To think this was a waste of police time?

[FlowersBlown]

At 10pm last night I answered the door to a police officer. He asked about my car, and whether I and it had been at a particular gym earlier in the week. We had. While there I committed an offence.

I made a mistake parking and scraped the plastic bumper of the car next to me. I did not report this. The policeman was off duty in the carpark and witnessed the offence. He took our number plates and went to visit the owner of the other car. She was unaware of the damage, but upon inspection there is indeed scuffing to the bumper.

This in now in the hands of our insurance companies. Was it really worth the police persuing this? No charges are being brought. I did something wrong, but we live in a congested city. My own car is covered in scuffs that have not (all) been caused by me. Should a scuffed bumper be seen more as part of the give and take of city living rather than a potentially criminal matter?

[Kendodd]

Are you going to come back op?

[LessMissAbs]

Honestly OP I find your post really depressing, from what it says about morals and attitudes. Where do you set your own personal levels?

It must have been a pretty big bump for someone else to notice, police officer or not.

[Plomino]

Just because it happens to all of us , doesn't make it right .

At what point do YOU think it stops being a waste of police time ? When it happens to you ? When your bumper gets scratched ? When you lose a wing mirror ? When someone scrapes your car end to end and fucks off without so much as a conscience ? Why should your lack of ability to park cost someone else their hard earned cash ?

Police get criticised on here over and over and over for not doing their job in others eyes . Now they get criticised if they do . Can't please anyone really , can they ?m

[FlowersBlown]

I have left a note is the past when I bumped into someone's car and actually caused damage. I am in no way without morals I promise. But this really is scuffed plastic. The policeman has spent a few hours on this. Bearing in mind the cuts in services etc it does seem rather disproportionate.

[Sparklingbrook]

But I assume the other driver didn't really want a scuffed bumper.

[Purple2012]

Yabvvvu. You comitted an offence. You could have been taken to court for it. I am disgusted that you think it's ok to damage someone's car and bugger off.

The policeman would not have had to waste his time if you hadn't driven off without leaving a note.

[Kendodd]

So op will you please answer my question now?

"And if a off duty police officer had seen your wing mirror being knocked off would you have liked them to do something?"

[AvonCallingBarksdale]

To coin a phrase, two wrongs don't make a right! Just because someone scraped your car/you lost a wing mirror, doesn't make it OK for you to disregard someone's else's property. As a PP asked, would youhave liked the police to follow up on your wing mirror if they'd seen what happened? Your attitude is very odd

[SuperiorCat]

I thought it was only an offence if it happened on public land?

However I would have left my details if I had damaged someone elses car.

[TeamJavert]

Scuffed plastic is still damage,and he only had to "waste" police time because you didn't do the right thing and leave a note.

[plainjaney]

YABVVVU

You are fortunate you aren't being prosecuted for leaving the scene of an accident.

[StayAwayFromTheEdge]

A scuffed bumper can be expensive to replace.

[Sparklingbrook]

If a note had been left no police time would have been wasted.

[FlowersBlown]

In an ideal world I would have loved to not have to pay to get my wing mirror replaced. But the reality of living in a city with narrow streets with loads of parked cars is that this kind of thing happens. A lot.

[Kendodd]

You still haven't answered my question op, are you not going to answer it?

[Sleep404]

I have had my car for about a month now and it has just such a scuff on the bumper that you describe. To repair it will cost me a few hundred pounds. I am extremely angry with whoever put the scuff there and then did not bother leaving a note. They might as well have stuck their hands in my purse and taken out the money.
YABVU

[worsestershiresauce]

OP your attitude seems to be that just because other people get away with committing crime then you should too. Frankly that sucks.

[IWipeArses]

So because some people don't bother that makes it ok for you to not bother? Other people shoplift you know, save yourself a few quid with that.

[Plomino]

as far as the law goes , if the public have access to the car park , then it is still subject to the Road Traffic Act 1988 . This includes supermarket car parks .

[Sleep404]

Actually you are right. You should be charged for the policeman's time. Why should my taxes go towards your very questionable behaviour.

[AvonCallingBarksdale]

Kendodd, youv'e only asked about 3 times, be fair!! You need to keep going, Jeremy Paxman-style, at least another 10 times before you can expect an answer!

[Purple2012]

Superiorcat. If public have access it is classed as a public highway for the purposes of the road traffic act.

[plainjaney]

Someone did something similar to my cousins car while she was parked on a works car park a few months ago. Her body coloured bumper was lightly scuffed. They didn't leave a note.
6 months later water ingress under the paint work has led to the whole of the rear bumper starting to bubble and peel. She took it in for a respray which she was quoted £200 but on removal they found that whoever hit the car had damaged the bumper brackets. One new bumper and £900 later she is understandably pretty pissed off.

Why should this be an acceptable part of living in a city? If you cant park without hitting someone elses car then you shouldn't be bloody driving.