HATO's

[dickR]

Is there any crossover between HATO's and traffic police?  Do traffic still attend RTC's etc on the motorway, or only if there are injuries? Anyone know?

[FN21]

Is there any crossover between HATO's and traffic police?  Do traffic still attend RTC's etc on the motorway, or only if there are injuries? Anyone know?

Yes traffic still attend RTC's on motorways.  Regardless of injuries.

As for normal roads, our force won't attend damage only RTC's unless there is a disruption to the road itself.

[enforce-logic forum administrator]

When you consider they stopped calling them RTA's (road traffic accidents) because someone is always to blame, then they don't attend to deal with any offences.  I reckon in 5-10 years time the PCSO's will be dealing with all this - they will be U.S. style sheffirs departments in all but name.

[spud]

Yep ! We'll have the Highway Patrol instead of traffic police and the PCSO's controlled by the councils instead of local police dealing with minor issues, just like the states.  Well, Tony Blair seems very fond of our couzins from over the pond - you can see how it's heading, why doesn't ACPO and the federation see it?

[FN21]

I think that the federation is all too aware to be fair - they're just not very well equipped to do anything about it!

As for ACPO, it's staffed entirely by senior officers who are far to protective of their careers to rock the boat with the home office.

When I first joined the job I worked with a bobby who had joined in the early 70's.  His mate at the time was the Chief Con's bag man / driver.  He told me how the Chief Con had been known to turn down calls from the Home Secretary when he was too busy!  There's no way that would happen now as the Home Secretary has far to much direct power over Police officers.

Ask most people and they wouldn't have a clue about the tripartite system.  The principle is meant to be that the power of each Police force sits with three separate entities who have no influence over each other.  1) Home Secretary. 2) Chief Constable. 3) Police Authority.  Each entity should be independent so that no one person or body controls the Police.  This, sadly, isn't currently true of the Police

[jimbob]

Amazing that they couldn't afford decent police vehicles at one point and were buying skodas etc, then HATO's come along with a fleet of brand new Range Rover Discoveries etc.  Yet another example of taking resposibilities away from the police and dishing it out to other local authorities, or as in this case the Highways Agency.  More paperwork, another management structure and more beurocrasy. We wouldn't want police officers on the motorway anyway, they might come accross a criminal or a crime and then the poor old criminal wouldn't feel as safe when on his motorway journey would he?  Leave the poor old crim alone, he has his rights you know...

[enforce-logic forum administrator]

I notice that Key Worker schemes include HATO's as Key Workers giving them the same discounts as police and nurses etc, but I saw one Key worker website describing them as Highways Agency Police Officers.  Well, they are headed that way.......I gather they trialled blue lights in the Midlands recently.

[Salforal]

Down with the Traffic Wombles!!

[enforce-logic forum administrator]

Soon be just like the States, Highway Patrol, Police and Sherrifs (PCSO's)----with guns though..........hope not if some of the PCSO's I've seen are anything to go by, then again some police officers I know having a gun would also test the nerves.