WC Traffic Cop - Judge Dredd - Mr Sinclair

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Status
Not open for further replies.

Bus

Race Dog
Joined
Aug 15, 2007
Messages
4,447
Reaction score
5
Location
Durbanville
Bike
Kymco (all models)
Friday afternoon, 22 May 2009, 5pm.

I leave CT central and join the N1 towards Bellville. I see a traffic cop on a bike in front of me and slow down instinctively. Im sure Im not the only one who does this…When I get close he waves me down and tells me to pull-over. (I never went past him) So I pull over behind him and wait on the bike as he gets off.

A friendly “Hi there”, from me. 

“Turn off your bike and take off your helmet”, his rude reply… Which I do, and get off.

He (Off A) then asks for my license and starts inspecting the bike.

*** [OK, a bit of background here… I have a smaller than legal plate on my bike, because the exhaust pulses tend to break off anything of legal size that I try and put on. Therefore I have a legal size plate (with SABS stamp) in my backpack at all times. Exactly for cases like this, expecting anyone with a bit of common sense to comprehend my problem. Regardless, I know Im in the wrong, but Im not trying to be skelm or swapping numbers on the plate…]

So he tells me my plate is too small. So I pull out the legal one, and try to explain the problem with the exhaust. But it was like talking to a parrot. “It’s the Law” & “Not my problem” were the standard rude responses to most of my questions or attempts to make him understand.

OK, fine… (LOL!!! Excuse the pun)

Also, my learner’s document is a bit in tatters after it went through the washing machine a while ago… Im going for my proper license soon so haven’t bothered with getting it replaced. But all the necessary info and stamps and dates are still on there.

So 2 other officers show up, one on a bike and one in a car. (Off B & C). Off A shows them the license and asks if they would accept it. They laugh and say “Probably not…”  I explain the washing machine thing and they have a chuckle. Very friendly and courteous, unlike Off A.

We then walk over to Off A’s bike where he asks my 1st name to write out a fine.
I give it to him
“2nd Name?” I give my surname
“Not your surname, your 2nd name!!!” in a very rude and derogatory tone.
I am a Dutchy, so 1st name and 2nd name means “nickname and surname” to me.
Ok, sorry dude, I give my birth names, the 1st name being a variation of my nickname.
To which he sighs impatiently and scribbles over the 1st bit that he wrote down.
Then adress and cell no etc…So Off B calls me over to my bike. I turn and walk towards him.
Off A: “Don’t walk away from me!!!” OK, dude, you are starting to get on my nerves…  :mad:

When he is done I go and discuss my bike with Off B & C. They asked about doing off-road riding etc. They also had some queries about my front sprocket cover. Here they also tell me not to make Off A angry as he is “a very difficult guy”  ::)

Off A returns to us with the ticket in his hand.
Hands it to me, R300 for the plate. Which is sort of ok, as I know I was in the wrong. But I did try to do the right thing, with the legal plate available at hand.

And he gives me another ticket for R200: riding without my headlight on… “WTF!!!??”  :eek7:

So I see my headlight is switched off from when I put in petrol earlier at the Waterfront. I proceed to show him that my light actually works, I just forgot to turn it back on after refueling. (I never start the bike with the headlight on)

Guess the response? “It’s the Law!!” and “Not my problem…” :BangHead:

So I lose my cool and explain to him in very certain terms (no swearing, btw) that he is splitting hairs and never said anything about the light until he handed me the ticket for it. That was, in fact, the reason why he pulled me off. (He only saw me in his mirrors)

Another couple of *Its-theLaw’s* and *Not-My-Problem’s* later and I explain to him that its his rotten attitude that gives ALL traffic cops a bad name with the general public.
So then, just as Im about to leave, he sticks his finger in my face and says “And you WILL fit that larger plate tonight!!!”

Can you believe it? I contemplated breaking his finger for a split second, but managed to control myself, LOL!!!

So I ask him his name to which he replies “It’s on the ticket!!” But he doesn’t have the neatest handwriting and his name was incomprehensible. So I asked him 3 more times to which I got the same “Its on the ticket” response…
Eventually I ask him if it is “Sinclair” and he says yes.

I left with a “You are a joke and a disgrace” and had to scrape together every ounce of self control in my body not to pull a wheelie and gooi him the bird. 

OK, that’s the whole sop story.

Bottom line, this Sinclair guy has a very bad attitude and he really has a thing for bikes, it seems. Yes, he is doing his job, but is it necessary to split hairs to such an extent and be a #### about it? (Im talking about the headlight issue and his attitude only, not the no plate thing…)

He rides a Honda Pan European 1300
No Plate: CCT 30546
So to all the bikers in the W-Cape, avoid this nazi at all costs!!!

And, Mr Sinclair, if you happen to read this, consider the following…
You need a serious reality check, you are supposed to be providing a service to the public, its called the Traffic “Service”, remember?
Leave your personal vendettas and issues at home before you get on the clock.
Learn some people skills and try and expand your vocab a bit from “It’s the Law” and “That’s not my problem”. You are not Judge Dredd…
Even your colleagues are laughing at you behind your back. :laughing7:



 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top