Do the Mobile Police Exceed their Duties ?
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OMPLAINTS continue to be made concerning kJ the conduct of certain members of the mobile police force and the latest example to be brought to our notice is of rather a serious nature.
It is alleged that in some parts of the country motor-equipped policemen are acting in a totally unwarranted manner by placing themselves at the head of a stream of traffic consisting of coaches and other commercial vehicles legally permitted to travel at 30 m.p.h. and forcing it to proceed, in convoy formation, at a steady speed of about 25 m.p.h. This in itself constitutes a violation of the Highway Code, which condemns convoy driving.
To pass the police vehicle it would probably be necessary to exceed the speed limit, laying the driver who adopts such a course open to prosecution for an offence under the Road Traffic Act. On the other hand, if coaches were to reduce their speed sufficiently to enable them to become separated from the column of traffic, they would probably fail to maintain their time schedules, thus necessitating extra speed on some other part of the journey in order to make up the lost headway.
If the allegations with regard to such action by the mobile police be justified the men concerned are misinterpreting their duty, which is to assist road users and not to hinder them. An Important association of public-service-vehicle owners intends to call the attention of the appropriate authorities to this matter.