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In London They Summons Their Own

london_cop.jpg

Remember, after the launch of the Uncivil Servants web site last spring, the retired NYPD officer who wrote, “Ungrateful Liberal Scum… we do not summons our own!” We were reminded of that infamous and highly entertaining NYPD rant after Sean Roche of Newton Streets and Sidewalks forwarded along this news story from London where city police are racking up nearly £900 a day in traffic tickets (that is $1,816 thanks to the plummeting U.S. dollar):

Police drivers in London are fined almost £900 every day for offences including parking illegally, speeding and ignoring bus lanes.

The Metropolitan Police paid £325,563 in vehicle fixed penalty notices in the last financial year. The figure, revealed in new budget documents, was an increase of a third on the previous year when police coughed up £245,377 in fines.

Penalties were imposed because of illegal parking, speeding, driving in bus lanes, red route offences and driving the wrong way up one way streets.

Tickets issued to the drivers of vehicles responding to emergencies or on operations are cancelled by Transport for London and local authorities. But there are no exemptions for police drivers caught breaking the law in other circumstances.

Photo: Ryan van Laar/Flickr

Photo of Jason Varone
Jason Varone battles the streets everyday during a 9 mile commute on his bicycle from downtown Brooklyn to the Upper East Side. In addition to his efforts on Streetsblog, he is an artist making work related to the environment and technology. Examples of his work can be found at www.varonearts.org.

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