedicated to their job and understand how people like us feel when we report a crime/traffic violations and hand it to them on a plate, as you put it.

elsien

I reported someone for driving the wrong way down my one way street. Ring doorbell clearly showed person and registration. 

I wouldn’t normally bother because people do make genuine mistakes, but this woman was giving me the finger and didn’t give a toss so I was miffed!
The police replied to to say they will write to her as they prefer education to prosecution. I am 99% sure any education will not make the slightest bit of difference,
But it does come down to priorities and no one was hurt so cases like these are simply not a priority. I will be reporting her again if I see her in future though because I later found it was not a one off. 

UnsureAboutthis

elsien said:

I reported someone for driving the wrong way down my one way street. Ring doorbell clearly showed person and registration. 

I wouldn’t normally bother because people do make genuine mistakes, but this woman was giving me the finger and didn’t give a toss so I was miffed!
The police replied to to say they will write to her as they prefer education to prosecution. I am 99% sure any education will not make the slightest bit of difference,
But it does come down to priorities and no one was hurt so cases like these are simply not a priority. I will be reporting her again if I see her in future though because I later found it was not a one off. 

Credit to you for reporting.

You was lucky the police acted.
From what you say, "education" appears the right way forward as it may have been a "genuine mistake." However, the actions of this so-called driver does not appear to be of someone making a genuine mistake. (lets just hope this woman meets her match via sticking her "finger up" to some like herself.

I'm sure the cops have noted this.   

Please don't let this put you off as if we all stopped reporting thughs like this, it would definitely get much worse.

LightFlare

I have enough to worry about in my own life to be generally worried about what other people are or aren’t doing

Plus I would be a tad hypocritical to say I’ve never committed a traffic offence (speeding) - as I imagine would the vast majority of drivers

Pollycat

LightFlare said:

I have enough to worry about in my own life to be generally worried about what other people are or aren’t doing

Me too.
I may tut at the time but that's as far as it goes.

elsien

I wouldn’t have reported her if she hadn’t behaved  like a  complete !!!!!! when I tried to politely explain she had made a mistake. 

No need for it.