Police asking the public to "spy" on each other

[bossdogg 10]

Police are asking motorists to spy on each other for examples of poor driving in an alarming new extension of the 'Big Brother' state.

 

Drivers are told to be on the look out for inconsiderate driving or anybody making 'excessive noise' with their car.

 

Detailed reports - which critics warn could easily be malicious accusations against neighbours - are submitted to the police, who log extensive details on a huge computer database.

 

The details are also checked against DVLA databases and the Police National Computer.

 

Anybody who is reported twice in 12 months faces police action - despite never being caught breaking the law.

 

Officers say they can be considered 'repeat offenders'.

 

The action could involve a warning letter or even a knock on the door from a police officer.

 

The force that is piloting the scheme, Sussex, has already received 20,488 reports. They are made online - with the accused driver never knowing who is responsible.

 

Freedom of Information requests reveal 2,695 drivers have received 'letters of advice following reports of their driving'. A further 1,047 drivers have had 'sanctions imposed on them'. This happens when the reports lead to police discovering offences such as an out-of-date tax disc.

 

Police say it protects the public against dangerous drivers.

 

Critics have likened the scheme to the East German Stasi - which encouraged residents to inform upon one another. If successful, the so-called Operation Crackdown it is likely to be rolled out nationwide.

 

Dylan Sharpe, campaign director of Big Brother Watch, who uncovered the scheme, said the 'whole process is based on unfounded accusations by untrained and possibly prejudiced members of the public. He added: 'This scheme is wide-open to abuse; ranging from people with minor grudges against neighbours to busybody drivers who think they know what constitutes bad driving. 'It is the worst example of citizen snooping and clearly doesn’t work. Sussex Police would be advised to stop spending taxpayers money promoting this intrusive scheme'

link working now

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1313095/Big-Brother-fears-motorists-urged-spy-other.html

 

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Edited September 19, 2010 by Andy
Removed big empty space

[MissMonkey 10]

We're all aware that inconsiderate/careless driving can cause accidents.

Not so sure about the excessive noise though

 

P.s. That link doesn't work

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1313095/Big-Brother-fears-motorists-urged-spy-other.html

[NorthernStar 11]

I don't like the idea of the big brother police state and all that but if anything can be done about idiot drivers then I'm all for it as long as the police can prove that the accused aren't just the victims of some kind of malicious witch hunt.

 

Perhaps, the accusers should also be logged and charged for wasting police time if it turns to be a grudge or something.

Edited September 18, 2010 by NorthernStar

[nexusdee 10]

I agree NorthernStar whats to stop people reporting someone just cos they have a grudge against em, Im not sure how this can hold up after all the police have to have viable proof that can hold up in court

[muddywolf 10]

I think a system like this has been needed, maybe if the police get reports of a certain reg driving like crazy repeatedly action can be taken. I dont think the everyday driver who goes 35 in a 30mph limit has anything to worry about, it will be more about those people we witness and think "I wish a police trap was around the corner" because of the few and far between idiots we sometimes see.

[vwcrazed 10]

reported or not, there still has to be proof of an offence being commited before any prosecution. a car parked on a public highway, without a tax disc , is still a non moving traffic violation. im open to any ideas which stop people driving without tax, mot, insurance,because in most cases, the people driving these cars, are the ones, these things and others have been set up for. that includes the mandatory fitting of an exhaust off a boeing 757, onto a saxo lol.

[NightFlight 10]

Can't see that this is a bad thing IF the details of the "accuser" are taken and logged as well to protect against vendettas being waged. But by and large, how many people are actually going to be bothered to report every tom dick and harry they see doing somethign "wrong"?

 

it'll be those transgressions which defy logic and common sense that we occasionally see that people will judge to be serious enough to actually bother to go to the trouble of reporting.

 

And if all drivers know that if they annoy another road user with some careless and/or inconsiderate driving they may get reported for it, then all drivers "should" start drving more carefully and considerately. Those that don't are the c*nts we'd all rather have off the road.

[muddywolf 10]

reported or not, there still has to be proof of an offence being commited before any prosecution. a car parked on a public highway, without a tax disc , is still a non moving traffic violation. im open to any ideas which stop people driving without tax, mot, insurance,because in most cases, the people driving these cars, are the ones, these things and others have been set up for. that includes the mandatory fitting of an exhaust off a boeing 757, onto a saxo lol.

 

I agree it has to be witnessed by the police, If however they get 10 reports from different people of reg blah blah blah going crazy on his daily route to work they can set up a police just to see if the concerns are real. Hopefully this is what will happen.

[Plain Talker 11]

If someone is engaging in criminal behaviour, then why should folk have a problem with it being reported?

 

Surely the only folk needing to be mardy about this sort of thing are the scroates engaging in the drug dealing or boy-racing etc?

[TheBlueDragon 10]

I think getting people to inform the police if they see someone doing something is stupid. Our neighbours will just complain about nothing like they already do.

[chem1st 10]

If someone is engaging in criminal behaviour, then why should folk have a problem with it being reported?

 

Surely the only folk needing to be mardy about this sort of thing are the scroates engaging in the drug dealing or boy-racing etc?

 

The law changes over time.

 

Not so long back it was illegal to partake in sodomy.

 

would you have reported it to the authorities?

[vwcrazed 10]

The law changes over time.

 

Not so long back it was illegal to partake in sodomy.

 

would you have reported it to the authorities?

 

whats as this got to do with traffic law,and why introduce sodomy into this post/thread as an example anyway

Edited September 19, 2010 by vwcrazed