Escort police knock down 80 yr old woman

[4plusthehound]

Escort police, protecting Sophie Wessex, knocked down an 80 year old woman yesterday.

Why does SW need a police escort? Motor bikes surrounding her car?

AIBU to think this is madness?

The threat to her life would be diminished enormously if she’d not married Edward.

The national security level, as indicated by MI5, is currently "Substantial" which means a terrorist attack is highly likely. Security everywhere is at a higher level than normal, not just around the royals.

It is not like someone can drag her out of a car and leg it - there is too much traffic!

No but they can shoot her or lob some other explosive at her car. The last thing you need to be doing is sat in traffic.

Aren't reports saying that the lady got hit in the left hand lane in the far carriageway and landed 4 lanes over in the opposite carriageway.

I'm not great at maths or physics but I'm sure there's some calculations we can do to determine the force and speed necessary for that.

In layman's terms I'd probably peg it as somewhere between "fucking quick" and "hurtling" on the bat out of hell speed scale.

I am not satisfied that someone was knocked down. I am very sad for that lady and her family. I also feel terrible for the police officer.

DoE should not be travelling across London with a police escort.

It is an abuse of power. it is abouse of public funds.

I see you have accused them of being aggressive riders several times.

All police escorts (and often security drivers) are agressive - especially when they drive like that in choc a bloc cities.

It is the whole poiint of them.

'progressive' riders but not aggressive, there's a whole heap of difference.

Maybe. That sounds good. But I have been around quite a few and you need to get out of the way and fast.

I actually feel sorry for the outrider as well as the pedestrian.

Me too.

The Mock Saudi sting was twenty one years ago! How long before you forgive anyone any mistakes?

Hope you hold yourself to the same high standards

Exactly this.

4plusthehound, any anger and ire towards the delivery drivers, cab drivers, bus drivers, boy racers etc who knock down and seriously injure, or even kill, dozens of people in London every year? Thought not. Just another ridiculous way to have a pop at the royal family.

She's definitely further up the ladder than you.

I find it quite sickening that some want to use an accident involving this lady as an excuse to ‘royal bash’. There are plenty of perfectly valid reasons to complain about the royals but using this injured woman as a stick isn’t on.

”As a tax paying, member of a democracy my opinion is as valid as the next person.”

You’re certainly entitled to have an opinion on whatever you want. To assume your conclusions on the necessity of security arrangements are as valid as those of the security services is very odd though.

Are you one of these people who sees assertiveness as aggression too?

Princess Anne was indeed kidnapped from a car. I expect that wouldn't be possible now.

I know that road and trying to cross it is a nightmare.

Right - but it did not work in this case.

A horrible accident for sure but one that maybe would not have happened without an unneccessary police escort.

Absolutely.

I feel very badly for the officer in question.

@Allthegoodnamesarechosen the difference is, I just go about my business without requiring special treatment that ultimately endangers the lives of others.

The trouble with holding yourself up to be special is, sooner or later people will question “mmm, well what is it that is special about them?”

Indeed I do have a different personality to SW. As a young woman I wouldn’t have been the person lifting up her top, or trying any which way to hustle my business. I admit I was shocked at the time. And I suppose appalled.

As I say, if I found myself in her vicinity, which would not be beyond the realms of possibility, I would not make her feel uncomfortable (because that is not in my nature) but I certainly would not treat her differently to any other polite stranger.

The game is up. I think we all realise that. It’s a mere question of when and how the phasing out occurs.

THIS ⬆.

Who are we to say that a working royal doesn't need protection? We don't know what sort of threats any of them receive.

However any road accident needs to be thoroughly investigated whatever the circumstances. Motorcycle police are very skilled riders. They don't take unnecessary risks or behave stupidly. The reports suggest that this is an accident blackspot. I can't imagine that this motorcyclist chased this poor lady along the pavement - it looks from this picture as though she was in the middle of the road. Personally I can't see how either she wasn't aware of the bike, or the rider wasn't aware of her, but that is why there will doubtless be a thorough investigation.

It's a dreadful thing to have happened, but it was an accident. My prayers and sympathies are with the poor woman and her family.

No. She isn’t.

You have no idea what my lifestyle is. And in terms of behaviour, as stated above, I would not have behaved in the way she has done in the past.

who said they were speeding

The poster was observing that generally police escorts move fast. She is not wrong.

These motorcycle escorts
These POLICE motorcycle escorts

but to manage the timings of the journey. They make the journey times consistent which you obviously need if you’re expected somewhere.

Are we seriously happy that our police force is being used to get DoE to work on time???

‘Her stripping off days’. You mean the photograph of her in 1988, sunbathing topless at a private house, at private party, like all the other women present. A photograph which was sold without her knowledge or permission, an action which I presume and hope most women would find pretty horrible.

i don’t know why you are so consumed with hatred for The DoE that you wish to libel her by suggesting that she is a ‘stripper,’ but I suggest that you have a bit of a think about your standards for what constitutes ‘stripping off days’.

I'm trying to work out why someone would start a thread to berate one of the more universally accepted as being lovely and hard working members of the royal family.

I see them frequently becasue of where I live.
I
In my observations of the drive aggressively and (too) fast in built up areas.

Because of that they should be used sparingly.

Maybe they did. Maybe they had no chance to react if the woman just stepped out in front on them. We have no way of knowing until an investigation is complete. This kind of guessing game helps no one.