Roadblocks and your rights

**ikor** · 22-09-2008, 10:03

Touche! ;D

If allowed, I will have that cell phione smoking with the calls I would be making. If not, well, Get my back in a corner and prepare for some action in that cell block. Luckily I am not a 'pretty boy'.

**abhm** · 22-09-2008, 10:09

Double Tap
I applaud your service and all your achievements, also the time you take to educate the reservists is indeed heartening.
whilst you might well be justly proud of all of your achievements in the context of this thread they mean zero and were/ are not applicable to the discussion at hand.

I am gladdened to note that you do indeed approach each police officer with respect and politeness however that aspect was NOT clear in your initial statement. You initially stated the doff cop, this provided me with a reasonable basis to assume that you adopted a genericaly abrasive attitude towards police officials and my response to this was I believe well within reason and if presumptive was presumptive due to this statement.

Given your experience you should indeed know better that the police member at the roadblock is indeed fully entitled to request your home address and detain you until he/ she has established that.

As Ikor said if you dont like it then complain to the Station Commissioner, Provincial whomever

To answer your question as to how you avoid being locked up on a Friday night, dont give them a reason to do so! The hammer that stands up gets hit first, if you are worried about being pulled for drinking and driving at night dont drive at night, if you are worried that your go bag is going to attract unwanted attention then the onus is on you to change that.

If you are confronted by a corrupt police member then right there summon the senior police officer or the station commander, you know yourself that there is far more to an arrest than just that and that corrupt officers play on the lack of knowledge about procedures by the average uninformed citizen, bear in mind that corruption is also a predatory crime and that being identified as a mark or target of corruption can be avoided by profiling.

My advice to you as well as all other readers of this thread is to be polite, slide by without heightening your profile and giving the officers more incentive to delay you any longer than you need to be.

**Double_Tap** · 22-09-2008, 10:27

Hi All

OK - everyone - including myself go back to DEFCON 0. All allies here :-) hpy71

The initial thread was not clear... every one has RIGHTS and OBLIGATIONS .. accepted.

You first point in your reply post
- my background actvity deals / displays my base attitude .. thus I believe it was relevant. :)

In the Scenario I described requesting a Senior Officer and calling your attorney may avoid the situation escalating.

This is exactly what we all are trying to do!
"My advice to you as well as all other readers of this thread is to be polite, slide by without heightening your profile and giving the officers more incentive to delay you any longer than you need to be."

Fore thought is fore armed :-)

**abhm** · 22-09-2008, 10:35

Originally Posted by Double_Tap

Hi All

You first point in your reply post
- my background actvity deals / displays my base attitude .. thus I believe it was relevant. :)

In the Scenario I described requesting a Senior Officer and calling your attorney may avoid the situation escalating.

excellent advice happy0065

**Corné** · 22-09-2008, 11:30

I have remained out of this tread for a while to see how things progress. I do not have a problem with being stopped at a roadblock as I have nothing to hide. (I actually would like to see more roadblocks that is conducted in the correct manner with the required search warrents in place) I understand the reasoning behind all questions that were posed except the one regarding the 'reason being at that location'. Yes, it might just be small talk, but I do feel that this is an invasion of my privacy. As I have done nothing wrong and have the right to move freely around, what does this have to do with the SAPS. Yes, if it is say 03:00 and I am driving around at 10km/h through the neighborhood and I appear to be out of place, I can understand that type of question but not when I am driving from area A to area B at normal speed in normal flowing traffic? Yes, I will answer the question to a certain degree, but I do have a certain degree of uncomfortableness with this question. I do not want to hamper a investigation or the conduction of SAPS duties, but I do feel a conflict is brewing with this question.

I doubt it if people just drive around these day's out of being bored due to the petrol price.... confused0068

**Just Plain Phil** · 25-09-2008, 18:39

Listen to Double Tap.

He knows what his talking about.

To answer the questions takes 2 min.
To argue will cost you 30 min, if your lucky.

Just remember that these road blockes are manned by more than just one person.
Any Cop trying to pull a fast one is taking a chance.

**Halicarna** · 25-09-2008, 22:08

I agree, its better to spend as little time there, thus ensuring a speady check and leaving the police to do there jobs, and focus on the real criminals, than get into an argument with them over something that could have been avoided.

I do however have a question, I good friend of mine got puled over at a road block this past week, the officer procede to ask him to exit his vehicle but did not ask if he had any weapons on his person, he then proceded to check the vehicle and to search my friend. So the question is, what happens if I find myself in the same situation when I carry and he procede to search me and finds that I have my pistol on me whitout informing him about it?

**abhm** · 26-09-2008, 07:19

Originally Posted by Halicarna

I agree, its better to spend as little time there, thus ensuring a speady check and leaving the police to do there jobs, and focus on the real criminals, than get into an argument with them over something that could have been avoided.

I do however have a question, I good friend of mine got puled over at a road block this past week, the officer procede to ask him to exit his vehicle but did not ask if he had any weapons on his person, he then proceded to check the vehicle and to search my friend. So the question is, what happens if I find myself in the same situation when I carry and he procede to search me and finds that I have my pistol on me whitout informing him about it?

Halicarna, it would be good advice for your friend to state to the officer clearly and calmly ( in this SPECIFIC aspect) "I have a registered firearm" or too present his firearm licence along with his drivers licence! and then ask the officer if he would like him to remove and make safe the weapon!

**abhm** · 26-09-2008, 07:21

Originally Posted by philipbasson

Listen to Double Tap.

He knows what his talking about.

To answer the questions takes 2 min.
To argue will cost you 30 min, if your lucky.

Just remember that these road blockes are manned by more than just one person.
Any Cop trying to pull a fast one is taking a chance.

Phillipbasson we reached consensus on this aspect, if you read the thread from begining to end you would understand that, that is what was being advocated! I understand specsavers has a special on reading glasses ;D

**Johann the Horrible** · 28-10-2008, 23:04

When you are stopped by the Police and you have a firearm in your possession or the cops believe on reasonable rounds that you had a firearm in your possession they may ask you 1) where the gun is, 2) where the license is, 3) where you life(address), 4) your work address as well as as you r telephone numbers. You are also obliged to supply any reasonably requested information.

Even if you do not have the gun with you the cops can ask to see the gun and you have 7 days to show the cop. If you do not a legal presumption kicks in that the gun is lost. Man it must be a long drive from Capetown to Beitbridge to show the cop your .22 target gun you left at home for the holiday. Think about it. I happen to own 35 guns, there would not be much space in the car left for luggage after I packed all the guns.