If someone tries to kill you whilst cycling home…
…don’t ask the police to help.
No really. Don’t they don’t give a shit. Instead they’ll try and say that you should be arrested and charged an £80 fine. Small price to pay for dying on the roads I’m sure you’ll agree.
So, the full story. I was riding home after work tonight and I head through the top of Camberwell just past the Black Sheep pub. I pass another cyclist in the bike lane and a silver BMW comes past me honking his horn. He then rocks his steering wheel from side to side trying to knock me off. I obviously shout at the car as he’s a real danger to myself and the guy behind me. He’s getting even more aggressive at this point and starting to come very close to knocking me off. I go through the next junction on red as I was pretty scared at this point. He wheel spins through the lights after me and then does a U-turn in the road to try and knock me off.
I stop at the next lights and he’s one behind a police car. So I knock on the window and say that someone is trying to kill me can they help? So they get out, he gets out, details get checked including mine. At this point two other cyclists have stopped to offer witness statements. They tell one of them to go away. Thanks.
So they decide that the best way to settle it is with a ‘chat’ between us. He alleges that I banged his windscreen which is utter rubbish which the witness agrees with. Another guy turns up at this point who witnessed it all. Again they tell him to go away, thanks guys. So at this point it’s going nowhere so the numbnuts who pass for police officers offer to arrest us both and charge us £80 each for something or other? Unbelievable. So with a witness and some guy trying to kills a cyclist they still can’t be bothered to deal with it.
They then tell me that I can report it in the morning if I wish? Hold on, I have two police officers here, why can’t they deal with it? Not interested it seems.
Their solution, let me cycle home whilst they hold the guy. Brilliant thinking guys. If you thought he wasn’t actually a danger, why offer to hold him back?
So two things to do tomorrow, report to the police and then write to the IPCC. Thank you so much police people as well as Mr silver BMW. You’ve been great.
Updated:
It turns out it’s not the first time he’s done this. I’ve found someone who got knocked off by him recently. He drove off! They got his number plate though.
I was VERY lucky!
EDIT: Six months after the event. We have decided not to prosecute. Well thanks a fucking bunch.
