Just before midnight last night, the N2D minibus was trundling along through Hull. For those of you that use Hull PO ferries you will know the road ... it's Hedon Road that leads to the docks. As l came off one of the roundabouts on this road l saw a police van parked on the central reservation. As l passed it l saw that it had now started to follow me towards the next roundabout. As l reached it, l saw other police vehicles, obviously ominously waiting for someone. l wondered who it could be they were waiting for? .... l was about to find out! Take a look -
So, what was l carrying you ask? Well, N2D had been on a mission of mercy down south to help a damsel in distress. We stripped the seats out and just left in what was required. We were carrying 4 toddlers aged, 7, 5, 3 and 1, their 5 month pregnant mother and their disabled grandmother. Oh, and a dog and 2 cats. Along with this we had all their worldly possessions including all the kids toys, clothes, cot, bed etc etc etc. Forgot to mention that the mother had an asthma attack during the stop and search. The kids, mother and grandmother were exhausted after a 300 mile trip back to Hull but they had to wait and suffer this farce because the police had had 'intelligence' ... 'intelligence' so good that they didn't even search the vehicle!
We eventually got to our destination, unloaded 'My Family and other Animals, the bed, cot, suitcases, buggy, highchair and some other stuff. The rest was left in to unload today ... here's what's left!
Yes l did audio record the incident but l'm saving that for when l can get in to see the Police Chief.
lt was a typical Hollywood type stop, blue lights, police vehicles hemming me in front and back. ln total there were 4 police vehicles and l lost count of the number of police officers.A police officer came to the drivers window and l wound it down. It turned out the police wanted to play Customs. He said that they'd stopped me under Sect 163 of CEMA as they'd received 'intelligence' that the minibus was carrying cigarettes and then asked me if l was carrying cigarettes. l denied it but it seems this wasn't the answer he wanted so he asked the question again ... l denied it again. Obviously not happy with my response he then threatened me that if they called in Customs and they found cigarettes that they would be seized ... along with the minibus. l said 'Get them'. He ignored my request and said they would search the vehicle ... to which l replied 'Go ahead'. l thought it would be interesting watching them doing this as the minibus was full to the gunnels ... and l do mean full. Boxes, plastic bags, various items went from the floor to the roof ... jam packed full!
l then got out of the vehicle and lit a cigarette but they didn't start to search the vehicle. lt seems we had reached an impasse and they had decided to contact their senior officer and get him down to the scene. l the questioned them on this 'intelligence' that they had supposedly received because l told them if it came from Customs (Border Force) l have yet to see any intelligence emanating from them. They of course would not tell me where this 'intelligence' came from. l also informed them that Customs know full well my identity/history .... and more importantly what l do and it certainly isn't smuggling!
So we stood around waiting for this senior officer to turn up. l smoked some more cigarettes and continued to voice my displeasure at this farce l was in. Eventually, said senior officer turned up, asked if l would open the back doors so they could search the vehicle. l opened the back doors and let them do their stuff ... but they didn't! They looked at the wall of gear, prodded it a little bit ... which, all in all, took less than a minute and then said l could be on my way! l asked for and got a stop and search receipt.
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We eventually got to our destination, unloaded 'My Family and other Animals, the bed, cot, suitcases, buggy, highchair and some other stuff. The rest was left in to unload today ... here's what's left!
Yes l did audio record the incident but l'm saving that for when l can get in to see the Police Chief.
I started laughing coz the van looked like you'd been doing a tip run SH. I'd love to be a fly on the wall during your "chat" with the Police Chief.
ReplyDeleteAs you say mate, an f'ing farce
ReplyDeleteOf course they didn’t search your van SH…why would they? Customs would know that you hadn’t been abroad to buy tobacco products – so there is nothing to pass on in this respect to the police!
ReplyDeleteThis is nothing more than a clear case of harassment, because of prior humiliation. I also notice that the stop occurred at night when you were almost home. So you must have been tracked for some hours, perhaps from the time you left your departure point down south, which can only mean they had been waiting for you in Hull. How did they know where to wait, and how long had they been waiting? Supposing you had entered Hull by a different route – what then?
Quite clearly someone is making mischievous for you…but isn’t that wasting police time?
I hope you will frame some pertinent questions for the Police Chief. I would also seriously consider a half hours free advice from you local friendly solicitor.
Oh, we all will
DeleteI'm interested to know why you didn't refuse their request to search you vehicle?
ReplyDeletel really wanted them to do it. l've strained my back, the grandmother is disabled and the mother 5 months pregnant and has asthma. Friends of the mother loaded it at other end and friends were on hand to part unload it last night and finish it off today. l wanted to catch the police all on film unloading the bus and then having to load it again.
DeleteYou're lucky they didn't unload it. I don't know if they're required to reload it afterward. Seriously.
Delete- MJM
They would have offloaded the bus and left all that stuff at the side of the road; they don't "have" to reload it, just search through it.
DeleteDear Smoking Hot
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that you are to be stopped and searched tomorrow, if my reading of the date is correct.
Perhaps your local constabulary have a time machine.
DP
Excuse my tired old eyes/brain, but what is the date on that search receipt? On the right-hand side about halfway down.
ReplyDeleteOops. I just noticed. On the bottom of the form, too.
ReplyDeleteYou both spotted the 'Back to the Future# moment! lol
Delete@DP. Snap!!
ReplyDeleteIf the ticket was written at midnight then the next day's date has to go on the ticket.
ReplyDelete20th is tomorrow JJ
DeleteQuite right SH...I should have read the first line of your post.
DeleteMy mistake.
Obvously a man with a black mark SH, And I thought these Scottish cops were Nazi's If you could prove victimisation a handsome payout may come your way, but firstly you would need to be of ethnic minority, secondly you would need to prove the intellegence was not anonymos, and thirdly your a marked man so be very careful when travelling alone at night.
ReplyDeleteTHE UK IS NOT A SAFE COUNTRY FOR WHITE SKINNED, BRITISH BORN OF BRITISH PARENTS CITIZENS, NO LAW FIRMS WILL WANT TO HELP.
Now if you were an illegal Afghan who sneeked into the UK and was refused asylum, but the UKBA forgot/ommitted to give you all the information they are duty bound to give you, Then SH a cheque for a cool £85,000 would be dropping on your hall mat any day soon
What the fuck were police acting as lap dogs for customs for? Twats
ReplyDeleteThis.is a horrible thing, what happened, being tracked and harassed, for political dissonance with the anti smoking tyranny that holds power over all things in this day and age. It's also more than disturbing the authorities behaved one notch short of Nazis in their threatening the elderly, the ailing and innocent children. What's next, midnight murders by the Stasi, endorsed by anti smoking based government, and disappearances of innocent citizens caught up in the web of demented authoritarianism ruling the land and fueled initially and directly by anti smokerism ideology.
ReplyDeleteDear Smoking Hot
ReplyDeleteI suggest you ask the police for the source of their information.
If they decline to give it, lodge a complaint against their secret source for wasting police time and if their source is another government department, perhaps add malfeasance in a public office and abuse of position.
If the police fail to take action, point out that they are complicit in a conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and conspiracy to harass a member of the public. They have already unlawfully detained you and your fellow travellers. If they do it again, they will be asking for trouble.
I am sure a civil liberties lawyer could have a field day with this.
Time our public servants learnt that they serve us: if they don't, what is the basis for the theft of our money to pay their salaries? Organised crime?
DP
Do you think you may have got under somebody's skin mate? LOL
ReplyDeleteQuite a full team on your ambush there.
ReplyDeleteLacking only an Officer confident enough to ask you to open the back door!
And while the Sweeney waits for a Senior Officer to come and lend moral support, the suspect wanders across and down the road, to take a photograph!
What the hell happened here? Could it be that uttering the powerful spell callled "Customs and Excise Management Act" causes the brain of any uniformed utterer to implode?
In Discworld, the wizard Rincewind only knows one spell and he's too terrified to ever say it.
Maybe it's CEMA?
This audio will be another classic,can't wait to hear it!.
ReplyDeleteJust a "heads up" The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee is discussing tobacco smuggling next week and I fully expect a barrage of dishonesty and weasel words.
ReplyDeleteOverpaid under performing goons a plenty lined up .
see:
http://www.parliament.uk/pac
This is not to dissimilar to my being stopped by UKBA the last time I came back from Belgium via King George Dock, Hull. On that occasion my little 2 door cabrio was searched by no less than 5 uniformed arseholes while EVERY other vehicle on the same ferry went by unmolested. Even most of the foot passengers were delayed/denied reentry to the UK due to the lack of bodies for Passport Control.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile since I was not in possession of any tobacco or tobacco products I was waved on my way with a very forced cheery smile!
Since then my previous bail conditions have been lifted so I do not have to report to the scuffers at Hull, although the 'case has been referred to the CPS for consideration'. Considering the lack of evidence I seriously doubt that the CPS has the balls for the job, but I hope they do go ahead as I could do with the compensation/damages for False Arrest, Unlawful Detention and 2 counts of Common Assault!
Do you feel lucky ... PUNK?
Ps. The notice of the lifting arrived the day AFTER I was due to report and I only knew not to attend because my brief phoned me that morning with the news!
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