Fake cop stops cyclist and demands to see his ‘licence’ to ride in bike lane

Captain Badger wrote:

Just as well you kept your cool. A friend and his Mrs are in the police, they always advise be very cautious, as it's easy to get yourself arrested (please excuse my victim-blaming tone, I know it's the rozzer that actually does the arresting).

You see it on Police Speed Interceptor Traffic Cops all the time.  Someone gets more and more wound up until the attending officer basically says, "Ah, sod this!" and arrests them for being disorderly.

He repeatedly stated that he knew that it was illegal to drive without having your licence on you... even after I repeatedly explained the law and the process to him

The correct response to this, and other examples of police incompetence, is to obtain written evidence. Never speak to them on the phone, insist on emails (they then stop communicating sharpish!) and if they are expressing views verbally in person write down the name and number and get it down in electronic text and into the force somehow. They don't like that- for instance Lancashire's Force Control Room has now completely ceased communications, the Court Presentation Officers refuse to respond to requests for details of court appearances etc. They think they're being clever, but the only way to defeat people like this is to accumulate evidence. They hold almost all the cards, so the hapless victims of the police have to play the few cards they have very well!

 I wouldn't be at all surprised if this wasn't a fake cop, but rather one who was completely ignorant of the laws of the road. Although I suppose asking for a cycling license is pushing the ignorance a bit too far

The ignorance of police officers about traffic law should not be underestimated- some of them are pretty dim, which is why they're shunted over into traffic. I have all the evidence (video, emails) of a Blackpool Traffic sergeant threatening to prosecute me for failing to be right over in the gutter thereby facilitating the overtaking by the offending driver- instead he was 'forced' to cross the double unbroken white line in a dangerous position on a humped bridge, just before a blind right bend. I never heard from that sergeant again- that's 2 years ago.

Given that, apparently, there are a number of cases where police forces have impounded the vehicles of drivers for not having a valid licence when their photocard has expired (even when the law is quite clear that the licence itself is still valid and it is perfectly legal to drive with an expired photocard), I am no longer shocked by any claim that police officers don't know the law. 

To be fair, it would be unreasonable to expect every police officer to know chapter and verse of every single law they might be required to enforce, but they do themselves no favours by not acknowledging their lack of knowledge when it comes to light. 

Jetmans Dad wrote:

To be fair, it would be unreasonable to expect every police officer to know chapter and verse of every single law they might be required to enforce, but they do themselves no favours by not acknowledging their lack of knowledge when it comes to light. 

The right approach would be to not try to enforce the law if you do not know it.