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Excellent @Ewan
And excellent work by the forum for encouraging escalation through the correct and effective channels.
Please keep everyone updated as best you can as this progresses, should hopefully be the encouragement that others need to report similar incidents.
Well that's taken a far more promising turn than I expected. All down to a superbly drafted letter. Well done for following this through, I hope the little scrotes at least learn that there aren't always zero consequences for such ****ish behaviour.
Nicely worded complaint Ewan, so pleased they are seemingly now doing something about it for your and everyone else's sake. Keep us informed.
Amazing initial response from the police - if you were to "only assault" the perps, I'm sure officers would be knocking on your door.
(Good that somebody seems to have changed their minds, though)
Such incidents should at the very least warrant a "an incident has been reported, and this is a formal warning that any further occurrences will lead to more robust action being taken" visit, just to let them know that their card has been marked
Also surprised that photographic evidence of them parking on the pavement, in a double yellow line area, did t attract any attention either.
If I was a policeman, I'd also be be round to breathalyse them, too, as it's unclear what's in that can.
Night time drive past their parked car, syringe full of brake fluid on their bonnet if it was me......
Glad, and sonewhat surprised this escalated in the right way!
Just goes to show... well, you know, don’t take the first response as the official line.
Nothing moves faster than a civil servant covering their arse apparently.
Whilst i'm pleased that they're going to at least give it a cursory glance before not doing anything, I am intensely aware that if I wasn't a reasonably articulate middle class bloke who understands what the PCC was and knew my MPs email address nothing would have been done. Middle class privilege is alive and well :-/
If I'm ever needing to complain to the police, I'm using Ewan's letter as a template!
FFS, a u-turn in 1hr.
Well done OP, but it's depressing how little they can be bothered until pressed.
As others have said, glad you are ok and great letter. Hats off to your MP too.
Anyone calling for Jonathan lord for PM yet? 😂
Well done hope they get a visit. I know someone who started doing that sort of stuff, soon escalated to more serious stuff. Safely off the streets now for a few years. Sad really we wish he had got some help early on.
This matter will be passed to our Triage Team to make a full assessment and to allocate to an investigating unit if it meets the threshold for a formal investigation.
Err, you do realise that you've just been told that they're not going to do anything, don't you?
Whilst i’m pleased that they’re going to at least give it a cursory glance before not doing anything
Yes. Yes I do. But at least they'll go through the motions.
I am intensely aware that if I wasn’t a reasonably articulate middle class bloke who understands what the PCC was and knew my MPs email address
..maybe they would’ve been stabbed by now..?
Amazingly I’ve had a great response from south Yorks police to a complaint yesterday. I wasn’t hit, but was subject to an obscene pass followed by serious verbal assault at the next lights. I took pictures as the car drove off through a red.
I reported the case without much hope but the response today has been good. Given the car is untaxed I’m hoping (and the PC I spoke to agreed) that the DVLA will relieve the owner of the car and a section 172 will be issued.
Fair result in my book, it it all comes off.
ETA - hope it turns out well in your case OP
Well done Ewan. I'm also local, so appreciate your efforts to get this investigated properly.
Ewan
Member
Nothing moves faster than a civil servant covering their arse apparently.
Whilst I agree with the sentiment, Police aren't Civil Servants, nor are MPs staff. None will have been involved in this case.
Could you do a private prosecution if the police do not prosecute?
Well done @Ewan - great letter and I know who I'm coming to for advice on writing any letter of complaint from now on! 😉
Hope it gets taken further and experience some consequences to their actions.
Si
Great work. In fact, it's inspired me to write my own letter about a very similar set of circumstances.
Well done Ewan. Keep us all updated please.
Could you do a private prosecution if the police do not prosecute?
Burden of proof lies with the prosecutor, very unlikely to be successful without any corroborating evidence (which is why the police are unlikely to charge, and the prosecutor fiscal unlikely to prosecute).
I’d be going around with a lump hammer one night in a few months time and beating the shit out of the cars with it.
Yup, absolutely. If you want to avoid any potential future conflict or police involvement though you might want to try a quieter option. I've heard wasing up liquid or sugar in the fuel tank works well. Also glass etching fluid can effectively and quietly trash the windows and paintwork. If you really want to go for it I read somewhere in the past that a decent amount of thermite on the bonnet can melt through the engine block 🙂
Expanding foams a giggle too...
Inject up exhaust and leave
It's a piss take the police only act on chance of conviction. Resources are what they are but a cursory investigation should not be much effort.
It's also frustrating when the government etc are trying to promote cycling.
Yup, absolutely. If you want to avoid any potential future conflict or police involvement though you might want to try a quieter option
Toffee hammer? Would be a long night though.
Update on this - as I expected I got a longer mail saying they weren't going to look into it a day or so ago and this is our assessment criteria. However, the PC (the others had been from civilians) said the main reason they weren't looking to progress it was because I couldn't identify who hit me. He / She also said that they had sent a letter to the keeper telling them their car had been used in a crime.
This obviously provides a chink in their armour, as I can identify the one who hit me - pretty certain it was the guy in the beanie. I've responded pointing this out, and also suggesting they look at the black box the car almost certainly has as part of it's insurance. I've also asked to understand how my assault was scored against their criteria, given that on the face of it, it looks like it should score highly.
No reply as yet. I'm expecting all that will happen, is that i'll raise a complaint to the PCC, they'll then send me a much longer mail saying there is nothing to be done.
I found the following quote from their email somewhat concerning!
With the ever increasing demands on the police, we are no longer able to investigate all matters that are reported to the police and we do not have the resources to warn / advise every person that is reported for such instances.
Well done Euan, stick at it.
14 years ago I had a similar incident which started as a 'no action'. Like you I escalated.
The chap involved was given a year sentence. His family members were given a warning for threats and interference with the case via the Jury in court.
He was released after 6 months....and put someone in hospital the same week, and so stayed inside for another 3 years.
I’d say CPS view will be You’re going to struggle to have a realistic prospect of conviction off “ – pretty certain” identification.
Criminal justice system is creaking at all levels, this is the kind of thing your going to get.
Sure - i'm not particularly after a conviction. I just want there to be some consequences to his actions, even if that is just a police officer talking to them.
I've submitted a couple of clips to GMP (as part of operation considerate).
They state "As soon as we become aware the case will proceed to Court only then we will contact you and ensure that you are supported through the process otherwise you will not receive any further updates."
Gives them a massive out, they can just ignore it and you'll never know.
Time to go and see if I can view access logs of the cloud storage I upload the clip to 🙂
I hope you get somewhere with this, and that there is some material impact on the toerags, but this
....suggesting they look at the black box the car almost certainly has as part of it’s insurance.
is a huge assumption that I'd not push too much. It'd be more work to try and identify the presence of a black box and get the data out of the insurance co. than just send a bobby round and give them a stiff talking to. I don't think many black boxes have GPS anyway, just accelerometers to determine acceleration, cornering and braking forces.
If you're going to expanding foam the exhaust pipe, make sure you plug it with something so the expansion fills up the silencer rather than out of the tailpipe where it's easily spotted. 😁
I found the following quote from their email somewhat concerning!
With the ever increasing demands on the police, we are no longer able to investigate all matters that are reported to the police and we do not have the resources to warn / advise every person that is reported for such instances.
Certainly concerning, but been that way for a few years now
I still like the milk idea.
Sod the copper help desk, thats likely to go nowhere.
Contact their boss so go up the chain and email head office with your complaint.
Also contact your local mp, and you can happily tell the police you've also done so and look forward to hearing from them shortly.
Skumbags like this always are known.
Sounds like the police are putting more effort into not talking/dealing with these total wastes of skin, than just dealing with it.
Years ago I got pushed off the road by someone. I'd reported it and given a witness statement. Heard nothing for several months so I wrote to the Chief Constable expressing my disappointment and asking for the insurers details for claiming damage. I got a letter back in 4 days and then phone calls from today force. Obviously they didn't actually take anything further but at least the driver was interviewed eventually and a record was kept on file.
I can only imagine how frustrating this will have been.
I am very confident I would have gone down the ride-bye with paint stripper in the squeeze bottle route at least 3 days ago .. before their MOT runs out and they likely get another old banger.
A visit off the police will only provide them with extra kudos and a giggle to brag to their mates IMO .. they are not very likely from the type of homes where the parents will be concerned to have police knocking.
Driving around in a car that shows someone has taken the piss out of them will hurt them a lot more.
Not that I am recommending or condoning doing so though.
Ewan - thanks for pursuing this.
This in my mind is a completely serious matter. You had the skills to stay on the bike, there are many newbie riders (more so than ever) many of whom would not have survived being punched while riding, ending in dreadful consequences.
We were on our tandem last week (on the Glossop to Chinley rd, Little Hayfield), descending at a fair speed, when on a windy bit (double white lines) we got overtaken by a motor crosser and another rider on a powerful motor bike. She was so close I almost felt her arm as she squeezed passed us and an oncoming car. I was left very shaken and took a while to calm down. We are now getting cameras. So I can't imagine how it felt for you.
As an mtber I've always been nervous riding roads, but as others have said the take up on the British people cycling now has been incredible and must be encouraged. It just takes an incident such as yours, to put people off. These scrotes need to be dealt with.
I'd be changing tack now and pushing on that quote about them not having resources to pursue such incidents. Pointing out that you, as victim of a violent crime, were required to put in unnecessary time and effort to get them to pay attention. They refer specifically to your email as an important factor in their decision, which is just plain wrong that that should be the case. See what your local mp has to say about that, maybe copy in his opposition, etc, etc, etc. Lockdown has given me far too much time on my hands to be an arse about stuff 😁
We were on our tandem last week (on the Glossop to Chinley rd, Little Hayfield),
That's a red-flagged road in my book. Everything from the crest of Chunal onwards is too narrow and has poor sightlines in lots of places. I've almost been taken out twice by cars overtaking towards me on downhills on the A624 now. I avoid it - and it is mostly avoidable, particularly on a cross bike.
More generally, kudos to the OP for pursuing this tenaciously via the right channels. I do get the stuff about paint stripper, brake fluid, milk and expanding foam, but apart from the risk of being done for criminal damage or getting involved in a messy feud, there's a point where stuff like this diminishes you as a person. You're better off accepting that life isn't fair and leaving any retribution to karma. Life is too short, there are better things to spend energy on.
@Ewan, did you get any further with this. This thread really stuck in my mind, I'd hate to think they got away with it Scott free.
I am confident that kind of vermin will get their comeuppance eventually.
Just hope they don't take anyone with them when they end up plowing into a wall after taking one too many - testosterone driven - risks.
@Ewan, did you get any further with this. This thread really stuck in my mind, I’d hate to think they got away with it Scott free.
Currently arguing with the police in slow motion (I email, they write). So far they've sent a letter to the owner of the car saying it may have been used in a crime. I'm sure it'll end up in a complaint etc.
At least the owner will now know you've followed it up and there may be some consequence. Doesn't sound like swift or fair justice though. Keep at it, I really hope this gets resolved to your satisfaction.