What do you say to the rozzers when you get stopped for something petty?

Cycling through Victoria yesterday afternoon I went round a corner about to skip a red as nothing was coming. Just about noticed a couple of coppers walking down the road so I decided to stop before the red light rather than risk a fine.
One of them then decided to have a word with me for 'running a red'. Which I hadn't I pointed out to him. His response was that as I had gone through a pedestrian crossing that was the same as running the red itself.
Even though he decided to only give me a 'verbal warning' he had to write up a ticket and then got a background check on me to see if I had previous. 10 fucking minutes just standing around. What a fucking waste of time.
I put across my point of view that I like to get ahead of the traffic at red lights so I can get in the correct road position before lorries or buses might like to overtake me. All he said was 'where was the bus then?' What a dick.
Anyways, I didn't really know what else to say, I just stood there chuckling to myself at the petty minded behaviour.
What do you do when this happens?
Stupid thing is if I had run the red I would have been away before they could have done anything!
Sorry if this is a bit Bikeradar!

I puke on their crotch area. Surprisingly effective.

I puke on their crotch area. Surprisingly effective.

And effectively surprising...

I got pulled by waterloo and told the Po Po i was on my way to my church for the carol service in my best "butter wouldn't melt" face on. I also said it was my second date with the girl i was with (who also jumped the lights) and it was her who told me to go through the lights.
Sadly she was talking to the other copper and told them it was all my idea.

I also got caught crossing the flyover past Warren St station at 3am after a 14 hour shift. the roads were dead so i rolled over, in a flash the sirens were on and they pulled me over on the way to mornington cresent.
The copper in charge told me what i did was an offence and i should be carefull as that was one of the most dangerous junctions in london, and i should not act like i am above the law.

So i explained to him exactly why the junction was dangerous and why i moved when the light was red. like i had every day for the past 3 years and never yet had an accident.
Prick turned around and threatened me with a fine and told me told me i didn't know best. so i asked him how much cycling he had done this year, he went a shade of red that would make Cliveo blush and had to be calmed by his fellow Po Po.
Its luck of the draw, most of the fuzz are pretty relaxed and see how defensive cycling does need a bit of rule bending to be sure you are safe. then there are the jobsworths

don't be a dick... they'll just fine you as much as possible, and at the end of the day, unless theres cctv coverage, it's just your word against theirs.

i got a fine for riding on the pavement last week. i was at sainsburys in clapham, bike locked up to the racks outside, i came out, unlocked my bike and rode the 4/5 meters from the rack to the road, then all of a sudden a copper and his hobby bobby mate, come running accross the road, stopping the traffic and shouting at me, and try and give me all this shit about riding on the pavement... i'm amazed at their pettyness and put up an argument, which resulted in me having a full background check, a full search, including my bag and even my shopping, and a £30 fine.
all this took about 20 mins, and in that time, there were 3 guys selling weed on the other side of the road, and i clocked them sorting out at least 4 people.
fucking rediculous.

but Rob you got one of those faces that just asks for it

a face like a plasterer's radio?

but Rob you got one of those faces that just asks for it

thats what all the girls say.

i'm amazed at their pettyness and put up an argument, which resulted in me having a full background check, a full search, including my bag and even my shopping, and a £30 fine.

What reason did they give for the search? They're only allowed to perform a search if they have reason to believe you're carrying something to commit the crime they're accusing you of (i.e. not justified for cycling on the pavement), or if there was a crime in the vicinity that you were being searched in relation to. By law, they're required to tell you why this is necessary.

Otherwise it's just an abuse of powers.

I suspect the latter...

I'm a sad pathetic little automaton with an overwhelming compulsion to obey the law. However, on the rare occasion I break the law and get stopped for it, I usually play at diversionary tactics. Arguing the call without a bombproof reason isn't worth the effort, but the sooner you can get them away from the alleged offence and anything related to it the better.

Talk about the weather, ask how things are going under Johnson, did they watch the match at the weekend and so on. Once they get talking about things they like, and think you want to listen to what they ahve to say, they'll lose interest in the reason they stopped you and will be far less inclined to follow through.

..stick it on the tab pig

winkey face

This happened to me back in the mid eighties. Was out with my GF of the time and her friend who was pregnant with twins, she had a month or two left to go. Am driving along about 15mph over the speed limit when the police car behind me turns on its blue lights for me to pull over. Don't think there was anything wrong with my car at the time but I knew they would do me for speeding. I told my GFs friend to pretend she was in labour and I jumped out of the car and ran up to the old bills car. They must have thought I was going to attack them or something as they both locked their doors and wouldn't get out. I shouted through the window to them ' sorry officer I know I was speeding but my friend has gone into labour and she is expecting twins, I am taking her to the A&E at Hillingdon hospital'.
They both looked at each other disbelievingly then got out of their car and walked up to mine. My GFs mate was in the back huffing and puffing and moaning as loud as she could, she was a great actress. Both coppers shit themselves and said to us 'follow us'. They gave us a blue light escort to the entrance of the A&E at the hospital. We then of course had to go inside and blag it to the hospital staff that she was in labour. We got away with it though, I think her twins were born about 6 weeks later. And i kept my licence clean too.

Say nothing. Smile. Nod. Lots of uh huh. Then leave. Otherwise they will fine you or worse out of spite. There's no point arguing with the police.. unless you know you can get away :)

don't be a dick... they'll just fine you as much as possible, and at the end of the day, unless theres cctv coverage, it's just your word against theirs.

i got a fine for riding on the pavement last week. i was at sainsburys in clapham, bike locked up to the racks outside, i came out, unlocked my bike and rode the 4/5 meters to the road, then all of a sudden a copper and his hobby bobby mate, come running accross the road, stopping to traffic and shouting at me, and try and give me all this shit about riding on the pavement... i'm amazed at their pettyness and put up an argument, which resulted in me having a full background check, a full search, including my bag and even my shopping, and a £30 fine. all this took about 20 mins, and in that time, there were 3 guys selling weed on the other side of the road, and i clocked them selling to at least 4 people.
fucking rediculous.

I was trying run the line of mocking him for his pettyness and not annoying him enough to get shirty and fine me..........
I did think a background check was taking the piss though, while he was calling it in, the other rozzer questioned me

Him: Have you got a criminal record?
Me: No.
Him: Have you got a verbal warning before?
Me: No.
Him: Have you been fined for running a red before?
Me: No.

Me (in my head): Are you a pathetic jumped up little prick picking on me cos you are bored and have to be seen doing something?)

they were just being dicks, and making thungs hard for me because i said that they were being rediculous.

and it was raining, i was dressed all in black, with a beanie and my hood up, soo i probably looked like a knife weilding yoot.

but mostly they were just being dicks because they could.

Dixon.. you wasted loads of time with the cop... if you hadn't RLJ'd you'd have been quicker...hmmm. Petty or not he's doing his job, I'm almost surprised you didn't give him the why aren't you catching real crims speech

if a cop stops you give it: the yes sir, no sir, 3 bags full sir, I'm such a tool and I wont do it again...honest.

If you get fined least you didn't get run over eh?

While it's everyone's choice if they want to go through red lights or just fucking creep slowly through a junction like some sort of twat. The thing is, it makes everyone else look bad and all cyclists (I used the term loosely) get tarred with the same brush by the ever increasing anti-cycling lot.

^^i bet you wish you had your 'rob loves the cock' shirt on.

I think we need some sort of support group for this obvious oppression / victimisation / harassment....if this happens the same day as getting a puncture or being abused by a pedestrian it can be really depressing.....

While it's everyone's choice if they want to go through red lights or just fucking creep slowly through a junction like some sort of twat.

Not really sure what you mean by this?

I think you must be confused, I said this thread was 'a bit bikeradar', its not ACTUALLY bikeradar.

^^i bet you wish you had your 'rob loves the cock' shirt on.

i only wear that for you tiger!

Say nothing. Smile. Nod. Lots of uh huh. Then leave. Otherwise they will fine you or worse out of spite. There's no point arguing with the police.. unless you know you can get away :)

just open your mouth and by the accent they will let you off for being retarded

thats what all the girls say.

Ahem:

i only wear that for you tiger!

woo!

hippy didn't you watch a short video near st pauls to get off a £30 RLJ.

you could take the MikeC approach and jump the lights dropping as many coppers as you can...