Revenue Officers?
The motoring public are up in arms, and perhaps we should be. Suddenly we find ourselves up against the wall as our pockets are emptied along the highway by bandits. These bandits are dressed in the uniform of a policeman, the officers to whom we look for protection. Suddenly they are the ones who are demanding money with menaces.
Our society is policed with our consent, and our society also works only if we respect the laws and the people who carry out the laws. Consequently, we expect the men and women who police us to conduct themselves in exemplary fashion. We don’t always get that to the letter, but generally, in the Spanish state the police do hold themselves in high regard.
It seems as though City Hall has forgotten all that and has given their police forces the order to bring in revenue as the coffers are bare. If I am correct in that assumption that would explain the behaviour of certain police establishments. How else do we explain a sudden rush of fines on the spot for petty offences such as not standing still at a stop sign long enough; not driving in the right-hand lane of a three lane one-way road without cause; and especially not being in strict compliance with speed signs.
To be fair, if you have been passing a box in which there was supposed to be a working radar, and it has always been empty, and suddenly it has a radar and you are nicked speeding, then fair enough. The sign said “Speed controlled by radar.” You now have no basis for complaint, even if you received multiple fines.
However, some situations approach desperate attempts to rip off motorists. There is a stretch of roadway that I travel everyday that is simply a trap, anytime the police wish to spring it. At the start of the stretch between two towns there is no sign posted to say what is the legal speed. It could be either 80 or 90. I have always assumed it to be 80 to be on the safe side. Shortly after entering on the road we come upon a sign at a dangerous crossing that says 60. Our speed should be no more than 60 when passing that sign and should remain so until we pass the next sign upping the limit.
That sign doesn’t appear. The next sign we pass says 60 as it is another dangerous exit and entrance. Quite a distance along we come to a sign that says 70, meaning that we should reduce our speed to 70 as it’s another slightly dangerous turnoff. Clearly then, we were supposed to be travelling at a higher speed. The next sign to that one says 60 as we pass another dangerous point.
Legally, although someone intends (I think) that traffic should travel between the restricted zones at 80 or 90, we are never authorised to do so. It’s just a matter of time until the traps are sprung. Using policemen in this manner is, or should be a crime and it makes the police criminals in uniform. However mayors may try to justify their demands, having the police pull people over and empty their pockets is no better done by the police than the highwayman.
Here are some more offences, among others, that are rarely prosecuted, except when City Hall’s bank account needs to be topped up: double parking; parking on yellow lines; parking on sidewalks, changing lanes without a signal; driving with one hand draped out the window; parking across a pedestrian crossing; driving with the boot in the up position; wearing backless sandals; carrying inappropriate loads in a car; unsecured seat belts; and talking on the phone while driving. (I saw a policeman doing this.)
I end this with a plea to those who control the police: Return the police to bona-fide policing and give them back their dignity.
Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael
A Fine is serious business. It is the price we pay for learning a lesson.
The motoring public are up in arms, and perhaps we should be. Suddenly we find ourselves up against the wall as our pockets are emptied along the highway by bandits. These bandits are dressed in the uniform of a policeman, the officers to whom we look for protection. Suddenly they are the ones who are demanding money with menaces.
Our society is policed with our consent, and our society also works only if we respect the laws and the people who carry out the laws. Consequently, we expect the men and women who police us to conduct themselves in exemplary fashion. We don’t always get that to the letter, but generally, in the Spanish state the police do hold themselves in high regard.
It seems as though City Hall has forgotten all that and has given their police forces the order to bring in revenue as the coffers are bare. If I am correct in that assumption that would explain the behaviour of certain police establishments. How else do we explain a sudden rush of fines on the spot for petty offences such as not standing still at a stop sign long enough; not driving in the right-hand lane of a three lane one-way road without cause; and especially not being in strict compliance with speed signs.
To be fair, if you have been passing a box in which there was supposed to be a working radar, and it has always been empty, and suddenly it has a radar and you are nicked speeding, then fair enough. The sign said “Speed controlled by radar.” You now have no basis for complaint, even if you received multiple fines.
However, some situations approach desperate attempts to rip off motorists. There is a stretch of roadway that I travel everyday that is simply a trap, anytime the police wish to spring it. At the start of the stretch between two towns there is no sign posted to say what is the legal speed. It could be either 80 or 90. I have always assumed it to be 80 to be on the safe side. Shortly after entering on the road we come upon a sign at a dangerous crossing that says 60. Our speed should be no more than 60 when passing that sign and should remain so until we pass the next sign upping the limit.
That sign doesn’t appear. The next sign we pass says 60 as it is another dangerous exit and entrance. Quite a distance along we come to a sign that says 70, meaning that we should reduce our speed to 70 as it’s another slightly dangerous turnoff. Clearly then, we were supposed to be travelling at a higher speed. The next sign to that one says 60 as we pass another dangerous point.
Legally, although someone intends (I think) that traffic should travel between the restricted zones at 80 or 90, we are never authorised to do so. It’s just a matter of time until the traps are sprung. Using policemen in this manner is, or should be a crime and it makes the police criminals in uniform. However mayors may try to justify their demands, having the police pull people over and empty their pockets is no better done by the police than the highwayman.
Here are some more offences, among others, that are rarely prosecuted, except when City Hall’s bank account needs to be topped up: double parking; parking on yellow lines; parking on sidewalks, changing lanes without a signal; driving with one hand draped out the window; parking across a pedestrian crossing; driving with the boot in the up position; wearing backless sandals; carrying inappropriate loads in a car; unsecured seat belts; and talking on the phone while driving. (I saw a policeman doing this.)
I end this with a plea to those who control the police: Return the police to bona-fide policing and give them back their dignity.
Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael
A Fine is serious business. It is the price we pay for learning a lesson.
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