a little demolition job

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Phil Pascoe

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Shaft City, Mid Cornish Desert
On tuesday morning I answered my door to a neighbour who told me a van had knocked down my garden wall, and that he had pit on his cctv. I informed the police and tried to send the video ... I couldn't send the pictures because the file was too big. I offered to take them to the main police station, but told them I couldn't actually get there as I have no transport and the police station (the main one in this part of Cornwall) only opens 9.00am - 5.00pm weekdays only, closed for lunch.
I eventually get a call from a WPC who had seen the toing and froing of emails who told me that I should have been told after the first email that the police would do nothing without the vehicle's number - which I didn't capture on film. She said they couldn't possibly identify the van without the number, and I said well if your system would accept emails of more than a certain size one of their traffic police would probably get the age and make of the van at a glance, that it was carrying a clinical waste licence orange warning sign and a long horizontal yellow stripe, and was undoubtedly damaged as it rode over the wall. This is at 9.36am in the morning at the end of a long cul de sac. The irony was he touched the wall and stopped - then must have thought sod it, the van'll ride over it.
She told me that I couldn't possibly expect the police to investigate minor things like that and I should have been told that in the beginning.
I wonder how many companies in West Cornwall are licensed to carry clinical waste? I wonder how many run large white vans of a certain age and manufacture were delivering or picking up at 9.36am in a cul de sac in a small village?
She did say that I was welcome to ring around and to try to get some more info. I didn't get into an argument with her when she said "you don't expect us to investigate thing like that do you" but I very nearly said yes I f*** ing well do actually - it's what you're for. The call was undoubtedly taped although I wasn't told it was, so I suppose I could have said anything I liked really. :D
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I'm going to get No.1 child to put it on Facebook and YouTube and ask if anyone has any ideas, because the police haven't.
 

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If as you say they are picking up clinical waste you may well find that they do the same every week/fortnight so just keep a look out same time next week you never know they might even be in the same van.
 
Who were they collecting from? If it's a cul-de-sac then the list of candidates should be short. You should be able to find the culprits, then write to the firm involved asking for insurance details, write to the police with a bill for your time and expenses. Threaten with the newspapers. Play the disability card.
Does this count as leaving the scene of an accident?
 
The police should do their bloody job! What a disgraceful way to deal with the people that pay their wages!
I would certainly write to your local paper, preferably after you have investigated it yourself so you can show that a disabled man can do a better job than the police.
 
I got a very quick answer to my initial query to the council - and two hours later she hasn't replied to the email with the clip of it happening. :? There is only one other clinical waste collector afaik and they don't do domestic. :D I had another reply from the police saying they were sorry I was upset, and that they'd explained why they couldn't look into it. The reason they can't accept the actual recording as a pdf from my neighbour is for their security reasons :?

I did reply that that was an extremely good way of not receiving unwanted information - having a system that won't allow it.
I think the time is fast approaching that it would be wise for me to shut my big mouth ... :lol:
 
Then maybe try contacting your buildings insurance, faced with the prospect of parting with money I'm sure those moneygrabbers will investigate/pursue.
 
It was probably a council van/driver, we have a collection once a week for deep landfill/incineration, by the council in an unmarked white van, i would pursue it, at the very least they should rebuild the wall,
 
I had my car tailended, driver drove off but left quite a bit of number plate. Police were not intested, I worked the possible numbers and did an internet search, found the correct van with the personal number plate and then found it for sale on e-bay. Once again police not interested but my insurance company was. They took him to court in the end to get him to pay up.
 
dynax":1c5h4u4g said:
It was probably a council van/driver, we have a collection once a week for deep landfill/incineration, by the council in an unmarked white van, i would pursue it, at the very least they should rebuild the wall,

I'm hoping the fact that the woman at the council who answered my first query within a few minutes didn't reply in the three hours after I sent her cctv footage means something. :lol:
Tuesday morning I shall be at the open end of our cul de sac (in case he gets smart and turns in another place) at 9.00am with a camera in case it's a weekly pick up. :)
 
Oh. c'mon, Phil...do you really expect a sensible response from the council? I'm still waiting for a reply from Cumbria environmental dept asking why can't they get their act together and put in a system like Herefordshire for all the recycling stuff. Go from 36% recycling to 72%.
 
I'm reading this as "I've forwarded your email to our legal department, and I'm not allowed to say anything" ... hopefully. :D It baffles me why the first answer was so quick then when they have the video there's no answer a day and a half and three emails later. I hope to photograph the van in the morning, if the pick up is weekly. If there is no reply tomorrow, I'll get hold of our local county councillor, whom I know. Afaik there are only two licencees for clinical waste, the council is one and the other doesn't collect domestic waste - there are no commercial enterprises near here, and even if someone got lost they wouldn't get here.
If all goes well I'll email the police and say right, I've done your job for you - now are you prepared to do anything?

You've been rather conspicuous by your absence, Roger, have you settled in now?
 
The police are obviously (and understandably) on high alert for terrorist incidents. Even in fairly quiet Cornwall there are a few larger profile venues and cities - as security is increased in London, Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham etc the problem may simply be displaced.

I also think the emphasis on police work has changed to be more politically correct and/or politically driven so the simple theft and damage crimes get low priority particularly as they are normally insurance covered.

- So police numbers in rural areas may have been transferred to higher risk areas.
- Those remaining are now required to undertake basic "advanced training" for security purposes and politically inspired work.
- The bobby on the beat or the Ford Fiesta is increasingly stretched

Personally I think this is a retrograde move - we may all be shocked by (thus far infrequent) terrorist incidents, but we are often disproportionately upset by minor crime affecting us personally and more frequently. There may be a very good argument for more clearly splitting the police between national issues (terrorism, major crime, corruption, fraud etc), and local which needs the resources to focus on issues important to the local community - eg: theft, assault, routine public order, vandalism etc
 

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