3 Friends Just Got Nicked on Their Bikes. WTF!!!

hey,

I bumped into 4 friends earlier around Pentonville road who were off for a ride. We had all been drinking earlier (i.e all over the driving limit) and were just messing around riding through Barbican. Anyway we were headed down to the embankment around tower bridge, and there was this big junction. There were a lot of police in the area but we didn't think much of it. Anyway we all bomb it through the junction on the yellow light (i know because i was the 4th one). Suddenly sirens, i turn and there's an unmarked police car - shit!!! Now it gets wierd. The police car passes me (even though i was the most likely to have gone through the lights red ), swerves in front of the other 3 and stops them. I do a quickie u-turn and get the fuck out of there. Me and the guy behind stop round the corner. Quick point - me and my mate behind had our lights on, the other 3 didn't.

we look over and the boys are being talked to - ok i reckon a bollocking, maybe a fine? then i look over again and there's only one left (the other to are in the back of the van that's arrived). 2 mins later they are all gone.

Ok so wtf? I need some info:

1. how much shit can you get for beng drunk on a bike?
   
2. drunk + doing a light (which they weren't!!!)
   
3. riding without lights (while drunk through a red light - worst case scenario).
   
   

shit this is bad...isn't it?

i don't think you can be arrested just for being drunk on a bike, unless you are endangering other people...

actually, maybe you can.

you can in a car, can't you?

isn't it endangering just to be drunk riding on the road?

lpg i don't think you can be arrested just for being drunk on a bike, unless you are endangering other people...

I'm afraid you can. An uncle of mine bought a bike to go to and from the pub on when I was about ten years old. Within a fortnight, he'd been nicked for 'drunk in charge' or somesuch. We all used to take the piss out of that mercilessly.

Section 30 Road Traffic Act 1988 says: It is an offence for a person to ride a cycle on a road or other public place when unfit to ride through drink or drugs - that is to say - is under the influence of a drink or a drug to such an extent as to be incapable of having proper control of the cycle.

you cant be arrrested for being drunk on a bike, and they cant legally breathalise you either, they have to ask a doctor to make an assesment, the exact wording is on another thread, try searching comments for something like "drunk bike law".

Yeah, I read in a book last night actually that you can't be breathalyzed on a bicycle, only a car or motorcycle. You really should have a front and rear light on your bike at least, for your own and other's safety.

I'll think you'll find on here that most of us really couldn't give a toss what you do, as long as you don't endanger others.

being drunk on a bike is illegal, it is not an arrest able offense, but police now have the power to arrest people for non-arrest able offenses (go figure) this requires more paper work so they must have made it worth it to the cops some how. as far as i know there is no blood alcohol level limit for riding a bicycle, just if the police can make a case that their ability to ride was impaired. either way bail your mates out and they will have to go to court.

police have the ability to arrest people for non-arrestable offences?

whaaaat?

Doesn't it still count as public intoxication in which case they can do whatever they deem necessary to sort out the situation? ie. if they gave lip or looked like they were gonna cause trouble, surely it's arrest time?
Maybe they got a lift home? :) Call them.

http://www.thesite.org/homelawandmoney/law/yourrights/beingdrunk

1872 The Licensing Act

Under this law, you can be done for two different types of drunken behaviour:

* Simple drunkenness: This is a broad offence that can apply if you're half cut on a public highway (i.e. the street), a public place or even licensed premises. As a reflection of its age, however, **the 1872 Licensing Act is particularly tough on drunks in charge of a bicycle**, pigs, sheep, cattle and/or a steam engine.

* Drunkenness with aggravation: If you're drunk but happy then chances are you won't cross with the law. Problems only kick in when you're smashed with an attitude. Legally-speaking, you can be charged for drunkenness with aggravation by refusing to leave a licensed premises when requested, and for being drunk and disorderly - a broad term and one that is most often called upon when it comes to nicking nasty inebriates.

illegal to be drunk in charge of pigs? didn't know that one.

isn't it illegal to tie your giraffe to a lamppost after sunset?

hippy nicking nasty inebriates.

Nice bit of alliteration.

Did your mates have beards?
The city police are a little over sensitive. Maybe they thought you were terrorists?

Damn for a minute there i thought this was a thread about alien abduction...

"it is not an arrest able offense, but police now have the power to arrest people for non-arrest able offenses"

that is SUCH a good way of putting the situation...

of how basically the requirement that has existed for 400 years for "reasonable suspicion" has been eroded in the past ten years. For no apparent reason...like even when the IRA were bombing London every year you still couldn't be arrested arbitrarily...

nb the positive side is that the police have about a million procedural requirements to satisfy when they make an arrest and take you to the station, and when they're getting evidence. And if they fail to satisfy 100% of these requirements, they HAVE to let you go or you can get damages. Apparently they almost ALWAYS fail to comply, which is what keeps criminal defence lawyers in business basically. Unfortunately I can't give the really useful information - what specific requirements the police have to comply with, that they're likely to forget - but it's in PACE 2006 and is probably summarised on like wikipedia or something (I admit - I don't know my shit). Obviously it includes stuff like telling you why you've been arrested, giving you the right to speak to a solicitor in private before questioning begins and during questioning, etc...

heres some info from a previous thread :)

[http://www.londonfgss.com/discussion/1213/

](http://www.londonfgss.com/discussion/1213/)

Did they go to the box? Did they feel shame?

When I got pulled by the old bill under the anti terror act I was informed that most of PACE doesn't count anymore. You don;t have the right to know the coppers name, they don't have to ecxplain the situation. Scary stuff really.

eeehhhh illegal to be drunk in charge of pigs? didn't know that one.

isn't it illegal to tie your giraffe to a lamppost after sunset?
HA. what the hell?

JohnnyHanson Did they go to the box? Did they feel shame?

You wait 3 minutes and den you get free.

right - i caught up with the boys. Might've overreacted a little :-|

They got fined £30 each for riding without lights and 1 for 'waving at the police car while running a red light' - idiot!

Turns out it was no big thing and the fuckers kept riding into the wee hours.

I am kinda relieved, I thought it might signal an end to our late night adventures!

How about getting some lights then? Muppets.

dez [quote]eeehhhh illegal to be drunk in charge of pigs? didn't know that one.

isn't it illegal to tie your giraffe to a lamppost after sunset?
HA. what the hell?[/quote]

yeah i think i saw it on the front of time out in the newsagent :)

why did you get pulled over under anti-terror legislation?

yeh when the PoTA comes into play everything becomes simply Orwellian, in short the effect is that they can arrest you on suspicion of having a suspicion! The positive side is that every academic in the UK fully expects this part of the law to be a disproportionate response to the threat under the HRA (which it pretty obviously is).

Uh unless the Tories win the next election in which case the HRA (which has really been quite useful since the gov got all fascist after 9/11) is thrown out and the police can arrest you for whatever the hell they like. Hope no one believes the hype about Cameron...

um rant over.

I need to know:

• What's the best way to escape a police motorbike/car? Can you rely on speed alone or do you have to rely on tactical backstreet/route choices?

• What type of circumstance is favourable to fleeing if they try to pull you over? Heavy traffic presumably. Is escaping possible if there is no traffic?

• Will police follow you the wrong way down a one-way street?

• What is the probability of them calling for backup?

• What is the probability of them recognising your bike a week later, or getting an image of you? (given that we all ride unique bikes)

• What is the worst that can happen if they catch you? Obviously, you're going to the Station, but can they charge you with anything that will give you a proper record? Will you have to go to Court?