Is this normal?

In October last year I was assaulted by a driver after he had
dangerously overtaken 12 eight-year-old children, a colleague and me
as we cycled over a hump back drawbridge at the entrance to West India
Docks, East London.

I reported the assault to the police.

British Waterways, who operate the drawbridge and locks, have CCTV
pictures of the assualt, and I have handed over a photograph, which
clearly shows the number plate of my assailant's car as he sped off.

www.johnballcycling.org.uk/photos/PA171052

On the 14th of every month I receive a letter from Bow Road Police
Station Victim Focus Unit informing me that the case is still ongoing.

Today I phoned the police station to complain that I felt the case was
taking far too long to investigate, and I felt that it wasn't being
taken seriously. A sergeant called me back and told me that as the
investigation was ongoing he would not record my complaint.

Is it normal for a simple assault case to take so long to investigate?

"Tom Crispin" wrote in message
news
In October last year I was assaulted by a driver after he had
dangerously overtaken 12 eight-year-old children, a colleague and me
as we cycled over a hump back drawbridge at the entrance to West India
Docks, East London.

I reported the assault to the police.

British Waterways, who operate the drawbridge and locks, have CCTV
pictures of the assualt, and I have handed over a photograph, which
clearly shows the number plate of my assailant's car as he sped off.

www.johnballcycling.org.uk/photos/PA171052

On the 14th of every month I receive a letter from Bow Road Police
Station Victim Focus Unit informing me that the case is still ongoing.

Today I phoned the police station to complain that I felt the case was
taking far too long to investigate, and I felt that it wasn't being
taken seriously. A sergeant called me back and told me that as the
investigation was ongoing he would not record my complaint.

Is it normal for a simple assault case to take so long to investigate?

Depends who the car was registered to. If the keeper has told DVLA he is not
the current keeper then where do they start?

Tom Crispin wrote:
In October last year I was assaulted by a driver after he had
dangerously overtaken 12 eight-year-old children, a colleague and me
as we cycled over a hump back drawbridge at the entrance to West India
Docks, East London.

I reported the assault to the police.

British Waterways, who operate the drawbridge and locks, have CCTV
pictures of the assualt, and I have handed over a photograph, which
clearly shows the number plate of my assailant's car as he sped off.

www.johnballcycling.org.uk/photos/PA171052

On the 14th of every month I receive a letter from Bow Road Police
Station Victim Focus Unit informing me that the case is still ongoing.

Today I phoned the police station to complain that I felt the case was
taking far too long to investigate, and I felt that it wasn't being
taken seriously. A sergeant called me back and told me that as the
investigation was ongoing he would not record my complaint.

Is it normal for a simple assault case to take so long to investigate?
(1) It isn't _acceptable_.

(2) Plod has just put his foot in it 'cos you can now make two complaints
to IPCC (a) Original delay (b) Failure to take any notice of complaint



IPCC are just as crap as their predecessors and they need to be harried by
your MP and anyone else you can think of. They just refer the complaint
back to the original plods than take their word for it then shrug. Well
that's what they try - you need to keep the pressure up on them at least
every 10 days regardless of whingeing - _each time escallating the problem
and demanding things like "when did you". A right bloody pain but you have
a sheaf of papers to show to the press photographer which is your next stage.



--
Peter Fox
Beer, dancing, cycling and lots more at www.eminent.demon.co.uk

On Mar 21, 3:59 pm, Tom Crispin
wrote:
In October last year I was assaulted ... snip
Is it normal for a simple assault case to take so long to investigate?

for comparison, I witnessed a hit and run in mid january of this
year. I was only contacted to fill out a witness form last week, so I
imagine any possible charges would be some way off.

best wishes
james

Tom Crispin wrote:
In October last year I was assaulted by a driver after he had
dangerously overtaken 12 eight-year-old children, a colleague and me
as we cycled over a hump back drawbridge at the entrance to West India
Docks, East London.

I reported the assault to the police.

British Waterways, who operate the drawbridge and locks, have CCTV
pictures of the assualt, and I have handed over a photograph, which
clearly shows the number plate of my assailant's car as he sped off.

www.johnballcycling.org.uk/photos/PA171052

On the 14th of every month I receive a letter from Bow Road Police
Station Victim Focus Unit informing me that the case is still ongoing.

Today I phoned the police station to complain that I felt the case was
taking far too long to investigate, and I felt that it wasn't being
taken seriously. A sergeant called me back and told me that as the
investigation was ongoing he would not record my complaint.

Is it normal for a simple assault case to take so long to investigate?

I don't know but I'd say that rear numberplate is verging on the illegal.

On Fri, 21 Mar 2008 17:48:38 +0000, Peter Fox
wrote:

Tom Crispin wrote:
In October last year I was assaulted by a driver after he had
dangerously overtaken 12 eight-year-old children, a colleague and me
as we cycled over a hump back drawbridge at the entrance to West India
Docks, East London.

I reported the assault to the police.

British Waterways, who operate the drawbridge and locks, have CCTV
pictures of the assualt, and I have handed over a photograph, which
clearly shows the number plate of my assailant's car as he sped off.

www.johnballcycling.org.uk/photos/PA171052

On the 14th of every month I receive a letter from Bow Road Police
Station Victim Focus Unit informing me that the case is still ongoing.

Today I phoned the police station to complain that I felt the case was
taking far too long to investigate, and I felt that it wasn't being
taken seriously. A sergeant called me back and told me that as the
investigation was ongoing he would not record my complaint.

Is it normal for a simple assault case to take so long to investigate?
(1) It isn't _acceptable_.

(2) Plod has just put his foot in it 'cos you can now make two complaints
to IPCC (a) Original delay (b) Failure to take any notice of complaint



IPCC are just as crap as their predecessors and they need to be harried by
your MP and anyone else you can think of. They just refer the complaint
back to the original plods than take their word for it then shrug. Well
that's what they try - you need to keep the pressure up on them at least
every 10 days regardless of whingeing - _each time escallating the problem
and demanding things like "when did you". A right bloody pain but you have
a sheaf of papers to show to the press photographer which is your next stage.

Thanks for the advice, Peter.

I'm not sure that I have the energy to pursue this alone, but
fortunately I have three powerful bodies who I can try to pursuade to
chase it on my behalf:
1. Colleagues on the school's governing body
2. My teacher's union ATL
3. Lewisham education authority

I wonder if the LCC would do anything. Unfortunately I have allowed
my CTC membership to lapse.

I actually think it is totally out of order!

However after a fairly long lifetime, much of it spent in foreign lands, my
respect for the various police forces in England (I have little experience of
the Principality or Scotland) decreases year by year. I was raised to have
absolute respect for the police force and as a young man and even a middle
aged man it remained intact.

However it has been rapidly eroded over the last 20 years.

For whatever reason ( including a huge reduction in what I call "esprit de
corps" the police are just men who are working in yet another job.

I spent some 25 years as a member of the armed forces (part of that was as an
MOD sponsored "mercenary") but I was trained to respect the local aurthority
and I have always been a man who supported law. But I "Served".

I spent hours working late in an evening. I don't claim to be different to
most of my fellow officers. We worked bloody hard.
That meant we worked for our men and we worked for our unit and we worked for
our Queen - and we spent days and hours away from our wives and families.

The badge of RMA Sandhurst has the subscription. "Serve to Lead" -- it was
always real banner to me which I have always tried to live up to.

In my own opinion I do not see that sort of commitment displayed by the
various police forces to which I have been in contact.

So I have a huge distrust in many of our "public bodies" --right from the
money grubbing Members of Parliament to our endlessly re-elected members of
our local councils.

They are not there to serve -- they are there to earn money!

Now that was a good rant but I do not trust, in anyway the integrity of any
policeman -- he is just as likely to be a felon as anyone else.

Wow that really was a rant!

And hey -- We all worked hard

--
Trevor A Panther
In South Yorkshire,
England, United Kingdom.
www.tapan.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk


"Tom Crispin" wrote in message
news
In October last year I was assaulted by a driver after he had
dangerously overtaken 12 eight-year-old children, a colleague and me
as we cycled over a hump back drawbridge at the entrance to West India
Docks, East London.

I reported the assault to the police.

British Waterways, who operate the drawbridge and locks, have CCTV
pictures of the assualt, and I have handed over a photograph, which
clearly shows the number plate of my assailant's car as he sped off.

www.johnballcycling.org.uk/photos/PA171052

On the 14th of every month I receive a letter from Bow Road Police
Station Victim Focus Unit informing me that the case is still ongoing.

Today I phoned the police station to complain that I felt the case was
taking far too long to investigate, and I felt that it wasn't being
taken seriously. A sergeant called me back and told me that as the
investigation was ongoing he would not record my complaint.

Is it normal for a simple assault case to take so long to investigate?

Sorry about another sort of top post


having had my rant



The real problem is that the police, who are supposed to be in direct support
of "us" the normal general public, have little or no connection with "us"!

They spend an enormous amount of money chased boy racers (and presumably
selling the video to TV) They have hugely expensive machines like helicopters
and they have no connection with the people the are supposed to support

Sorry POLICE you are an expensive waste of time --- and distinctly not cost
effective

I suppose that is another rant isn't it?

--
Trevor A Panther
In South Yorkshire,
England, United Kingdom.
www.tapan.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk
"Trevor A Panther" wrote in message
m...
I actually think it is totally out of order!

However after a fairly long lifetime, much of it spent in foreign lands, my
respect for the various police forces in England (I have little experience
of the Principality or Scotland) decreases year by year. I was raised to
have absolute respect for the police force and as a young man and even a
middle aged man it remained intact.

However it has been rapidly eroded over the last 20 years.

For whatever reason ( including a huge reduction in what I call "esprit de
corps" the police are just men who are working in yet another job.

I spent some 25 years as a member of the armed forces (part of that was as
an MOD sponsored "mercenary") but I was trained to respect the local
aurthority and I have always been a man who supported law. But I "Served".

I spent hours working late in an evening. I don't claim to be different to
most of my fellow officers. We worked bloody hard.
That meant we worked for our men and we worked for our unit and we worked
for our Queen - and we spent days and hours away from our wives and
families.

The badge of RMA Sandhurst has the subscription. "Serve to Lead" -- it was
always real banner to me which I have always tried to live up to.

In my own opinion I do not see that sort of commitment displayed by the
various police forces to which I have been in contact.

So I have a huge distrust in many of our "public bodies" --right from the
money grubbing Members of Parliament to our endlessly re-elected members of
our local councils.

They are not there to serve -- they are there to earn money!

Now that was a good rant but I do not trust, in anyway the integrity of any
policeman -- he is just as likely to be a felon as anyone else.

Wow that really was a rant!

And hey -- We all worked hard

--
Trevor A Panther
In South Yorkshire,
England, United Kingdom.
www.tapan.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk


"Tom Crispin" wrote in message
news
In October last year I was assaulted by a driver after he had
dangerously overtaken 12 eight-year-old children, a colleague and me
as we cycled over a hump back drawbridge at the entrance to West India
Docks, East London.

I reported the assault to the police.

British Waterways, who operate the drawbridge and locks, have CCTV
pictures of the assualt, and I have handed over a photograph, which
clearly shows the number plate of my assailant's car as he sped off.

www.johnballcycling.org.uk/photos/PA171052

On the 14th of every month I receive a letter from Bow Road Police
Station Victim Focus Unit informing me that the case is still ongoing.

Today I phoned the police station to complain that I felt the case was
taking far too long to investigate, and I felt that it wasn't being
taken seriously. A sergeant called me back and told me that as the
investigation was ongoing he would not record my complaint.

Is it normal for a simple assault case to take so long to investigate?

On Fri, 21 Mar 2008, Tom Crispin wrote:

Is it normal for a simple assault case to take so long to
investigate?

No, normally they wait a couple of weeks then tell you there's nothing
further they can do. If you then get a letter published in the local
rag setting out what they've (not) done they'll tell the newspaper
that investigations are ongoing and then you'll never hear anything
again.

At least, that's how it was for me.

regards, Ian SMith
--
|\ /| no .sig
|o o|
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Ian Smith writtificated

No, normally they wait a couple of weeks then tell you there's nothing
further they can do

Is there a limited amount of time in which charges can be brought? Is
there a risk that their inaction will prevent him being brought to account
by other means?