What are the cops up to at the Black Spur?

[Stereo]

Ok... So we got pulled over twice...

Well the first time we had already stopped when a cop breathalised us, checked our licenses and licence plates...

The thing that I am wondering about is... He wrote all the details (licences, names, and license plates) down in a list...

The second time we got flagged down at Marysville, they did the same thing... wrote it down on a list..

What is this list, why are they writing it down, what are they planning to do with it?

Isnt someone on this forum a police officer? Perhaps they could shed some light on this....

It just seems strange... I felt a bit violated... When we asked him what the list was for he changed the subject...

[Groggles]

i must admit i was a bit peeved too.

i asked the first bloke were they looking for stolen bikes or something?? he said there had been a lot of accidents in the area and they were trying to kerb that. also a lot a people riding over their restrictions.

but how does taking my details when i was found to be doing nothing wrong help that???

hey a job i wouldn't like to do especially if there has been a prang but why was it neccessary to take my name, rego and licence number??

[Lainie]

I know a few cops I will ask and get back to ya

[Stereo]

I just get shudders thinking about what they could do with information like this...

They could *target* particular riders....

Imagine this...

A local resident complains that a motorcycle did a wheelie outside his house ...

The police ask "Do you have a desciption or licence number"

Resident "It was a big guy on a green motorcycle, didnt get the number"

Police look at list... Hmmm green = Kawasaki... How many kawasakis have we got on the list... Just 5.... Any green ones? Yes.... two... Look up pictures on licences... Smek looks little... Stereo looks Big...

Next time I'm riding on the black spur, I get pulled over and they beat me with their battons...

[Smitty]

he said there had been a lot of accidents in the area and they were trying to kerb that. also a lot a people riding over their restrictions.

but how does taking my details when i was found to be doing nothing wrong help that???

Greg
you sorta answered my first question..why???
I agree with you they are checking licences
(and a registration check and a breatho while they have you)

but the 2nd? why write it down?
Were the guys who pulled you over..on a bike or in a car?
I heard that the Vicroads access on a bikes is not working
and so they check when they get back to the station
..which is why your details get written down

cheers

[smek]

Next time I'm riding on the black spur, I get pulled over and they beat me with their battons...

lol

maybe it's just a case of them thinking that by taking our name and rego and making contact with us like that, it drills into us that they are in the area patrolling more so than just seeing a car or bike go past.

but really 3 cars sitting outside marysville, wonder what they acheived. maybe they were just waiting for diesel but didn't know he's in china

[photomike666]

We got pulled by a guy on a bike first time, then cars twice They all wrote our details down.

[aardvark]

You guys.... sheesh. I didn't realise we had a bunch of alarmists in the group.

OK, take this scenario.

Copper goes to work, and their supervisor says:
"Righto lads, apparently there has been a few bike accidents up on the Black Spur. Now I know you probably have a shit load of typing to do, or you probably thought it was going to be a nice cruisey shift hanging around the coffee shop, but that's just stiff shit. A message has come down from the top to get out there and fly the flag."

Coppers:
"For fucks sake. This is bullshit."

Supervisor (Usually a grumpy old Sergeant):
"Hurry up, get out there, they're getting away."

So, the coppers cruise up the black spur and the conversation in the car possibly goes like this:
1: "Mate, can you be bothered doing this shit today?"
2: "Nope."
1: "Well, I'm sure as shit not defecting any bikes or handing out any fines today. It's a beautiful day, and if I had it off, I'd be up here for a ride myself."
2: "Yep, let's just stop a few bikes, have a chat to them and go home. If anyone's doing something totally stupid, then maybe we'll do something about it."

They get up the to the Spur and spot you guys. They do licence checks, rego checks and possibly checks to see if you have warrants or any other outstanding matters. It's nothing against you guys personally, it's just normal procedure.

As for writing your names in their books? Well, it could be for a number of reasons.
1) So they can give your licence back to you and do the checks without having to hold onto your licence.

2) So that when they get back to the office, and the Sergeant asks them what they've done all day, the coppers can produce their log (or worksheet) which shows all the people they've spoken to on a particular day. This shows the bosses that the coppers have actually been doing something.

3) If complaints are made by a person that they were being picked on by Police, they are able to say "Well, I also spoke to 40 other bike riders".

4) There is also the off chance that they may do further checks back at the office. I'd suggest if they've already done their checks via radio, that this wouldn't happen very often.

5) If you have an accident and you're on your own in a ditch and your bike is on fire, at least they have some way of maybe identifying you.

There is nothing sinister about it. I record the name of every one I speak to for a work related purpose.

I don't know about the other states, but South Oz Police do not have access to your licence photos. They should have and I believe it's ridiculous that they don't.

And Stereo, mate, I think the coppers would need more proof than a name in a book (if the witness didn't have a rego) before they went around bashing you.

[Stereo]

I think that answers my question Aardvark... You are probably right...

But if they bash me.... Im gonna be really upset with you

[aardvark]

but really 3 cars sitting outside marysville, wonder what they acheived.

It's all about presence. If by just being there they've saved one life, then they've done their job. You have to remember that they are probably there because someone higher up has deemed it necessary to run an operation in that area. Wether it works or not is another matter.

On a basic scale there are two ways to reduce the road toll.
Education and Enforcement.

Education works.... sometimes. Take South Aus. for example. On the 1st December the S.A. government introduced instant and on the spot loss of licences for offences of:
Drink driving above .08 and for exceeding the speed limit in excess of 45km/h.

There was plenty of advertising about the new rules. And, it is December, so you can expect coppers to be out in force conducting RBT's. So, someone explain to me why 39 people lost their licence for drink driving matters on Saturday? All of the news channels ran stories about these people losing their licences, they also said that RBT operations were going to run all the way through December.

What happened on Sunday? 41 people lost their licences due to drink driving offences! One of which was an L plater who blew 3 times the legal limit.

Education may work, but it doesn't seem to. So the only other option is enforcement. If people don't learn, take their licences away. Increase penalties. And be harsh about it. If the coppers got around letting everyone off with a caution, then you'd be pissed off when you didn't get a caution, and people would be driving around like maniacs because they thought the system was slack.

We've all seen examples of bad drivers. Take the worst example you've ever seen. Now imagine that they drive around like that every time they go for a drive. I see people like that all the time. And most of them don't have a licence. Can you imagine if the government made road rules to suit these drivers, and applied them to all drivers? We'd all be tootling around and 10 kays an hour with big rubber bumpers.

Instead, they make laws to suit the general population with half a brain. The laws they make need to be policed quite strictly, otherwise everyone pushes it. They get away with it, so they push some more.

[aardvark]

I think that answers my question Aardvark... You are probably right...

But if they bash me.... Im gonna be really upset with you

If you have any police type questions, I'm happy to try and answer them for you guys. I feel strongly about the work I do, but I certainly don't think I'm saving the world.

I'll see what I can do about organising that bashing.

[Groggles]

thanks jase.

i must admit none of them really gave us any attitude. the guy on the bike was a bit suspicious. thought we were up to no good i think???

there must of been someone misbehaving on a kwaka out there and he thought they were with us.

[Barrabob]

Sounds better than the queensland example where they will also defect you for a aftermarket pipe or fender eliminater just because you are there.

Saw the signs up the spur on my way through coming home from the gp and they should have one like it up my local mountain it would make for interesting reading.

[aardvark]

i must admit none of them really gave us any attitude. the guy on the bike was a bit suspicious. thought we were up to no good i think???

there must of been someone misbehaving on a kwaka out there and he thought they were with us.

And when you do get attitude from a copper it's normally because:
a) You're being a smartarse
b) The copper is having a bad day (remember, Police have arguments with their wives, their family members/friends die, the bank takes their houses off of them)
c) They are sick of scraping dead bodies off the road (a lot of coppers actually feel that the road toll is a reflection of their performance at work and take it quite personally. I think they need to get out a little more.)
d) The copper is just a prick.

I can't imagine you guys misbehaving!

[Stereo]

Compared to normal... we were perfect angels! Werent we guys

By the way Aardvark, I dont want you to think I was having a dig at the police... I have a lot of respect for the boys in blue... and I dont think they get paid enough... and I think that they have to work too much overtime... (I saw something on the news about the vic police force, most of them earn way less than me, and work at least 5 hours overtime a week... that sucks)