Comments on: Now it’s the Heavy Hand of Greater Manchester Police?

By: Dealing with Dangerous Drivers – Lancshire Police turn up trumps | Stuart's GoldWing Blog

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 09:03:49 +0000

[...] Now it’s the Heavy Hand of Greater Manchester Police? [...]

By: Stuart

Stuart — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 16:14:29 +0000

Peter was leading a slow-moving Parade of hundreds of bikes when he was using his lights, so he is unlikely to have been “coming up” on anyone at all, rather he was just using the lights to make the front of the Parade conspicuous. Peter has pointed out that on previous occasions police officers where he was working with on an escort had asked him to use them. I’m not aware that he ever used them for any other purpose or in any other context. I’ve spoken to him and he strikes me as naive rather than in any way mischievous. But you are disbelieving and suspicious of his motives and think his behaviour was the thin end of a threatening wedge. Perhaps you regard him as a threat to society who should have been locked up to teach him a lesson, which indeed he was.

I think Peter was asking for trouble by keeping police livery on his bike regardless of his good intentions; sooner or later some police officer was bound to tackle him about it. He was clearly acting illegally, regardless of whether police officers had previously turned a blind or even an approving eye. I am not condoning what he did, I think it was foolish.

But I also think the particular Police Officer who decided to teach Peter a tough lesson by arresting and locking him up abused his police powers. It is difficult to see how this arrest could possibly have passed the “necessity test” which police officers are obliged to apply these days. The Police Officer also quite unnecessarily disrupted a large charity event by the way he went about things and he wasted a lot of police time over a period of days which could have been much better spent policing the roads.

In my opinion this Police Officer was very lucky not to be the subject of a formal complaint under the provisions of the Police Reform Act about his conduct and his abuse of police powers. It wouldn’t surprise me if, given the publicity the incident has had, his superiors have already pointed this out to him. Two wrongs don’t make a right and our Country is not yet a Police State where police officers can do what they like.

But that’s just my opinion, you are of course entitled to yours and thank you for taking the trouble to express it.

By: Diana Blackstock

Diana Blackstock — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 14:54:51 +0000

The bike does not have to be used at night to be a nuisance to other road users…..We see what seems to be a police bike coming up behind, with lights flashing, (which was proved to be true) and most innocent road users would then pull over or slow down as they would if they were being approached by an ambulance….We only have the story of what Peter was doing on that particular day, we have no idea what he was up to since purchasing this vehicle…If he wishes to have that particular model of bike, then a respray wouldn’t be too much to ask…

By: Stuart

Stuart — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 19:32:38 +0000

I understand that Peter bought his bike from a specialist supplier who deals in ex-police vehicles. Some equipment, like the police radios, will always have been removed by the police service before they dispose of their vehicles. Either the police force or the dealer removes the wording (i.e. “POLICE” and the Force’s Badge) before sale. Some are presumably sold to film companies and the like. Peter was required to sign a declaration that he would not use the bike at night before he was allowed to buy his liveried bike, which he complied with, but that’s all.

By: Diana Blackstock

Diana Blackstock — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 18:51:05 +0000

Its comes to something when these vehicles are allowed to be sold to the general public..what happens to all the ‘used’ police cars and van…are the wordings removed but the checkers and livery remain? I wonder how many innocent people have been stopped by people in these vehicles.

By: James Torrance

James Torrance — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 11:15:25 +0000

Good well balanced article, taking no sides and sticking to the real point – is there a (not so well) hidden agenda? Evidence from other runs and biker related areas, since this incident, would suggest this may be so.

GMP seem to be on a course of alienating the general public area by area. In short, as far as public relations are concerned, they do not have a clue.

By: Mike Embling

Mike Embling — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:13:25 +0000

I support Peter as he was doing a good deed for charity, and I do not agree with what the police did, we are quickly heading to a Big Brother state.

If the Police were saying he was impersonating a police officer on a bike decorated by them, why did they (the police) strip everything off the bike before selling it ?