The guy that was supposedly harassed by Qld Police at the servo

[Rodd]

I have been trying to avoid watching that video of the guy that claimed he was harassed by Qld Police at the service station. I was worried that they actually had something on the cops to complain about.
A friend posted the video on FB and I decided to watch it.

I have to say that I saw RED after watching it. Not because of what the Police did but because the guy taking the video comes across as an arrogant self serving a**hole.
In the first few minutes he openly states how much he hates Police and the disrespect that he has for them. He uses his video camera to make the Police uncomfortable and gets each one to state their name, station, etc. To me that's him trying to intimidate them. Even tho he treated them with contempt they still responded well.. they are much better than I.

The criminal bikers in QLD were acting like two wheeled mafia, especially on the Gold Coast. It was 'organised crime'. We complain that govts don't do enough to combat crime.. organised crime is one of the worst, and the hardest to regain control of. Even in the sleepy little city where I live we had one tattoo parlour that was firebombed.. I don't know of any other business ever being targeted like that here.. guess who did it? Not only is the business gone.. the whole damn building is gone! I have heard the stories over the past few years of motorbike gangs moving into territories around here.. who knows, but the firebombing was certainly an indication.

How do the Police know if a suspect is a member of one of these criminal gangs.. or organised crime gangs.. they have to investigate and they have to ask questions. They have the right to ask questions seeing that it is a privilege to ride a motorbike. People don't like hearing that but it is true. We have to have a bike that passes minimum standards 'to ride on OUR public roads'. The bike has to be registered and has to have 3rd party insurance. We have to have a license to use them on public roads after passing tests to indicate we have an understanding of the road rules. We are expected to follow the road rules. The Police have the right to check to see if we are doing all this. That's not harassment, that's them doing their job and doing what they are asked to do.
People need to look at those Russian crash videos to see what it can be like if we had a weak Police force regulating our roads. You would have to be a very game person to ride a motorbike over there i reckon.

I also watch to TV programs of the U.S. Police and the U.K. Police. I see that the Police in the land of the free (U.S.) put people in hand cuffs at the slightest suspicion. I see that the U.K. Police have to ask a supervisors permission before they can use a stun gun. I see the U.S Police doing their jobs effectively, and still seem to be treated with respect by most. I see the U.K. Police have little power and are treated like crap and saying that they feel that they have little control.
What do we want Australia to be like in the near future? Who would want to join the Police force?

It would be interesting to ask the guy in the video what would he do if his bike was stolen by a gang member (or anyone for that matter). Would he expect the Cops to investigate it? Would he still feel like they were harassing people for asking questions about his stolen bike? When I see SOME of the comments on the fb page supporting this twit with the video camera I wonder if we are turning into a nation of whingers!

[Rodd]

My friend who posted the video on fb initially supported the guy that made the video.. wondering if he too was going to be 'harassed' by the Police.
I pointed out my viewpoint to him and he responded saying that I made a good point and had written it well bUT that he did not want to be harassed. I respect that.. That is all I needed to hear. I just want to make people think. And I often think of that quote.. bad things happen when good people stand by and do nothing.

[Biggles]

Lots of good points there, Rodd.
Another reason the Russian situation is so chaotic is the Police are corrupt and mainly there to see what money they can extort (as described by Glen Heggstad  in "One More Day Everywhere").  Most of our coppers are straight, as are most of our Public Servants, for which we can be mightily thankful.

[Rodd]

Thanks Biggles. Rogue cops, and the ones that overstep the mark have been and will be a problem, and make the situation harder.

[Lionel]

Rod, I thought the policed came over as being inept wrt motorcycling matters.
I understand the need to combat criminals using motorcycles. Stopping individual motorcyclists isn't going to cut it.
The police obviously need more training in matters motorcycling. And this is not a criticism of the police having to adjust to the new legislation. Its more a criticism of the lack preparation (funding?) allocated by the powers that be.
I hope the police officer who asked why he was wearing a leather jacket while riding on a hot day never attends a bad motorcycle accident. Plain ignorance and quite prepared to display it.

[Rodd]

It depends what they stopped him for. I think pro-active Policing is doing the job even when they aren't busy. I'm not sure how it is meant to work if the general public decides when, where, or why a Police officer needs to stop someone. Also, I am well protected when I ride my motorbike but have never worn a leather jacket.

I just checked the video again and it doesn't say he was wearing a leather jack.. he stated that he was wearing a leather vest and that he had patches, later they refer to it as a jacket. They asked what meaning the patches had and he seemed evasive.

[atoyot]

His vest didn't have a backpatch, but he stated he's in the Misfits social MC. I'm a bit cautious about this, as it seems, the vest and the fact he was on a Harley may have been the reason he was pulled over. I agree that he was being agro, and the cops handled it well, but how many cars?? Surely they didn't need more than 2 there, afterall, he was a single motorcyclist.

Anyway, if that's the law there, I guess riders of Harleys with "biker" style vests, helmets (maybe?), and other gear are targets now. They just need to be patient and polite to police, as I suspect many coppers aren't too keen on these laws either. I still reckon that I've seen teenage girls act way more aggressively than he did to cops and they turn the other cheek. I wouldn't have the tolerance...

I can't say I'm a fan of the laws, but lets see if they help the crime figures in QLD.

[HunterTodd]

I wonder if the guy in the video who hates the cops had a son who was king hit and killed on the streets of Surfers or had a daughter who was attacked by some pervert would expect the police to do something about it. If he does in my book that makes him a stinking hypocrite.

We can all tell story about being treated unfairly by the cops but that thin blue line is all that stands between us and the bad guys. There are crooked cops as there as crooked politicians and priests get over it. The over whelming majority of cops do a tough job for the right reasons and they deserve our unwavering respect and support for doing it.

[Shiney]

Here's a little tip that the cops at work passed on to me... 

Most cops know what a OMCG member looks like and will target the riders that may look a little like them, they also respond to reports from the members of the public that believe they have seen a bikie.
Police will stop these people just to confirm that they aren't affiliated with a OMCG.

Now to the tip :
If you get pulled over just be polite and answer all their questions, the cops don't want to be wasting their time with general bike riders and the sooner they can confirm that you aren't affiliated the sooner you can be on your way.

On the other hand if you want to be a dick, act aggressive, rude and uncooperative they may assume that there is more to the story and may advise Police Commutations accordingly this will generally result in more Police being dispatched just incase there is something sinister afoot

Then again...  if I was a cop and someone acted like a complete arsehole to me
I would take my time checking and confirming every little thing, by the book and following EVERY LITTLE USELESS/OLD rule I could think of (as this will take a very long time ) just as a little payback

Cheers
Shiney

[Brock]

I have been on group rides, here in the west, where a patrol car has cruised by and you can see that plates are being checked. This means, if you are getting pulled over, there may be an underlying reason.

They might just like the bike!!!!

[Sean]

Here's a little tip that the cops at work passed on to me... 

Most cops know what a OMCG member looks like and will target the riders that may look a little like them, they also respond to reports from the members of the public that believe they have seen a bikie.
Police will stop these people just to confirm that they aren't affiliated with a OMCG.

Now to the tip :
If you get pulled over just be polite and answer all their questions, the cops don't want to be wasting their time with general bike riders and the sooner they can confirm that you aren't affiliated the sooner you can be on your way.
Pl
On the other hand if you want to be a dick, act aggressive, rude and uncooperative they may assume that there is more to the story and may advise Police Commutations accordingly this will generally result in more Police being dispatched just incase there is something sinister afoot

Then again...  if I was a cop and someone acted like a complete arsehole to me
I would take my time checking and confirming every little thing, by the book and following EVERY LITTLE USELESS/OLD rule I could think of (as this will take a very long time ) just as a little payback
I
Cheers
Shiney

So does that mean talk to someone the way you would to be spoken to. What a crazy idea.          

[Rodd]

There was some mention the other day on the news something about some type of crime being halved since the introduction of these laws. Obviously, I wasn't paying enough attention at the time.. but think that it's too early anyway to put too much value on that.

A big risk (I think) may arise if it all fails .. what message will that send to the criminal gangs?

One point that I have made is that it is known that the criminal gangs were having an effect in QLD (especially the Gold Coast).. they happened to be bike riders, wore leathers with patches, and often rode HDs.. the same as many people who aren't members of the criminal gangs. How do the cops know who is who without stopping and asking?

So what is 'harassment? Cops stopping and questioning and checking on motorists isn't harassment. That's a normal.. bikes, cars, trucks.. Being stopped by Police 21 times could be.. assuming he wasn't exaggerating like many do.. it's not clear in what time frame.. over 12 months? If it were me and I had been stopped and questioned 21 times in a week.. I wouldn't be amused, but there is no way I would video and intimidate.. be difficult.. telling Police that I hated them, and then posting the video on FB hoping to humiliate them,etc.. I'd be stopping and saying "Come on!! Isn't there a better way?"

[HunterTodd]

Exactly Rodd we expect our cops to accept the unbelievable behaivour from the public and react appropriately 100% of the time. Did they get it right this time? Certainly they could have done better but if I had some smart arse filming me in a difficult work situation I'd probably drop him. We seem to be forget the bigger picture here. The cops are enforcing laws made by others which are attempting to deal with people who sell drugs to the vulnerable of this society. If you get pulled over because you happen to look one of those people well that is a price that needs to be paid. It might make some people rethink their whole rebel without a cause mentality.

[Rodd]

Very well said, HunterTodd.

Thank you to all of our friends on this forum for letting me have my spit.. I never pretend to be right and that's why I say that I mainly want people to think.. in this case consider what has lead to these situations.. Yes, I am really concerned at the message of contempt that is being aimed at our Police.. that thin blue line that really protects our society from the shit than can very likely make our society and freedoms much much worse..

I am so glad that you guys have let me have the say and have taken in what I have said and thought about it.. it could very easily have turned nasty but reaffirms to me that people will 'consider'.. and that's all I ask of anyone.

There's that little voice in the back of my head that keeps saying.. bad things happen when good people sit back and do nothing!

[Old Steve]

I don't expect to be stopped and harassed by Police.  I ride a white ST1100PY, wear a black jacket, a fluoro yellow vest and a white helmet.

If anything, cars coming out of side streets see me and stop because they think, "S*#t, a cop bike!"



    -  NOT an outlaw motorcycle gang member!