Officer Dible

Yes, I know when the accident occured, and how long it took for there to be a Police presence, and what that presence was. Beyond that I'm not about to post details on a public board If you are not willing to detail this on a public board then I suggest you PM me. Alternatively don't say things you can't back up.

In closing, it has to be said, that it is, to grossly understate the point, a shame, that the same urgency to arrive and to devote the same manpower resources, is not always forthcoming when an actual dead body is lying on the road. _________________ Mistakes have been made....others will be blamed! CAN YOU EVIDENCE THIS?

The point I was making about the fire brigade was in relation to units from Lerwick attending, including Sumburgh Airport, Toab and Sandwick. (Is there a need for Lerwick?) TROUT what I said was mirror,signal, mirror then manouvre. By doing this you will see anything coming up your rear. As with road accident police gather evidence and report the facts. With the current culture of "i am going to sue you" it is important for the police to gather and preserve evidence at the earliest opportunity. Another reason for the police to get there early is to avoid the press vultures getting there first. The press have little compassion for these things and would not think twice of publishing photo's of dead bodies in wreckage. Imagine how you would feel seeing the innerds of your loved ones splattered all over the front page of a tabloid wrag.

Just another point. Why does the fire brigade have to attend? If a copter ditches in the sea what use are they?

When it comes to emergencies at any Airport there is a need for Police presence at an early stage. Who else is going to take charege of the dead bodies. I can assure you the fire brigade will not take them and nor will the ambulance. Early police presence will be able to help alot of families when they need the info that their loved ones are dead or alive. Of course the police are getting the blame yet again. How about the other vehicles on the road? Did the other vehicle driver follow the simple Highway code rule Mirror Signal Mirror Manouvre? Did the police car overtake in the face of oncoming traffic? I would also like to point out the standard of driving in Shetland is appauling. People see blue lights and continue driving in their normal manner. In relation to driving at SPEED all cops in Shetland have undergone a three week training course, driving at high speeds through Inverness. More advanced driver's have been trained at driving at speed of more than double the speed limit. This course lasts five weeks and has been compared to undergoing the same stresses as fighter jet pilots. When cops drive at high speed they have to predict what other driver's are going to do as well as drive their own vehicle.

Just tried to view the YOUTUBE link. Somebody has bottled it and withdrawn the clip. Shame I was looking forward to getting my teeth into some boyracer.

Shortly aftre the suicide of Gary Manson his family set up a fund to raise mental health awareness. During October they are holding a 5km Fun run. Entry is £5.00 (I think) As I am not built for speed I am going to pay £10.00 so that I don't have to run it. Maybe a few more of you less able people could do the same and raise money for a worthwhile cause.

I have found some of the recent Polish worker's to be very polite. A few that I have come accross that can't speak good English have always managed a smile and a nod.

Just heard this morning from Reliance Staff that Michael is now home! Still on the road to recovery but this is a big plus.

The bounty would have to be more. Looking at the photo somebody would need to buy a tank to get rid of them.

Glad to say, we are not all the same!

As I understand from the Shetland Times the following persons will plan and review this Proposal. 4 councillors 1 NHS Member 1 Enterprise So when will LPA have their say. This looks like Sandy Cluness's last ditch attempt to rail road Alan Wishart into submission. Surely the council woul dbe better off signing their property over to the LPA. This will write off more then just a 5% cut in the budget.

SHETLAND TRANSPORT - I don't think you can fault them. Used them on several occasions to get stuff to the mainland. Had stuff collected from Birmingham and it was nearly half the price than any other haulage firm in Shetland.

Long road closures are essential to establish the full facts. An accurate investigation will be able to provide essential evidence for years to come. I am sure the people involved in these accidents appreciate that everything is done correctly and the blame is put in the right corner. Having been at the scene I was unable to determine what had happend however when the Dingwall Cops talked me through the accident it was clear to see what had happend. If the long suffering motorists were to take advice from the police then these accident would not occure. ie wear your seatbelt, don't drink and drive, don't take risks. Unlike most other cops I don't see speed as a factor in most accidents. This is due to driver error is the cause of accidents. Speed only determines the extent of injury.

From what I have read about this accident perhaps a maximum of two hours after the casualty was on her way to hospital for taking measurements and photos and then however long it too to clear the wreckage and hose down the road. Had this been the case then the police would have been accused of a cover up. I don't know what you do for a living but I am sure the police don't arrive at your place of work, telling you how to do your job!

A thought from me.......manning the monitors might be a good way to serve a community service order. Sure it would not be right for all offenders but, for example, an otherwise decent person sentenced for an offence that did not relate to the things cameras watch for could be punished and at the same time do something useful. they should get special constables to do this as they are volunteers or even the community wardens!! I have worked where there is a CCTV system run by Volunteers. They need to sign the official scerets act before starting work. On occasion they are also required to give evidence in court...people that have been sentence do not make suitable witnesses as they are not deemed to be of trustworthy character. Any conviction is disclosed tot he court and any defence solicitor will bring this up to disgrace the witness, leaving a jury in doubt.

The problem with a member of the Road Dept being trained as an accident investigator is simple - there are not enough serious or fatal accidents in Shetland to become an expert. The cops from Dingwall have dealt with 13 fatal accidents during July and August. It is this quantity of accidents that allow them to become experts in this field. As cops you are trained and become familiar in giving evidence. A roads engineer giving evidence in court would probably only give evidence once or twice a year. Anyone that has been in a court will know how uncomfortable this can be. Any cop coming from Aberdeen or any other force will face the same delays in coming to Shetland. I know that in the past cops will drive to and from Aberdeen to get the first flight. In addition to this Scatsta Oil flights have also been used to get the guys here. On a lighter note there are some positive remarks which show that the Police have still got the support in the Community - Thanks

Yes I do let the crazy drivers get past me and watch with interest as they vanish into the distance only to be seen later in the middle of a field. HAS THIS EVER HAPPEND? That said I do wonder how long it might be before one of those crazy drivers kills someone while speeding on a diversionary route long after most other police forces would have got the road open again. THIS IS THE LARGEST FORCE AREA IN BRITAIN COVER THREE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT PLACESUNIQUE PLACES CAUSE UNIQUE SOLUTIONS And I wonder if the public will accept a road closure that effectively cuts off one part of the island for longer than it takes for fire and rescue to do their bit, for the police to take photos and measurements and tow trucks to remove the wreckage. As for giving evidence in court is there anything to prevent a specialist traffic officer from being called as an expert witness to interpret the data collected at the scene. THIS WILL NEVER HAPPEN AS SCOTTISH LAW DICTATES ANY EVIDENCE GATHERED WILL BE PRESENTED BY WHOEVER FOUND IT. IE JOE BLOGGS GOING TO COURT INSTAED OF A POLICE OFFICER GIVING HIS EVIDENCE

An expert witnesses opinion is built up over several years. This includes carrying out numerous scene examinations and going to court to defend your decision on a number of occasions. It is this evidence that can secure a conviction. A trained and qualified officer based in Shetland would not be able to build up the expertise needed to carry out extensive examinations. To carry out a full scene enquiry the equipment needed costs a little over £30,000. This is in addition to training needs which would prbably exceed £25,000 every five years when the trained officer is sent to work in another area. There is a current plus side with the current system and that is, four extra cops come to Shetland to conduct the enquiry. Thus leaving the current number of Shetland based officer's to continue policing the island and support the family's of the accidents.

Thought I would sign up to clarify a few points on road closures. To enable a thourgh examination of a road accident the road has to be closed to gather and preserve evidence. Should vital evidence be lost an accused person could evade prosecution. Video evidence is all very well but in this day and age this can be compramised and lead to problems during court. The scene of an accident has to be recorded in minute detail. THis cannot be done if the road is open. As to why officer's have to be brought in. To give evidence in court and secure a conviction the evidence has to be presented in a credible fashion. A regular beat officer answer's everything that happens. However a Qualified Traffic Officer has specialist knowledge obtianed over several years. It would therefor not be fair on the victims and family's to have random beat cops giving evidence on complicated matters where people have been killed or seriously injured. If there is concern surrounding road closures then the best solution would be to take less risks, leave yourself plenty of time and give other road user's respect. A CAR IS ONLY A ONE TONE KILLING MACHINE - NO DIFFERENT TO A GUN IF USED IN THE WRONG HANDS