Unpleasant altercation - who was the most unreasonable?

[zerofeeling]

Took my dogs out today and was trying to park in a small space between two cars on a country lane. As I was inching back to fit into the space I heard a loud crunch 😖

The two men from the car behind had just set off on their walk, as I got out of my car one of them was heading back towards me shouting why did I try to park in such a small space. I said sorry and inspected the front of his car - couldn't see any damage at all, and apart from a tiny paint scuff nothing on my car. I said to him 'i can't see any damage, it doesn't look like I hit you'
Man just glanced over at his car then asked me for my details, I asked is that necessary and said again there's no damage. He said that's not the point you have to give your details if you've been in a collision. He was much taller than me and sort of fronting up to me repeating that he wanted my details and me refusing, saying I don't think it was a collision, I think I might have hit something underneath my car. (For info my Mum and a friend have both been scammed on their insurance by people who claimed all kinds of things after very minor prangs)

Then he took an ID wallet out of his pocket and flipped it open to show a photo and badge and said he's Police. I couldn't tell if it was genuine or not. He held his phone up and said he's filming me refusing to comply with the law.
By this time the other man had come back and also filming me and I started to worry - I'm in a secluded area, with two men who are much bigger than me. I told them I felt intimidated and are they trying to scam me?

I got in my car and tried to shut the door but 1st man held onto it to prevent me. I asked if he's trying to detain me and he said no but I will if you don't give me your details, I've identified myself to you as a police officer. I said you've got no right to detain me. Eventually he let go of the door and I had to turn the car round as the lane is a dead end. Once I turned round he said again that I'm breaking the law by refusing to give my details after a collision and he started to recite the Caution they give when you're arrested! I drove away very shaken up, no idea what consequences to expect.

But you did hit is car through your own carelessness the whole situation was your doing though? They would not have come near you otherwise and he showed his warrant card and you then proceeded to commit an offence by leaving the accident that was committed on a public highway. It seems like you are saying it’s because you were a lone woman rather than you hit his car.

She left it far too long to report to the police so she technically has committed a crime. The time to have called the police was 10 minutes later when she’d driven somewhere she felt safe.

So many holes in OPs story. OP seems to seek validation for her behaviour by spinning this lone woman retreating to her car for safety narrative ti disguise the fact that she hit someone's car, refused to give her details and then drove off. From a police officers perspective here's a woman who's clearly had a collision with a car, refused to provide her details as she's obligated to do so and driven off from the scene which she shouldn't have done.
She knew she hit the car but decided there was no damage and she didn't want to give her details. She's said she heard a loud crunch & immediately got out to apologise. She knew she had hit it. She then decides that it's a scam or 2 police officers pretending to police officers who are filming her and intimidating her so she drives off. Now she says they shouted at her. What she doesn't say is what she said to them, or what her tone was. Judging by OPs responses she sounds like a total nightmare. I think there will be so much more to this.

Agreed.

No idea what this contributes. You think it's worse that I possibly hit his car and didn't feel safe to give him identifying information than it is for him to abuse his position and the imbalance between men and women to intimidate me. I don't.

Wrong.

I'm even wondering now if the police officers filmed her because they recognised that she was being difficult and wasn't going to give her details. It could have been to protect themselves. Like I said before, OP doesn't say what she said to them or how she behaved. But we know that she refused to provide her details and drove off. If it happened the way she described I am surprised she didn't ring the police immediately or visit a police station to verify the police officers details.

"You think it's worse that I possibly hit his car and didn't feel safe to give him identifying information"

So had he not been there to "intimidate you" and make you feel unsafe no doubt he would have returned from his walk to find a note on his windscreen with your identifying information on, then you would have reported the accident regardless?

I don't get the impression this is how it would have turned out ...

Of course. There's always a longer leeway in these things than 10 minutes!

And if the crunch was her driving over something… why didn’t it crunch again when she drove off? Suggests it wasn’t something underneath to me

Absolutely not wrong. The law states that you must report it as soon as practicably possible and you clearly did not. I suggest it would be quite petty to prosecute you, but never underestimate the pettiness of police officers with an axe to grind.

They were most definitely unreasonable

I dont care if he’s police. He was acting inappropriately

Didnhe get your number plate? If there’s any come back, complain formally

in the wake of Sarah Everard, lone females have every right to fear policemen

Yes of course, but that doesn’t amount to many hours later, after you’ve been going about your day and posting about it online. The 10 minutes was just an example of when it might have been a safe opportunity.

Given that there's no evidence a collision even occurred it certainly would be petty to penalise someone for reporting within the required 24 hours.

@zerofeelingHow on earth would any update be ‘outing’ unless it was headline news?!

I’m scanning the red tops as we type.

I think the fame/attention has gone to the OP’s head.

@zerofeeling still spinning the "no collision" narrative. You clearly hit the car. You know you hit the car. You said you were parking in a tight spot and whilst reversing you heard a loud crunch and got out of your car and immediately apologised. It was loud enough for the owner of the other car to turn around.

"Given that there's no evidence a collision even occurred"

Apart from the crunching noise, 2 witnesses who would testify otherwise, and the scuff on your car.

I expect you haven't had the car inspected for possible damage to the underbody or subframe?

Have you notified your insurers....

I mean we are 22 pages in and OP still hasn't told us what she said to them or how she behaved.

But she can’t know if she hit their car or not. She was driving and trying to park in a tight spot and hit something. Most likely their car

It’s now a high level investigation, I’m guessing at freemasonry level. We can only pick over the bare bones of this thread.

You Hit something he was minding his own business walking. From an outside perspective YOU are the one who appears to be trying to get out of something. Not him.
Not all collisions cause visible damage at first look.

do you honestly think he was planning a scam by wandering about waiting for someone to hit something so he could claim it was his car?

Police officers are never off duty. They are Crown Servants, their authority comes from the Oath they swear, not their uniform or working hours. They are expected to act on their Oath at all times, even when technically "off duty".

To answer your question.

I think two Police Officers witnessed a crime, attempted to deal with it, the suspect driver made off from the scene, and is now pulling the complaints card in order to try to get away with the numerous offences she committed.

You clearly have no clue about the Police Service in the UK, or the Powers and responsibilities of Police Officers.

MASSIVE leap. The spaces were tight. OP tried to squeeze into a small space and hit SOMETHING. Somehow you find a way to still make this someone else’s fault.

Yeah, all female criminals should be let go, because ya know, misogyny and all that!

Male Police officers should just bow down to the great and mighty throne of "yeah, well I am a woman so you can't do anything".

🙄