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Was climbing out of Hebden Bridge yesterday on Cragg Road when I was overtaken by a white van which slowed down as it came alongside. The driver revved the engine, the passenger leaned out of the window with a portable air horn and blew it into my ear, then sped off.
Reported to West Yorkshire police on 101 as my ear was painful that evening (portable air horns are ~140dB) and gave them the reg number of the van.
They initially seemed quite keen to investigate but then called back to say that the van wasn't registered in their jurisdiction and that the police force responsible (suspect Lancashire police) won't be investigating.
The reason they're not investigating?
"The registered keeper and the insurance differ".
My ear still feels woolly this afternoon and though I wasn't particularly bothered by the incident, someone else might be and it seems that they kept the air horn in the van for the sole purpose of trying to annoy cyclists.
Is it possible to "appeal" a decision not to investigate?
I would have thought so. It's assault ffs and could have ended very badly.
I'd have thought the responsible force was where the incident took place. They might need help from other forces but it must their job to investigate. Otherwise the criminals would just go to the next county.
There's nothing to say the registered keeper and the insurance have to match. For complex historical reasons I'm keeper of a car insured in my wife's name and vice versa, it's never bothered anyone. (Neither of them is a white van)
Lazy policing. Can you contact the IPCC?
That's just bull, I've had lease cars in the past and they are registered to the leasing company and insured to me at my address.
Don't let it drop. Either that or post the reg and details here and we can do a critical mass on them 😉
Yep post the Reg, I'm sure someone could rig a few air horns to go off at 3am
Assault for sure, get an audiogram done. I had similar thing done years and years ago, magephone on siren mode. My left ear, although unnoticable to me, has a significant loss on one of the frequencies.
The Police wont investigate? What if he had leaned out of the window and thumped you?
Can you escalate it up the chain of command?
I bought an airzound 115db horn specifically beep white van drivers who always cut you up on the commute. Certainly wakes them up.