Why me?

Just returned from our annual weeks holiday sailing in Salcombe in Devon.
Weather very nice but little wind so we invested in a little inflatable and outboard to potter around on in the mean time.

Went to visit Dartmouth,parked up along the embankment and went into town shopping.

Returned in 1 hour 45 mins so that I was well within the 2 hour parking limit.
There on the windscreen was a fixed penalty ticket.

Opened it up to find it was for the offence of having an illegal number plate as the space between the last number and first letter wasnt far enough apart.

Strange really as this number plate has been on my wifes car for the last 3 years and her brothers 2 years before that.
When he transfered it to my wife before leaving for Oz we just used the same plates.

I have several friends who are police officers who have never noticed it or mentioned it was iffy.
The car is parked on the main road for all passing plod to see but still no mention of it being an offence.

Being cynical I can only draw several conclusions:

1 My oppos in the police here at home arent bothered or see as an offensive plate.
2 It was a slow crime day in Dartmouth.
3 The police officer is the most alert in Britain.
4 It was noticed from my tax disc window sticker I wasnt local plus my HMS Ganges sticker meant I was also a navy bod.

It these times of police asking for the public's co-operation and the goverment asking the police to show more discretion I find this is missing the target by miles.
It is increasing the target figures for fixed penalty issue so no doubt that is more appealing to the powers that be.

Surely a warning notice or friendly chat would point it out to be corrected etc.

I will pay my fine,change my number plates etc but my co-operation has wilted somewhat.

And to top it all when we finally got the boat out in Salcombe harbour it started to sink due to a hole in it caused by the launching trolley enroute down to Salcombe.
My oppo had to be dragged out of the Kings Arms by a mobile phone call to rescue us.
My wife blagged a new pair of trousers off me from Fat Face saying she wasnt going to the pub in wet gear!

I have claimed 2 weeks survivors leave and have retired to the pub.

Happy Holidays to you all. :thumright:

 

Now that is a green rub. I suspect that it wasn't a Police Officer who issued the ticket but a jobsworth traffic warden who had just read all the small print (must have had plenty of time since his/her love life was so barren) and needed a few "crimes" to fill his/her book. How about trying for an appeal so that the little prat has to go to court and explain it?

 

One now has to be very careful, VERY careful about appealing fixed penalty notices unless one is ABSOLUTELY sure one has the legal right on one's side. If a court case fails, new guidelines to magistrates require them to issue a 'unit fine' which is based on INCOME. So challenging a £30 or £50 ticket just to air a grievance could result in a £1000 fine for a person in a high income bracket. That this will scare off people who do actually have a case is no doubt intended; challenging the majesty of the Stalinist ZanuLiebour state is not appreciated.

Moral (in this case): if you have a 'clever' number plate, get it changed for a legal one. And don't drop sweet wrappers (unless you are a 'traveller', in which case you can dump any amount of litter anywhere, and sh't too, and the council will obediently clean up after you).

 

Check your number plate to see if it has (BS AU 145d) stamped on it.

If it has that means that the number plate conforms to the british standard so it must be legal.

*awaits incoming and is prepared to get off the bus*

 

According to the ticket it has PC*** down as issuing.

Also states no video evidence taken.

Even got the model of car wrong as well.

Cant be arsed to fight it but there are is more than one way to skin a cat!

I will keep you posted.

Revenge is a dish best served cold. :threaten:

 

If the plate has been on the car for 3 years I assume you may well have had it MOT'd during that time. If so and it wasn't pointed out then you may have a case. How were you to know it was illegal! Unless of course it's blindingly obvious in which case an MOT tester should have noticed.
Also, if the make of vehicle is wrong on the ticket you also have a case.
The officer is obviously incompetent and it should be thrown out.
I would take it further. If the cop couldn't get the make of a car right how come he or she is so good at spotting an iregularity in a number plate.

 

Thanks for that,all this will be pointed out to the Chief Constable in my letter to him along with said offending numbers plate which he will also receive.

 

Had a reply today and my complaint/query is being investigated by a top team of investigators (Miss Marple and Hetty Wainwright)

I wait with bated breath.

 

Unfortunately I've friends be hit with same thing. Over the years and have had plate for ages.

Coppers down here love pulling people for illegal number plates be it only cos of the spacing.

Here's the regulations on it.

http://www.dvla.gov.uk/media/pdf/leaflets/displayofnumberplates.pdf

As far as I'm aware it's not the MOT test to make sure you legally spaced letters. If I remember correctly only a broken/unreadable plates are a failure. It's like the thing about loud exhausts and window tints there's laws against certain levels of noise and tints but it's not an MOT requirement to check

 

I tend to think I was targeted by a 'Specialist' who likes to concentrate on one particular offence.
When I was a plod in 1980-82 a traffic officer was responsible for at least 4 haulage firms going bust due to persistantly be stopped for one thing or another under construction and use offences.
Mostly were trying to make a decent living and the offences were very minor but the costs soon add up.

 

Aah, so a Police Officer is suppose to uphold the law (but only the important ones)? Sounds like sour grapes to me; you got a ticket and didn't like the fact that you were caught out.

And as ex-plod, you should know that ignorance of the law is no defence.

 

You'll find there is always one plod who will pick someone up for the slightest of things.

We get it alot in Cornwall. I see it all the time.

I think you were very unfortunate was it defo the police? Or was it the a civil enforcement officer?

 

I'm new here so be gentle, but if the make or model of car is not correct on the ticket, the ticket is unlikely to be worth the time it took PC Twerp to write it. Personally I prefer to catch criminals than persecue motorists but sadly thats an old fashioned belief these days.

 

You must be one of the few coppers in Cornwall then who thinks like that

 

Proably, but I have been known to use blue light for something other than my pasty getting cold! I came from Hampshire where it was done a bit different.

 

Tommo: So you're another of the "all coppers are bastards" school of thought? Usually those that have that attitude have either had nothing to do with them at all and are just basing their opinion on second-hand stories or from watching too many TV cop shows, or are criminals themselves and see the Police as a bunch of people who get in the way of them carrying out their criminal activities.

So which one are you?

 

Tommo, we haven't met have we? - hmmmm! :threaten:

 

I don't think all coppers are bastards at all. Unfortunately in Cornwall there are some that let down the side. My sis works for the D & C. My best mate's dad is a former Traffic cop also. And even they have said there are too many let the side down.

I went to the TYCD Show in Wadebridge Sunday just gone. It was good to speak to some friendly and more down to earth policemen (was no female coppers there) in the D&C force.


I don't do criminal activities wouldn't be a good reflection on my companiy's reputation now.

I got stopped for doing 32mph in a 30mph ok yes I was over the speed limit by 2 mph at 2am Halloween Night/1st November morning. With the copper saying I should slow down as there are young kids could be out trick or treating!

Now come on a little over the top don't' you think? I was on my way home from a fishing trip. And it was 32mph according to GPS not my speedometer which was reading 34mph.

So I'm not denying I wasn't in the wrong for over the speed limit by 2mph but surely they should be wondering why kids are out trick or treating at 2 am???

I was involved in an accident to which I had to go hospital for a check over. My other half was given attitude from the police officer at the scene to get my car removed ASAP. Although it was causing no danger being off the road and the fact she was in tears with worry about me being on a stretcher is not the attitude someone should be given. Infact a complaint was made.

As for second hand stories yep I've seen friends get fined for their number plates being illegally spaced even though they've had the plates on for a few years like the guy stated he had in this thread.

I'm not anti police but I do believe the police force should concentrate more on safety issues of the public than illegally spaced numbers plates.

So my answer is not based on second hand conversations/ tv nor am involved in criminal activity it's based on my own experiences.

 

Only if it was for a drink otherwise I doubt it :w00t:

 

I think you have a fair point, some do spend too much time doing not much but if you had an accident (say Hit and Run) wouldn't you want the car to have an easily readable number plate for other people to read? Personally I'd have told him to get it fixed and produce the car at the nick.