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.

I corrected a factual inaccuracy in your post. You said 'originally filming', the OP said 'originally shouting, later filming'.

You're describing an offence that there's no evidence I committed. And of course it's minor, it's a possible prang ffs get a grip 🙄

If there is evidence of a collision, sure. But with nothing but a sound to go on? Surely not.

He can’t influence an insurance company decision so the fact he has a financial stake is of no issue. Of course she hit him! She even got out her car thinking she’d hit him and went to inspect for damage and found a scuff on her bumper. The noise of a collision is a valid clue that she hit him. As numerous people on here have pointed out damage to crumple zones may not be visible to a non mechanic and need inspection. chances are the garage would have said there’s no damage and that would have been the end of it. I don’t blame him for probably wanting to get that checked.

He’s entitled to ask for her details and she’s obliged to tell him. She’s brought this on herself by trying to wriggle out of her responsibility. All she needed to do was give him a mobile number and name, it’s not rocket science. And now she’s trying to justify it by increasing her description of how intimidating he was, reporting him, making complaints about him. OP needs to take a long, hard look at her behaviour and think does she really want to be that sort of person.

None of us have any idea if there’s any evidence of a collision as the cars haven’t been inspected. If three people hear a collision, and then the car is inspected and there is damage then that’s evidence. So until that inspection takes place you’ve no idea if there’s any evidence. Im assuming OP didn’t find a pile of china plates on the ground which she had run over otherwise she’d have mentioned it. So on the balance of probability she hit the car. In all probability it wasn’t damaged at such a low speed but there’s a small chance it was. It’s not for OP to decide the car isn’t damaged and therefore she doesn’t have to bother with her legal obligation.

If you felt threatened, even the Police tell you to phone them or go to a place of safety. Another point they took your registration number… so that could have sufficed and they could have got your details from that. We had someone who hit our car while it was parked on our driveway he mounted the pavement and knocked it onto nextdoors drive.. details were given, but something was suspicious. Rang the police to check the address given… husband knew the area… no such number…the car had recently been sold and couldn’t trace… so they could have traced you.

Police officers do not stop being police officers because they are not on shift, that is ridiculous.

I'm shocked by some of the posts on here.

A police officer should NEVER untimidate someone. They should have show their badge and told the OP to call the police station from her own phone to verify their identity, not try and prevent her getting in her car.

Regardless of whether the OP scraped their car or not (likely not), they had no right to be intimidating and should have seen the OP was intimidated and put her at ease. Awful policing and abuse of power.

@zerofeeling absolutely take this further. Their behaviour was not ok!

@RAPSMom yes he knew perfectly well he could get my details, he had filmed me refusing to give them voluntarily so he had everything he needed. The only reason he continued to push it was because he was enjoying exerting his power and making me really uncomfortable.

That doesn't give them power to throw their weight around however they like 24/7. Do people want to live in a police state??

You say “throwing their weight around” they would say trying to get your details like you are supposed to give. I don’t see that as throwing their weight around. They could obviously tell the sort of person you are and realised you were trying to wriggle out of it.

I want to live in a country where people abide by the law and tell the other party their details if as you said there was a “loud crunch” when backing into a tight place. To the extent that you got out to inspect for damage, you obviously thought you’d hit it. Try putting yourself In his position, if someone reversed into your car causing a loud crunch would you be happy if they drove off and refused to give details?

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.

@zerofeeling, you do not seem to realise that you committed a criminal offence.

You were breaking the law by refusing to give your details after a collision and the police officer was well within his rights to arrest you.

Bit late to this, but two men physically preventing you from closing your door and filming you. This is intimidation, haven't they heard of Wayne Cousins?
You should report it and explain you were concerned for you safety, before they get in there first.

She’s now probably hoping if she exaggerates enough of a complaint against the police officer that she won’t get in trouble for this.

This reverse thing just doesn't work because it doesn't factor in the reason I didn't want to give him my details - ie that his behaviour was really unnerving to me as a woman so I didn't want him to have any of my personal details.

You're obviously desperate for an argument but your points are all wrong. He not only tried to throw his weight around he also specifically breached the protocol for male Police dealing with lone women and later breached other areas of his Code of Conduct. You can huff and puff til the end of the thread but he, and you, will still be in the wrong.

There was no damage to property and no injury??

Yes it's been reported thanks 😊

Nope.

There was no damage or injury to any person and his ID said Mr Wayne Cousins -aka Crooked CoP.

No, they want to live in a place where people follow the law. Which is why we have police officers.

And if those Police officers aren't held accountable then they'll start to believe that, instead of being there to uphold the Law, they are the law - and then we have a Police State.

27 pages in and OP still hasn't told us what she actually said to them, her tone or how she behaved. The sense of entitlement is unbelievable. Reverses into a car, repeatedly refuses to give her details when asked by 2 police officers and drives off. At no point has she acknowledged or recognised her wrongdoing regardless of the police officers. There is clearly alot more to this story.

Are you going to be held accountable?

I honestly don’t know how you can say the above with a straight face after your actions. They were simply trying to uphold the law. 🤷‍♀️

@zerofeeling what about people who think it's ok to drive into someone's car and drive off without leaving their details being held accountable for their actions. You seem to think you're above the law.

How do you know there was no damage to property? The car hasn’t been seen by a mechanic at that point.