U.k Madness.

[Sqad]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-49041165

How can the police allow an illegal event which is advertised weekly and involves the closure of a segment of a major road in Hertfordshire to continue?

It apparently raises money for charity organised by the local Motor Club involving the exhibition, static,of cars and their owners.Racing is not allowed.......this i do not believe as there were so many teenagers at the event.

Surely an inquiry should be instituted to investigate the cause and to define why a well publicised illegal event was allowed to continue.

[youngmafbog]

Been looking around and not really sure if it was an illegal event or simply badly organised.

Either way it seems down to poor Policing.

[ummmm]

I can't see where it says it an illegal event?

[CrapAtCryptics]

You have to ask whether the spectators had any common sense standing so close to the road - you wouldnt do that on a regular road if they were going anything over 30mph. Maybe illegal in the sense of essentially closing off a public road without permission.

[Sqad]

TV reporters describe it as an ILLEGAL event........I have little or no knowledge of the law.

[ToraToraTora]

police do this all over the country, I've been to many biking events eg there is a regular Odiham meet. Essentially they allow gatherings and observe, whilst not technically always legal the idea is to monitor rather that get heavy handed. Generally they'll watch and record and possibly prosecute as and when. it's seen as a more inclusive approach rather than point blank criminalising the participants. What seems to have happened here is that someone just pulled out in front of someone rather than giving way. The presence of a crowd intensified the effects of that.

[Zacs-Master]

The requirement for police attendance and action at an event is based on the need for the police service to discharge its core responsibilities:
 preventing and detecting crime
 preventing or stopping a breach of the peace
 traffic regulation (only under statutory powers relating to events)
 activating contingency plans when there is an immediate threat to life
 Coordinating emergency response activities associated with a major incident taking
place at the event.

It is also widely accepted that the police have no general duty to preserve public safety (crowd
control) at any public event, except where there are imminent or likely threats to life. Legal
opinion suggests that the responsibility for public safety rests with the organisers of an event,
the owners of the land on which it takes place and the local authority if the event takes place
on a road.
http://library.college.police.uk/docs/npcc/NPCC-event-policing-2018.pdf

[spathiphyllum]

Interesting. Youths gather at my local Spa car park and proceed to race around the neighbouring roads. The police have started taking action by putting a cruiser on the corner near the shop. Now they linger around McDonalds but they don't race anymore.

[youngmafbog]

yes yes ZM, but plod do have a responsibility if illegal acts take place no matter what who or if it is an organised event.
So ultimately plod become responsible.
It's a regular occurrence so they cant say they dont know.
Like TTT says there are meets all over the place. Was down in Poole the other week for the Tues Quay bike meet. Plod pop by every now and then (on a bike I noticed) so everyone takes it easy.

[Zacs-Master]

Yeah, but it's a bit 'chicken and egg' regarding the illegal act. It would seem 'plod' have to wait around until one is committed before being able to act (or that's how i interpret the doc in the link I gave).

[youngmafbog]

YEs you are correct.

That is why they tend to do "pass by's" like I saw the other week in Poole.

[Old_Geezer]

Doesn't this sort of thing block the Queen's highway ?
Would have thought the event would be a police matter, unless permission had been obtained.

[Zacs-Master]

That's just it tho, OG. Permission doesn't seem to be required.

[Peter Pedant]

// TV reporters describe it as an ILLEGAL event........I have little or no knowledge of the law.//

so the question changes to - why were TV reporters allowed to report something as illegal and next to the gay plague and bound to end in death, when in fact it was known to be lawful?

probably to sell newspapers

if you go onto U tube and search Stevenage 2019, you see more of the film. The boy racer wipes out people on the central reservation, - and as you and I are so old sqad - it happens to quickly !

boys will be boys as you well know from your youth

[Peter Pedant]

I thought this was UKIP madness,
and wondered why it had taken people so long to work that one out !

if you watch the U tube viddie you see traffic on the other side of the road, so the boy racers had NOT blocked the road...

[Ryzen]

Cars become more powerful...confidence overrides skill..boys like to play to an audience...it all ends in tears. It's not the first or the last,sad to say. Video cameras at exits and around these events may help.However the enjoyment of many will be spoilt by a few ..yet again.

[Peter Pedant]

if you really want to see morons full on

add ( https//w) ww.youtube.com/watch?v=1RDAS_WqHEY

min 8 - they crowd turn on the driver .... stateside lunacy but then there are stupid young men the world over

[douglas9401]

The simpering gobshite female spokesdrone for the police, at least the one I heard on radio, left me with the impression that they hadn't a clue in general and were quite content to pick up the pieces.

Now begins the 'lessons will be learned' phase to be quickly followed by 'something must be done' hasty legislation.

[Gromit]

The ‘event’ is not illegal, it takes place on private property, namely a car park.
The crash was just normal everyday bad driving, pulling out from a junction without properly looking if there were any oncoming traffic.
The ‘victims’ had put themselves in a position of vulnerability by being the audience for the obvious dangerous driving that was taking place.