i read this at orwell crossing truckstop.
recently on the A14 near claydon, ipswich. a truck pulled over for a black vectra with flashing blue lights in the windscreen.
The driver was assaulted and the bogus police drove off.
Where do we stand legally if an un-marked police car tries to stop us?
I hope the driver in question wasn’t to badly hurt.
I’ve always said that the best course of action is to not exit the cab and speak to them from a slightly opened window and tell them you will follow them to the nearest police station
We were given a card with what Mr Vain advises printed on it. When we carried high value loads we were told to hold the card up to the window if pulled by anyone , and never open any door or window.
In reality , if I would have been hijacked , the first thing I would have done was offer them the bloody keys !!!
Aint my load
Aint my truck
Suffolk police made a statement on local tv saying that it was not a practice of theirs to stop hgvs with unmarked cars. So do not stop.
i would agree with little enis and mr vain plus i’d also suggest calling 999 (handsfree of course) and asking for the old bill and tell them where u are and what is happening if its real police they can advise u if not u can have them send out some help to u
scaniaman2006:
i would agree with little enis and mr vain plus i’d also suggest calling 999 (handsfree of course)
I think there’s a handsfree exemption for calls to 999 regarding emergencies or similar situations, and if you have genuine reason to believe it’s not a real police car trying to stop you I’d consider it a reasonable situation.
I wouldn’t stop for an unmarked car if I had any doubt it was real, i’d drive to the nearest busy place before stopping or a police station if I knew where one was. There’s plenty of ways to identify a real police car from numberplates, lights, uniforms, camera equipment, aerials, blindspot mirrors etc.
Maybe so but some bad lads have got their hands on a saab belonging to the bill after some plod left the keys in it…don’t think it’s turned up yet! 
Kiowan:
scaniaman2006:
i would agree with little enis and mr vain plus i’d also suggest calling 999 (handsfree of course)I think there’s a handsfree exemption for calls to 999 regarding emergencies or similar situations, and if you have genuine reason to believe it’s not a real police car trying to stop you I’d consider it a reasonable situation.
Correct, but to have a defence under this exemption the call must be made to 999 and not the local police number.
We carry a card as above. I can’t remember the exact wording (or, for that matter, where it is kept 
) , but it basically explains that we will not stop until the vehicle’s identity has been confirmed with 999. Recent advice I’ve been given is, on phoning 999, briefly explain to the operator that you’re a truck driver carrying HVL, are being pulled over at [your location], and ask to be connected to that area’s traffic unit. They’ll very quickly be able to verify whether they have a car there and get the driver to identify himself.
Back to the original question, I’d say the best course of action if safe would be to call 999. However, you may legally continue driving (obeying other traffic laws of course) to a safe place before pulling over. I think I’ve posted this before, but here it is again: Police National Legal Database.
Somethings not quite right with this.
Solo tractor unit, and no registration of the offending vehicle, I smell a rat (or so I hear)
MR VAIN:
tell them you will follow them to the nearest police station
Which is a brilliant thing to do if your in an area that your unfamiliar with 
Ok Drive Follow us … Straight down a dead end where they still have you
Too Fat To Fly:
Somethings not quite right with this.Solo tractor unit, and no registration of the offending vehicle, I smell a rat (or so I hear)
Agreed.
I passed an unmarked Silver Mondeo on the A14 on Tuesday, around 0730. Only one Cop inside and he had the full kit on, a few miles later he flashed me and went speeding off. He had pulled up a white van just after the Orwell Bridge.
As for following the Police Car to the nearest cop shop, could be difficult if it’s in a town centre with weight restrictions etc…
I’d ask to see their Warrant Card before I opened the door.
its 999, the police ops room will tell you in seconds if reg no of the car is police or not. And will ask you to confirm your location and then give you instructions.
Been there, once with high value and once with high consequence loads.
Both times real police in plain cars and plain clothes
what bothers me is if i’m suspicious so don’t stop straight away will they call the full swat team out or would they be understanding? What’s better a beating from the crims or plod?? I can’t sleep worrying about it!
As long as you follow the procedure, don’t charge away through a town at 56, and call 999 or find somewhere safe to stop within a reasonable time, they have to be ‘understanding’ - it’s the law. And if they call for marked reinforcements, they’re either an extremely well organised gang who will have the police for breakfast, or the real police. So at that point you may as well just pull over and take it 
Oh yeah, and if they start randomly shooting at you without warning, you’ve got 40 tonnes of artic with which to squash 'em. No, wait, I didn’t say that
tartanraider:
Maybe so but some bad lads have got their hands on a saab belonging to the bill after some plod left the keys in it…don’t think it’s turned up yet!
This was nicked off a drive in Daventry, complete with police uniform inside, dark blue SAAB 95 iirc 
Does`nt bare thinking about 
I did a load out of the Bank of England at Loughton a few months back, carrying £80,000,000 worth of frank-ed paper bound for Malta. Before they would let me leave on my non-stop to Southampton they asked me the route I’d be taking, why? so they could inform the boys in blue that I would be coming through thier counties.
I was also given a thing to hold up to my windscreen saying “I am NOT authorised to stop unless directed to the nearest police HQ or VOSA station!” I still have it in my cab.
As for suffolk police not stopping trucks with unmarked cars… less said the better IMHO.