POLICE NOT RESPONDING TO EMERGENCY CALLS QUICK ENOUGH.

I wonder if there are any serving Police who can help verify this story I read in Essex Live concerning a policeman who has been sacked for exceeding the speed limit on 42 occasions, P C Harry Croot has been sacked as he was was caught multiple times speeding above the legal limit including on one occasion at 91 mph.

Apparently, he was subject to a five-year final written warning for an unrelated matter and was not permitted to exceed the speed limit as he only had a basic driving permit and was dismissed after a fast-tracked hearing chaired by the Chief Constable.

Telematics evidence recorded 42 instances of speeding from May to July 2024 and Chief Constable Ben-Julian Harrington said that without the correct training Croot’s driving posed a significant risk to the public.

P C Croot had on occasions exceeded the speed limit by twice the limit and had once done 86 mph in a 40 mph zone and a report said he poses a significant risk to the public without the proper training, the hearing found his actions amounted to gross misconduct and he was dismissed.

The report continued, the standards and quality of police driver training are high and every police driver undertakes extensive initial and regular refresher training to ensure they remain safe, officers who are not trained do not drive using the exemptions available to the police such as exceeding the speed limit.

It was quite hard to find information on police driving standards for Essex but I assume this may be the same as the Metropolitan police which seem to have three categories for drivers, basic driver, response driver and advanced driver all of which makes sense, including basic drivers not allowed to take part in any pursuits.

This is where I am a little concerned as I imagine the vast majority of police are only basic driver trained and although not allowed to take part in any pursuits, are we to assume they have to stick to the speed limit when responding to a mugging or something more serious like a stabbing for example?

There is always more to many stories one reads nowadays and I’m wondering if there is more to this story for if this officer has been dismissed for breaking the speed limit when responding to serious incidents, this would seem a little unfair, or was there more in the story of the subject of his five-year final written warning and this was the real reason for his dismissal. My curiosity has been triggered, should anyone out there know the answer I would love to hear from you.

One has to wonder, are we therefore to assume that all basic trained police drivers are not allowed to exceed the speed limit even when responding to a serious incident, for if I were being attacked I would rather like to think they would proceed with all possible haste. I now realise why so many knife attacks are never solved, especially in London for by the time the officers get to the incident whilst travelling at 20 mph the perpetrator will be miles away, perhaps we could issue them with bicycles with no telematics as in the old days in an effort to get to the scene of the crime quicker!

About The Diary of a Country Bumpkin

I am a retired actor, although to be honest I only retired because I wasn't getting any work due to losing my agent when I became a full time carer to my mother who had dementia. and the option of becoming an unemployed actor/waiter at my age was ludicrous, especially as my waiting skills are non-existent. Having said I’m retired, I don’t think there really is such a thing as a retired actor for I am still available for work, I just don’t have an agent or any connections with regards to obtaining any worthwhile work. I have over the years done student films when there is nothing else available, always low paid (if at all) the only incentive was always the promised copy of the finished film for your show reel which nine times out of ten always failed to materialise. I spent many years looking after my aged mother and shortly after her death I was lucky enough to run into an ex-girlfriend of many years ago and our romance blossomed once again, resulting in us getting married in 2013. My move to the countryside inspired me to write The Diary of a Country Bumpkin which tells of my continuing dilemmas in dealing with the rigors of the countryside from the unexpectedly large number of pollens, fungal moulds and hay products waiting to attack the unsuspecting townie. I enjoy writing, see my play Dulce Et Decorum Est Pro Patria Mori on The Wireless Theatre Company, The Plays Wot I Wrote and The Battle of Barking Creek both available on Amazon.co.uk and am very fond of classic cars so my ideal occupation would be acting in a film I had written set in the 1930s/40s, we live in hopes. I am delighted to say that since venturing to the countryside where space is not quite the premium it is in town, I have due to the availability of two double garages acquired more classic cars to form a small collection the pride of which are a 1947 Bentley Mk VI and a 2000 Bentley Arnage. My various blogs and websites are continually evolving and I’m sure that by following the appropriate links you will find something which will edify or amuse. I have written a number of different books all available on Amazon, so don't be shy should you feel the urge to purchase. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mr-Joe-Wells/e/B06XKWFQHT/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1

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2 Responses to POLICE NOT RESPONDING TO EMERGENCY CALLS QUICK ENOUGH.

Peter's pondering says:

15/01/2025 at 9:27 pm

Perhaps he should have been issued with an electric scooter. There seem to be no laws governing their use or speed limits set for them!

- The Diary of a Country Bumpkin says:
  
  15/01/2025 at 9:31 pm
  
  They’d certainly get there a lot quicker in London with an electric scooter, I try to avoid going there at all as most of the time it would be quicker to get out and walk!