VOSA presence at school leavers prom?!

Sitting down reading my local paper over the weekend I was reading the “mailbox” section and one letter from one reader caught my attention. The letter started….

Quote from letter in paper:
“I am writing to you to see if you can explain why there was a large police and VOSA presence at last Friday nights prom….”

The letter then goes on to say how much it must of cost to have all those specially trained officers just standing there, they have a point

The letter then goes on to say…

quote from letter in paper:
“At the height of their presence there must have been at least 6 to 8 officers there , including 2 on motorbikes ”

This was a high school leavers annual prom, so o.k. I could perhaps understand a police presence just in case trouble kicked of at the non — alcoholic bar

But VOSA■■?

Now no disrespect to the wheel tappers but I thought they had no power of arrest or to restrain etc like the police have

Now thinking logically I can only think of one reason why VOSA would attend such an event . And it would be interesting to see if anybody else comes up with the same answer, will reveal my thoughts later.

Do they attend these sort of events normally Have you come across VOSA at a garden fete before or any other place you wouldnt normally expect to see them

One reason could be that VOSA had been tipped off that one of the 16 year old boys attending the prom was actually single handily running eddie stobarts from his bedroom on his home PC

Your thoughts on a post card please.

pecjam23:
Sitting down reading my local paper over the weekend I was reading the “mailbox” section and one letter from one reader caught my attention. The letter started….

Quote from letter in paper:
“I am writing to you to see if you can explain why there was a large police and VOSA presence at last Friday nights prom….”

The letter then goes on to say how much it must of cost to have all those specially trained officers just standing there, they have a point

The letter then goes on to say…

quote from letter in paper:
“At the height of their presence there must have been at least 6 to 8 officers there , including 2 on motorbikes ”

Many a true word spoken in jest?
This was a high school leavers annual prom, so o.k. I could perhaps understand a police presence just in case trouble kicked of at the non — alcoholic bar

But VOSA■■?

Now no disrespect to the wheel tappers but I thought they had no power of arrest or to restrain etc like the police have

Now thinking logically I can only think of one reason why VOSA would attend such an event . And it would be interesting to see if anybody else comes up with the same answer, will reveal my thoughts later.

Do they attend these sort of events normally Have you come across VOSA at a garden fete before or any other place you wouldnt normally expect to see them

One reason could be that VOSA had been tipped off that one of the 16 year old boys attending the prom was actually single handily running eddie stobarts from his bedroom on his home PC

Your thoughts on a post card please.

when did we start having proms in this country?

My 1st thought would be to check the Limo’s that are bringing the kids to the prom?

Maybe the VOSA people were there because they had been tipped off that the coaches or ‘Limos’, that are used in increasing numbers to ferry ‘Young Adults’ to and from these imported non - events , might be unroadworthy or non - compliant with the PCV regulations .
I’m sure I read something recently that a lot of these imported stretched ‘Limos’ don’t comply with C & U regulations and where just very poor ‘cut & shut’ jobs and therefore pretty dangerous and liable to split apart if involved in any kind of impact

Is that what you were thinking pecjam23
Regards
Dave Penn;

it will be to check on the number of passangers in each car cos although there kitted out to carry a dozen people they can only leagaly carry 6 or something like that

Vosa are there because not all Limos are safe to be on the road.
Passenger carrying vehicle and at A prom there would be lots Limos turning up.

Been conducting PCV and/or Limo checks at Proms for a while now, plenty of dodgy cut and shuts no-one would want to ride in, let alone pay to ferry their kids about in! Whats even more concerning though is that a lot of these Limo drivers have convictions precluding them from working woth children, yet don’t have to be CRB cleared the ferry these kids about. Even more don’t even have the correct license class to drive the bloody things!

Checks on vehicles are generally always done after children have been dropped off though, in order to ensure there is no impact on their evening. VOSA aren’t always the killjoys some would have you believe!!!

southcoastsurfer:
Been conducting PCV and/or Limo checks at Proms for a while now, plenty of dodgy cut and shuts no-one would want to ride in, let alone pay to ferry their kids about in! Whats even more concerning though is that a lot of these Limo drivers have convictions precluding them from working woth children, yet don’t have to be CRB cleared the ferry these kids about. Even more don’t even have the correct license class to drive the bloody things!

Checks on vehicles are generally always done after children have been dropped off though, in order to ensure there is no impact on their evening. VOSA aren’t always the killjoys some would have you believe!!!

thats what my thoughts were just to make clear wasnt having a pop at vosa, prob should of worded it better, as i know if had kids, i want to know the limo they were travelling was safe

guessing guy who wrote letter prob not aware who VOSA are etc, would explain the motorbikes though, incase any tried to make a swift getwaway

cheers

james

scanny77:
when did we start having proms in this country?

About two years after i left school, so i never got to go to the school prom

Think started in the early 90’s schools started copying the American idea of a prom, my mates wee brothers he had a school prom when he left, said it was great, had a band, and DJ said it was a great night and good way to finish up school.

Better than when i left school go round see all your teachers get them to sign this form and thats you don’t come back lol

pecjam23:
just to make clear wasnt having a pop at vosa,

guessing guy who wrote letter prob not aware who VOSA are etc

cheers

james

Now theres a first pec lol

Its surprising how many general public are not aware, also how many think VOSA and HATO’s are one in the same, only similarities are that both are under the wing of the DfT and both use vehicles with black and yellow chevrons!

zippy!:
Its surprising how many general public are not aware, also how many think VOSA and HATO’s are one in the same, only similarities are that both are under the wing of the DfT and both use vehicles with black and yellow chevrons!

• Tell me about it! I often wish the powers that be would go on a PR exercise, even after 6 years of being VOSA we’re often better off explaining to someone that we’re “ministry of transport” than explaining the VOSA acronym to them!

Its all about the limo. As they are not taxis or private hire cars they are pretty much unregulated ,any paedo with a cheese cutter cap can drive them.The operators can charge about £200 per hour so some of youare in the wrong trade.

Talking of VOSA, I saw them today with a checkpoint they’d set-up on the A661 between Wetherby and Harrogate. Was sent out in a van today so the 7.5 ton weight restriction didn’t apply to me. I assume they were there to catch vehicles breaking the restriction? A chap at a drop told me it could be to do with the Great Yorkshire Show and drivers going that way when they shouldn’t. I have no idea, all I know is there were there.

I laughed out loud; the Galaxy was pulled up in a sort of pull-off/layby thing with one official on the grass verge and then two of them sort of perched in the car boot, with the boot lid open. Dunno why; just caught me by surprise and I found it amusing.

I thought a “prom” was a victorian cast iron structure from which people went fishing and others. usually holidaymakers were releived of there hard earned. Please expalain what the vostapo have to do with normal pastimes.

alamcculloch:
Its all about the limo. As they are not taxis or private hire cars they are pretty much unregulated ,any paedo with a cheese cutter cap can drive them.The operators can charge about £200 per hour so some of youare in the wrong trade.

all limos now have to be on a local taxi plate or psv with an o licence,upto 8 seats is just like a taxi,but the driver has not got to have a badge,as yet,over 8 seats, the car has to be coef’ed,tacho, psv licence,first aid kit,6 weeklys,all just like a coach or bus,vosa will be taking a great interest at proms and alike,trying to find out who is not complying with the new reg’s… its about time,it will get rid of the cowboys with a bit of luck,as there is some horror storys out there,

when my daughter requests something, i usually give in.

so if i had to put a wire on to drop her and her mates off, i probably would.

so they could have been waiting for like minded truck drivers.

I live in a rural area, when the local school had thier prom night I past tractors and trailers, so would they have been looking for “red diesel” users in that area, also are the vechiles insured corrertly for that purpose, seating etc, hire & reward and so on?

saucyboar5:
coef’ed

Whats that then?

MrPanther:
Talking of VOSA, I saw them today with a checkpoint they’d set-up on the A661 between Wetherby and Harrogate. Was sent out in a van today so the 7.5 ton weight restriction didn’t apply to me. I assume they were there to catch vehicles breaking the restriction? A chap at a drop told me it could be to do with the Great Yorkshire Show and drivers going that way when they shouldn’t. I have no idea, all I know is there were there.

I laughed out loud; the Galaxy was pulled up in a sort of pull-off/layby thing with one official on the grass verge and then two of them sort of perched in the car boot, with the boot lid open. Dunno why; just caught me by surprise and I found it amusing.

the checkpoint at carlisle was open for business today too