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[shyboy]

Had to drive into Liverpool today and looked forward to pushing the 2.6l a little on the few roads round here which are suitable. Waiting to join the Coastal road, had to let 4 brand new Police Ford vans (Transits?) pass which were travelling in convoy with a total of 11 officers between them. Joined their little line and couldn't believe it when they completely ignored the first 30 mph sign and continued at what must have been 50 mph at least. Caught them again at a roundabout and then had to sit behind at 30mph in a 50mph stretch.
Coastal road then becomes a de-restricted dual carriageway, where I gently cruised past the back 2 as they accelerated from lights and ended up in the middle as they pulled out behind me, for another 2 miles, with the vehicle 3rd in line right up my backside. I couldn't see his lights he was that close, at 70mph. Couldn't pull over because of heavy inside lane traffic, I'm glad to say.
Do you think he was miffed because I had had the 'cheek' to overtake him?
Anyway, they all turned off towards the local firing range at Altcar, so I suppose they were having a day out and a bit of 'fun'. I'm sure I couldn't have got away with intimidating him in the same way.
And worst of all, I'd by then run out of sufficient road to give 'Miggy' a blast.

[ians]

There is a police training centre near us.  See quite a few cars , but often they are not drive by cops.    I guess its only the patrol drivers who have the advanced training anyway?   Still I would think that breaking the speed limit was drummed into all of them as an absolute no-no..   I've got a lot of time for the police in general but this kind of thing does their reputation no good.

Incidently I may be wrong but I once heard that it was illegal to split a convoy (probably military, and I'm not sure 4 vehicles counts as a convoy, so this wouldn't count)

Cheers
Ian

[shyboy]

That's interesting. I hope it is very illegal to split a police 'convoy' because it means that I unknowingly got away, (so far anyway), with breaking the law, which I seldom manage to do.  

[waspy]

There is a police training centre near us.  See quite a few cars , but often they are not drive by cops.    I guess its only the patrol drivers who have the advanced training anyway?   Still I would think that breaking the speed limit was drummed into all of them as an absolute no-no..   I've got a lot of time for the police in general but this kind of thing does their reputation no good.

Incidently I may be wrong but I once heard that it was illegal to split a convoy (probably military, and I'm not sure 4 vehicles counts as a convoy, so this wouldn't count)

Cheers
Ian

Well if it is, there's no mention of this in the highway code book that i have  :-?

I have overtaken Police cars that aren't doing the speed limit, infact my x wife used to tell me off for it  
I used to say "if they wana fanny around, i don't so i'm doing the limit"  

[hotel21]

There is nothing that I am aware of that makes it unlawful to split a convoy.

If it were a convoy that they did not want you to split (VIP escort, for example) then I am sure they would have employed manouevres such that you simply would not have been able to pass.  Whats more, the last vehicle in the convoy would have had a matrix sign of some description on display in the rear window advising you thus.......

As far as the standard of Police driving you witnessed goes, there are eejits in every profession.  What makes it sad is that these particular ones were knowingly driving an easily identifiable set of vehicles and should be setting higher standards that those shown.

[waspy]

Had to drive into Liverpool today and looked forward to pushing the 2.6l a little on the few roads round here which are suitable. Waiting to join the Coastal road, had to let 4 brand new Police Ford vans (Transits?) pass which were travelling in convoy with a total of 11 officers between them. Joined their little line and couldn't believe it when they completely ignored the first 30 mph sign and continued at what must have been 50 mph at least. Caught them again at a roundabout and then had to sit behind at 30mph in a 50mph stretch.
Coastal road then becomes a de-restricted dual carriageway, where I gently cruised past the back 2 as they accelerated from lights and ended up in the middle as they pulled out behind me, for another 2 miles, with the vehicle 3rd in line right up my backside. I couldn't see his lights he was that close, at 70mph. Couldn't pull over because of heavy inside lane traffic, I'm glad to say.
Do you think he was miffed because I had had the 'cheek' to overtake him?
Anyway, they all turned off towards the local firing range at Altcar, so I suppose they were having a day out and a bit of 'fun'. I'm sure I couldn't have got away with intimidating him in the same way.
And worst of all, I'd by then run out of sufficient road to give 'Miggy' a blast.

I wonder what he would have said to his superiors if you have had someone cut you up & you had to brake sharp & they'd hit you up the chuff & i wonder how close the one at the back was to his mate   OOOh, how  

[Vamps]

There is a police training centre near us.  See quite a few cars , but often they are not drive by cops.    I guess its only the patrol drivers who have the advanced training anyway?   Still I would think that breaking the speed limit was drummed into all of them as an absolute no-no..   I've got a lot of time for the police in general but this kind of thing does their reputation no good.

Incidently I may be wrong but I once heard that it was illegal to split a convoy (probably military, and I'm not sure 4 vehicles counts as a convoy, so this wouldn't count)

Cheers
Ian

This rings a bell I think there is or was sometihng about not splitting a military convoy if traveiling with lights, and I think flags. It may be that it goes back a long way and is ignored, mind have you tried passing some of them, much faster than they ever used to be.
As I say I believe it is military, nothing to do with VIP's or the like. I live near to where Tony Blaire lived, you could not split up his convoys, and when theyanks were here!!!!!!