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Hello, I've not had the best day and would really appreciate some help. It started with getting ran over by some middle aged man-child riding a stupid Lime bike on the pavement... then got a lot worse.
I'd pulled into the car park at our local park and there were no marked bay spaces left, so I parked in an unmarked tarmac area that I've used for years without any problem. There are always cars parked there, and a couple of years ago I asked a parking attendant if it was ok and he told me the park doesnt have a policy of only parking within marked bays, uses the area as an overflow car park so it was ok to park there and they dont issue tickets to people that do.
As I was getting out a Parks Police van pulled up and the officer said "you cant park there, move on." I told him there werent any marked spaces and that the I'd been told I was allowed to park there, and he threatened me with a ticket, asking for my name and address. I asked why he needed my details if he was issuing a parking ticket, and he threatened to caution me. I asked him why, and he started the caution. I asked him what offence he was cautioning me for and he said "refusal to provide details". This seemed really odd, because he'd skipped the bit about what offence I was accused of.
Again, I asked why he needs my personal details for a parking ticket and by this time I'd told him I was unhappy with his overzealous attitude and had started videoing him, so he grabbed me by the arm and tried to cuff my hands behind my back.
After he'd cuffed me really tightly I told him I have blood cirulation issues and take blood thinning meds (I had an emergency card in my back pocket) but he refused to loosen the cuffs. I asked what offence I had committed and he said "parking byelaws". I tried to tell him that the parking regulations are posted on a huge board by the payment machine, and there is nothing to say you must park in a marked bay. Every time I queried him, he was vague and evasive, citing different reasons each time.
He then got on the phone for 5 minutes and told me he'd called the Met Police to come down and take me to a police station. I have 2 dogs in my car, I'm handcuffed (he cuffed me whilst the car door was open and my dogs werent secured) and he's refusing to release me unless I identify myself. By now I'm furious that he's bullying me, he also wasnt wearing PPE and was standing 12 inches from me (his colleague put on PPE as soon as I complained) and I'd told him I have serious respiratory medical complications but he still refused to wear PPE or keep his distance and he said "Its ok, I've been vaccinated".
He constantly asked me for my ID, saying that he'd release me if I complied, but I felt I was being bullied, so refused. He then said that I'd flouted a council byelaw whereby a police officer can ask a vehicle to move on, and refusal is an offence. So,.. he's now changed the reason for my detention.
I asked him how long the Met police would be and he made several calls, over about half an hour, until, finally, he finished the call and made one last threat. It seems the Met had decided they had more important things to be doing and had told him to release me, which he reluctantly did.
I think that there was some confusion too: I assumed he wanted to issue a parking ticket, but the female officer explained afterwards that they needed my personal details to issue a Fixed Penalty Notice. At no time did the other officer make this clear, indeed I think he he was being deliberately vague.
I'm utterly furious with his behaviour and not letting me secure my dogs safely was the worst thing for me. I was not aggressive, I asked reasonable questions about the reasons for his actions, i feel that cuffing me was overkill for what was a parking offence.
I've turned the incident over and over in my head to decide whether or not I should make a complaint. Was I in the wrong and what rights do I have?
I'd pulled into the car park at our local park and there were no marked bay spaces left, so I parked in an unmarked tarmac area that I've used for years without any problem. There are always cars parked there, and a couple of years ago I asked a parking attendant if it was ok and he told me the park doesnt have a policy of only parking within marked bays, uses the area as an overflow car park so it was ok to park there and they dont issue tickets to people that do.
As I was getting out a Parks Police van pulled up and the officer said "you cant park there, move on." I told him there werent any marked spaces and that the I'd been told I was allowed to park there, and he threatened me with a ticket, asking for my name and address. I asked why he needed my details if he was issuing a parking ticket, and he threatened to caution me. I asked him why, and he started the caution. I asked him what offence he was cautioning me for and he said "refusal to provide details". This seemed really odd, because he'd skipped the bit about what offence I was accused of.
Again, I asked why he needs my personal details for a parking ticket and by this time I'd told him I was unhappy with his overzealous attitude and had started videoing him, so he grabbed me by the arm and tried to cuff my hands behind my back.
After he'd cuffed me really tightly I told him I have blood cirulation issues and take blood thinning meds (I had an emergency card in my back pocket) but he refused to loosen the cuffs. I asked what offence I had committed and he said "parking byelaws". I tried to tell him that the parking regulations are posted on a huge board by the payment machine, and there is nothing to say you must park in a marked bay. Every time I queried him, he was vague and evasive, citing different reasons each time.
He then got on the phone for 5 minutes and told me he'd called the Met Police to come down and take me to a police station. I have 2 dogs in my car, I'm handcuffed (he cuffed me whilst the car door was open and my dogs werent secured) and he's refusing to release me unless I identify myself. By now I'm furious that he's bullying me, he also wasnt wearing PPE and was standing 12 inches from me (his colleague put on PPE as soon as I complained) and I'd told him I have serious respiratory medical complications but he still refused to wear PPE or keep his distance and he said "Its ok, I've been vaccinated".
He constantly asked me for my ID, saying that he'd release me if I complied, but I felt I was being bullied, so refused. He then said that I'd flouted a council byelaw whereby a police officer can ask a vehicle to move on, and refusal is an offence. So,.. he's now changed the reason for my detention.
I asked him how long the Met police would be and he made several calls, over about half an hour, until, finally, he finished the call and made one last threat. It seems the Met had decided they had more important things to be doing and had told him to release me, which he reluctantly did.
I think that there was some confusion too: I assumed he wanted to issue a parking ticket, but the female officer explained afterwards that they needed my personal details to issue a Fixed Penalty Notice. At no time did the other officer make this clear, indeed I think he he was being deliberately vague.
I'm utterly furious with his behaviour and not letting me secure my dogs safely was the worst thing for me. I was not aggressive, I asked reasonable questions about the reasons for his actions, i feel that cuffing me was overkill for what was a parking offence.
I've turned the incident over and over in my head to decide whether or not I should make a complaint. Was I in the wrong and what rights do I have?
