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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To get annoyed with a policeman

113 replies

AitchGee · 15/07/2011 17:21

I was stopped on the way back from collecting my boys from school, a trip of no more than about a mile. I pulled into our local supermarket, bought some gooey delights and left. Unbeknown to me, the local police had set up some sort of sunny-day sting on all the shoppers.

They stopped me. Pain in the butt, but what the hey, it's a job. So I answered a few banal questions, nothing was wrong, everything was in order.... Then it came "Sir, when did you have a drink last?" I replied that I had been drinking all afternoon. He asked me to blow into his pipe. I asked him what was wrong with drinking Vimto. Obviously I blew Zero

What got my goat was that as I haven't touched a single drop of alcohol since Dec 28th 2003 and gave up smoking some 12 months back, I could smell the distinctive odour of alcohol on his breadth as he was talking to me.

I asked him why he suspected me of driving under the influence of alcohol, he wouldn't respond. I asked him to tell me how many measures of alcohol he had consumed prior to picking on random shoppers (generally women). He suggested that I should mind my own business and be on my way.

I had my kids with me, so decided to slink away fuming. Suggesting that I may have been drinking alcohol, after all the effort abstaining over the years, I consider as an insult.

OP posts:
ZZZenAgain · 17/07/2011 09:47

I cannot imagine a policeman stopping someone in daytime and asking when he last had a drink and then doing a breath test without some grounds for suspician. Or do they? This has never happened to me. I've been stopped yes, when they do checks, ask a few questions but alcohol never came up

ZZZenAgain · 17/07/2011 09:49

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by Mumsnet.

scurryfunge · 17/07/2011 17:53

Chuckling at the OP's mini campaign of trying to get arrested so often. I think the real reason for his attitude is that a nasty policeman told him off when he was 12 for riding his bike on the pavement Grin

alewVera · 17/07/2011 18:07

Sorry but this reminds me of when my DH was stopped, late evening, police follow him for about 10 minutes before the pull him,

OH: quiet night officer? ( yeah oh isn't very bright sometimes)
Police: are you aware of what speed you were doing
OH: I wasn't going over 30
Police: are you sure
OH: yeah I had the speed limiter set to 29mph
Police: any why were you driving so carefully
OH: because you were following me.
Police: do you own this vehicle
OH: nope. (it's a lease car)
Police: do you have insurance
OH: you tell me, you're the one who stopped me. (the oh showed docs)
Police: you really shouldn't carry the documents in your car

VivaLeBeaver · 17/07/2011 18:15

I like cheeky vimtos.

Seriously, if doing random stops and breathalysing motorists either catches some drink drivers or puts people off drink driving then it's worth while and I'm glad they're doing it. You have kids op - aren't you glad the police are doing something to reduce your children's chances of being killed by a drunk driver?

If one person in a hundred is over the limit then it's worth the other 99 being stopped.

I think all the random, mobile speed traps have made people less likely to speed. So random breath tests should have the same effect.

VivaLeBeaver · 17/07/2011 18:17

Government storm troopers?

Dear oh dear. One of those, eh?

ragged · 17/07/2011 18:35

Why start a thread in AIBU? Why don't we start a "Hyde Park Corner" topic on MN where people can just soapbox away about their random soapbox issue with no open-mindedness whatsoever? For OP it'd be racist police profiling (a legit issue, but totally discredited by approach taken here).

Here is a specific "Rants Galore" website for you, Aitch.

WhereYouLeftIt · 17/07/2011 18:59

"You lot above mustn't live in the real world if you believe that respect for the police is necessary, "they" couldn't give a monkey's toss about the safety and welfare of the public and we'de [sic] be far better served with lynch mobs roaming the street."

... better served with lynch mobs roaming the street? Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

And then that list of 'qualifications' including detained by the police 120 times?

OP, you are so up your own arse ...

edam · 17/07/2011 19:13

This was a bad example to pick if you are going to have a pop at the police. You gave him a daft answer to his question, he checked whether you were over the limit, you weren't, so you went on your way.

If you want to talk about the stuff the police get wrong, there are plenty of good examples - the Met and Murdoch have been all over the papers.

EmmaBemma · 17/07/2011 19:23

"without some grounds for suspician"

the grounds for suspicion was the OP's assertion that he'd been drinking all afternoon! I don't know much but even I know you don't get smart with a police officer - they are obliged to take a statement like that at face value. Op has no-one to blame but himself for his inconvience.

hobnobsaremyfavourite · 17/07/2011 19:31

OP you sound like a sad old man living in the past thinking you could still start a revolution but you're really just a bit of a wanker. HTH

helenthemadex · 17/07/2011 19:32

Aitchgee and Moonferret you sound like a right pair of knobs

Im guessing you are the sort of people who like to joke about the bomb or cocaine in you case at the airport

either shut up making smart idiotic remarks or put up with the consequences

scurryfunge · 17/07/2011 19:35

Edam....Paul Stephenson has resigned.

edam · 17/07/2011 19:54

Yeah, so I see. Amazing to see the establishment crumbling like this. Apparently Brookes has been arrested (by appointment - clearly far too important to be woken at 6 in a dawn raid like a normal suspect).

moonferret · 17/07/2011 21:03

helenthemadex How about a constructive counter argument rather than abuse? Or do you lack the ability? And no, your guess would be wrong...

complexnumber · 17/07/2011 21:40

'I was part of the organisation for "Rock against Racism" concert and march back in 1978, my father was a founder member of the Northern section of the Anti-Nazi league, I've taken Tony Blair and his henchmen to the High Court of Justice, I've mediated with the warring factions in NI and my happy record of having been arrested and detained by the government storm-troopers, otherwise known as the "Police" is in excess of 120 occasions.'

Standing Ovation for the OP?

Sorry, you sound like a pillock in a car park who has wasted a lot of your own time and that of the Bill over the years.

helenthemadex · 17/07/2011 22:51

moonferret yes I do have the capacity but quite frankly didnt want to waste my time typing a response to the posts complaining about the actions of a police officer simply doing his duty when in both the op and your case they were justified in their actions

In many countries there are abuses of police powers, and justification of horrific acts commited by the police of these countries, the UK fortunately is not one of them.

In many countries (including where I live) a remark such as that made by the op would have quite likely have lead to a few hours in a cell, the police here are not adverse to giving someone a slap either

moonferret · 17/07/2011 22:55

You sound like someone who is either a) in the police b) closely related to someone in the police or c) someone with no experience of them.

The UK is not one of "these" countries where the police abuse their powers?!

And I didn't say they weren't "justified" in my case. If they want to waste their time breathalysing me and asking stupid questions, rather than the tougher task of chasing criminals, that's fine by me...

Original poster
AitchGee · 19/07/2011 07:05

@Moonferret

The strangest thing I've found here on Mumsnet is how the ppl running the board make up rules allegedly denying abusive behaviour, yet seem to accept it on a daily basis.

OP posts:
hopenglory · 19/07/2011 07:55

Ah, a lovely family history. You're proud of your father because he was a founder member of the Northern section of the Anti-Nazi league.

You've managed to get yourself arrested 120 times and you still persist in making smartarse remarks to policemen trying to prevent idiots from drunk-driving. Your boys must be so proud

moonferret · 19/07/2011 15:06

@AitchGee

I find that odd at well. I think they are probably well aware that there are so many people here who are incapable of coming up with a coherent argument and resort to abuse, that they've given up.

Original poster
AitchGee · 19/07/2011 15:08

@Hopenglory

The vast majority of occasions were during demos fighting the fascists and their police guards, whilst middle-class, middle-England sat comfortably in their hostess slippers, pontificating about those smelly lefties.

Hope that helps

OP posts:
mayorquimby · 19/07/2011 15:14

Christ sometimes I pity the police and the amount their job involves engaging with the general public.

GingerbreadDad · 19/07/2011 15:20

The police officer called you "Sir"?

moonferret · 19/07/2011 15:28

I wish people would stop using the word "officer" in relation to the police.

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