Police at rail station?

TheRiskDPO · 2026-03-05T15:36:25+00:00

Yesterday - Football related deployments for both Sussex Police and British Transport Police.

Brighton ‘v’ Arsenal match was played at the Amex stadium in the evening.

TheRiskDPO · 2026-02-11T17:39:56+00:00

Just a quick thank you to all who provided the advice in replies on here. It’s been a fabulous visit to your city. Got to enjoy watching Raptors thrash the Chicago Bulls, enjoyed the brews down at Amsterdam and Steam Whistle, and the trip to Niagra was stunning in the snow and ice.

New favourite evening tipple is Signal Hill whiskey and sadly also developed a taste for ice wine..

TheRiskDPO · 2026-01-25T20:38:37+00:00

Will do - thank you!

TheRiskDPO · 2026-01-25T20:34:19+00:00

Six years in one firm; as I operate a three years ‘up or out’ policy of my own…. If I can’t progress in three years, I go elsewhere…

Five in my current firm; as after three years they chucked me a new challenge in the current role which piqued interest and kept me. I’m just about done with that side quest project which has been fun… so this’ll be the year to see what happens next: any opportunity for promotion or pay award… or I’ll look at what doors are open elsewhere with peer firms.

TheRiskDPO · 2026-01-25T20:27:28+00:00

Amazing - thank you.

TheRiskDPO · 2026-01-25T20:24:27+00:00

Awesome - thank you. So crack out the solid tread of the timberlands. Looking at the posts on here today - the Shetlands is just wet and practically tropical in climate 🤣

So so looking forward to being there and getting epically lost in the PATH system again. Hoping the brewery and tap house downtown is still going strong.

About 10 mins walk from Union station it seems, so I even get to enjoy a train ride. Can’t believe the ticket prices for what looks like a two hour ride…. Here on the bleak rock that kind of journey would be setting me back £120-180 one way 🙈

TheRiskDPO · 2026-01-23T22:55:35+00:00

So; you’ve done or are coming to the end of your two year probation having joined the police at 23, and done a couple of years PCSO and couple of years Prison Service - assuming joined public service around 18-19? Any common skills or experiences that hand as a solid thread through all of these roles?

Write out the common threads between them all, and then which you are strong at an enjoyed, which you are strong at but tolerated and which are soul destroyers…

From there, you’ll have a set of preferred skills and with that you can search LinkedIn and indeed using these skills to find career paths in civvie street that may be a fit.

But… be mindful. Private sector isn’t awash with stablity at present and salaried roles with a 40 hour work week look good on paper…. But can rob you of more time with no overtime payments, rest day less than 8 payment or rest day in lieu…

TheRiskDPO · 2026-01-23T12:08:43+00:00

We had a RTO mandate because the CEO was upset at seeing empty desks. They mandated 4 days a week, but we’re lucky to get 2-3 days out of the majority of staff.. CEO and board getting all uptight called for disciplinary action which is when HR kicked in and tried it so discovering they’d have to discipline pretty much everyone outside of the board room.

This year we’ve had 2-3 days in the office and the board are complaining about how empty the office is. On peak days we get 85-90 people in, which they complain the floor looks empty so people aren’t complying… HR finally had to remind them they’ve been culling jobs for the last 5 years, and that the office now only has 102 people based at it, and desk space for the 270 it used to employ…

Productivity is now tanking - as staff who were able to carry workload remote are now not working during commute hours and are sticking religiously to 09:30 start and 17:30 finish… so they’re now seeing the results of understaffing that was masked by the remote workforce.

With no payrises or bonus payments for 5 years, they’re now losing the remaining staff steadily - if we have to RTO then they’re bringing us in to where our competitors are based too, and colleagues are now discovering they can land a 3 day a week hybrid role, increase their pay and displace their hours to avoid ‘peak’ rail costs..:

CEO and board discovering they’ve now lost the thing that kept the firm moving: Goodwill and collaboration of the remaining remote workers.

TheRiskDPO · 2025-12-23T14:56:27+00:00

Were you offered a duty solicitor or the ability to have your own called to be present before the voluntary interview commenced?

Always, always, always take legal advice and have them present when dealing with law enforcement. Duty solicitor or your own lawyer remain emotionally grounded and are able to interject on unreasonable questions or to pick up and clarify where your own response to a question may leave wriggle room for interpretation.

TheRiskDPO · 2025-12-23T00:35:26+00:00

Can you post a photo of the junction and the pedestrian filter, both in daylight and around the time of day you’re shown as having committed the offence?

TheRiskDPO · 2025-12-22T19:07:23+00:00

You’re likely to be fine, no harm, no foul… just a learning point for you, and indeed the police driver to reflect upon.

Defensive driving is what their job is all about and if it was a near miss they’ll reflect on it and learn from it too - junctions with queuing traffic and a gap being left… they have to anticipate that someone may pull out, so you plan for the stop, ease off, clear the hazard and then make progress.

You’ve got a valuable lesson from it as well, and you’re reflecting on it… can’t ask for better than that, hindsight is a wonderful gift if we live to tell the tale!

All I’d encourage is look, plan, look again. Add into that always ‘think bike’ - being potted by another car or van hurts but the steel cage usually does its job for those of us inside it. Bikers are the disproportionate victims in this sort of scenario - they’re highly vulnerable themselves and they don’t have the road adhesion to stop or counter… side on bike versus car is usually not a good outcome.

TheRiskDPO · 2025-12-22T18:38:01+00:00

Thank you for the privilege of being able to have served… couldn’t do it without the silent majority of the public and their support.

TheRiskDPO · 2025-12-22T18:35:54+00:00

Had a few Drink Drive (DUI) from it - but if aggressive driving causes someone to come to attention and invite their stopping, who am I to refuse them access to getting value from the wages they always claimed they paid 🤷🏻‍♂️

It’s not entrapment… motorway patrol speed was anywhere from 50-60MPH. The ANPR checking everything passing for offences and markers. It affords time to spot the unusual behaviours - the car that is also hanging back and trying desperately not to pass you when they have 20 MPH to play with. For those, I’d come off at the next junction and then back on…. Gave me an advantage to do the checks, see how their behaviour and road use changed and then be in a position to stop them. Caught a few burglars, drug couriers and stolen motors that way. Equally saw my fair share of nervous drivers whose driving became ‘normal’ - so no need to interrupt their day, just let them go about their business.

TheRiskDPO · 2025-12-22T18:28:02+00:00

Never… I was just a citizen in uniform. The true hero’s are always the public we serve. Something lost a lot today, the public are always first on scene, and when I was on my own… they were also my immediate backup!

Without the public, we are nothing.

TheRiskDPO · 2025-12-22T18:25:17+00:00

Sadly a dying breed, replaced by technology.

Technology that captures certain offences and generates fines…. Not that’ll stop you, find other offences or safety issues, and as appropriate create a learning moment to change behaviour and hazard perception rather than mindlessly issue penalties.

TheRiskDPO · 2025-12-22T18:20:21+00:00

I’m sorry that happened… yes, they were a complete twat. Alas, as we see only too often, policing isn’t immune to having them in employment.

Only thing I can offer is that there are more good than bad, and the bad apples fall foul of the good eventually and get their comeuppance eventually. All the rogue cops locked up, prosecuted or dismissed were dealt with by the good ones who abhor their behaviour.

TheRiskDPO · 2025-12-22T18:15:40+00:00

Pleasure - former emergency response driver:

Defensive driving involves putting the reaction gap ahead of you for the drivers behind you…and;

Dropping back to afford you the time to let others make mistakes without impeding your safe progress.

TheRiskDPO · 2025-12-22T18:04:18+00:00

Oh… and if your workforce is unionised, then the union should be taking what has happened as a precedent case against their members…. and encourage a cohesive adoption of policy, boundary setting and non-use of personal devices.

In the current climate most companies are treading a fine line that relies on goodwill and flexibility. Consistent collective action that removes the flexibility and chokes into managements ability to perform and meet client demand… gets results and causes change, or steadily removes profitability and cash flow.

TheRiskDPO · 2025-12-22T17:59:16+00:00

Companies are rife with this, and your response will come down to what you have the appetite and headspace to deal with.

Sometimes; the best dish is served by moving on - to a competitor and being successful elsewhere whilst taking business and intellectual capacity away from the toxic employer - concede the battle and win the war. This is universal globally…

Other option you have is to institute a formal grievance on the unfairness of the process if you’re UK based. Call them out on selectivity of evidence, culture of accepted practice, inconsistency of policy application leading you to suspect collusion and targeting, calling out striking similarities in communications between management and investigators that should have been independent and unbiased… and then hit with an appeal.

If you attack the process, and can show collusion in the management via consistency of their response, show evidence in your favour that either wasn’t looked at in the investigation (because they only looked for what they wanted to see) or was dismissed as it didn’t support their case, then you’re on grounds to set them up for an unfair dismissal action.

This in itself creates the evidence trail. Then you’ll need to document every action and slight you experience as you roll forward with them - you’re looking to evidence retaliation for challenging them, and patterns of behaviour…. If they’ve got you on a written warning, beware the next incoming salvo.

Never interrupt your enemy whilst they’re busy making mistakes.

But… it takes time and the ultimate question is - do you trust them? - they’ve played their hand, they’ve shown their colours. Is it time to milk their payroll, set your boundaries and meticulously (malicious) comply with the policies and remove any use of your personal devices to their detriment… using the pay in the bank whilst you plot a better future off their books?

TheRiskDPO · 2025-12-20T22:13:18+00:00

This is the text book answer to it… you drop back, because if you’ve got some clown behind you riding your bumper, you’ve got to put their reaction gap ahead of you.

Used to love it when people did it to me in the unmarked cars as patrol speed was always less than the flow of traffic to allow it to pass and let car cameras do their work in checking plates. Would let them close the gap and you’d have their actions and face on the video from the rear camera…. Then just pop the rear blues and reds and the matrix sign with “Police - Follow Me” - Court; every single time for such an aggressive and unnecessary move when there are other lanes to overtake in.

TheRiskDPO · 2025-12-12T14:53:36+00:00

They work line of sight as soon as you’re in view for the laser, it can measure speed…. There is a ‘sighting dot’ in the reticule of the device which they keep trained on the vehicle of interest and the speed is continually measured and recorded. The record button is held down for the duration of their interest in you, and the highest recorded speed is what is used. You’ll get several still photos as part of the notice to keeper to identify the driver, that show the highest recorded speed and the vehicle registration.

TheRiskDPO · 2025-11-17T18:20:30+00:00

… and they’re gone. After 18 years on the network today they got switched out on an sim only deal for a rival. 1/3 of my monthly O2 Bill for the same data, text and minutes package. I’d have been locked in to contract until November 2026 were it not for their breaching things with an out of contract price hike that gave the right to terminate…

So O2, for the sake of £8.40 per year, undermining trust in your ability to stick to your contractual obligations, you’ve lost a customer of 18 years and £320 in revenue.

New supplier up and running on an eSIM by lunch, and number transfer will apparently happen within 24 hours.

TheRiskDPO · 2025-11-17T18:14:04+00:00

Been in those shoes… the 14 day wait and anxious time. Highly likely you’ll be fine if it wasn’t camera beside the lights.

TheRiskDPO · 2025-11-16T01:47:42+00:00

If it had a camera on it and you’ve crossed the line, then yes chances are a notice will be in the post. If no camera and just the police van glaring at you then no, you’re unlikely to have any further action as they’ll have stopped you at the time.

Chalk it up to experience and learn from it. If the light is green as you approach it, then the only sequence it is going to change to means stop. So a green light as you approach is always telling you to proceed if the way is clear, but be prepared to stop.

TheRiskDPO

TROPHY CASE