Can local police cars legally pull you over?

[priceyclause]

Hello,

My friend's mam is in the police force. She says that local police cars do not have the right to pull you over for a traffic offence etc? Apparantly only Traffic police can. is this correct?

Ive heard that if you fail to stop for the local police they can radio for traffic police backup. It is only then your required to stop.

Can someone please clear this up for me? Thanks

[fountain]

Nonsense. All uniformed police have the power to stop vehicles.

[fountain]

...the local police will call for traffic back up because they have faster cars.

[kempie]

As per the Road Traffic Act 1988

163.�(1) A person driving a motor vehicle on a road must stop the vehicle on being required to do so by a constable in uniform.

(2) A person riding a cycle on a road must stop the cycle on being required to do so by a constable in uniform.

(3) If a person fails to comply with this section he is guilty of an offence.

[Grunty]

There is one matter that may be confusing the lady. Any police officer in uniform can stop a vehicle without giving a reason, as kempie says. But the officer needs to be authorised in order to examine vehicles. In practice, this authorisation will only be given to specialist traffic officers, of whom there are still one or two left. Anyone can look at a tyre and see that it has no tread, but taking parts off the vehicle to examine it is a different matter.

[priceyclause]

Cheers Grunty. I spoke to the lad today and he had got mixed up with what his mam had told him.

Thanks