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Chat Area => General Discussion Area => Topic started by: Varche on 18 May 2009, 22:36:01

Title: Police checkpoint - Spanish style
Post by: Varche on 18 May 2009, 22:36:01
I have now witnessed from the same motorway bridge, this spectacle twice.

A convoy of police vehicles travels along the two lane  motorway from Seville to Granada. They choose their spot with some degree of sense. today there were six vehicles. two slow everyone down side by side going up quite a steep hill out of Rio Frio and I mean steep. In the meantime the other vehicles get into position up ahead blocking off the hard shoulder and lane one and get cones out. Another vehicle stands at the end of the cones with the guys equipped with a Stinger. they look as though they just need an excuse to use it. A final vehicle hangs right back and sits on the hard shoulder and "warns of hazard ahead" using his blue lights"

then the pull overs/waving through commence. I couldn't see if all "foreign" vehicles were being pulled over as is rumoured.  then it is a case of processing vehicles for any irregularities and dishing out on the spot fines. In fairness you see stacks of vehicles carrying loads bigger than the car itself on a roof rack, sitting on the bump stops etc etc so it maybe is an efficient way of weeding out wrongdoers.

When the queue is too long they pack up shop and wave the tailback through. Quite incredible. Imagine that happening in Britain. there would be an outcry.

As a footnote if you are ever given an on the spot fine in Spain politely ask for a receipt, that way the money has a vague chance of getting into the police coffers and not their pockets.  :)

El varche  
Title: Re: Police checkpoint - Spanish style
Post by: greenster918 on 24 May 2009, 17:38:58
I'll be driving around Alicante in a couple of weeks so best get my Spanish phrase book out just in case i happen across one of these spot checks..i'm bound to do something wrong!
Title: Re: Police checkpoint - Spanish style
Post by: Ghost on 24 May 2009, 18:09:14
As I lived in germany I there were a lot of police and Bag ( simmilar to Vosa ) checkpoints, they loved to pull trucks and foreign vehicles out and take there money off them. In Holland you have a couple of motorbikes that are a couple of K's away from the carpark that would follow and then pull you in. France is even worse.