Blues and two's RAF Police
 

Hello chaps. If I was being pursued by the RAF Police and decided to drive off camp onto the civvy roads do they have the authority to follow me with their blues and two's going?

Yes.

They have reason to believe a crime was committed on service property (ie the incident began on camp), and equally they suspect you are a service member.

What are you planning? :E

I would say NO.

Dont think they have any right to chase anybody with "blues and two's" flashing off any UK RAF base.If they wanted you nicked, I believe they have to call the local rozza's.

Thinking of running off with the family silver?

Oh, sorry I forgot - that's already gone.

Depends (or used to); some service police units had policemen who, in addition to their service version, had police warrant cards issued by the local civilian chief constable.

Mind you though, in those days they didn't have blue's and two's, it was a bell and a flag. :eek:

Roadster is correct. However, MOD Police have no such caveats and have equal powers both on and off Service property ... scary thought!!

I was the stn rock running a police flight at one of the RAF's smaller units (when we had some). All my feds were signed up by the local constabulary as specials, so that in theory, they could act off station with both our own people and the civvies. Mind you, as far as I know, and certainly when I was there, they never used these 'powers'.

RAF Plod have pretty much the same powers both on and off base. Even if you evaded them on base they could still pitch-up at your civilian house on the other side of the country, force an entry, arrest you, search the house etc which may give your wife and kids a fair old surprise!

And the MOD Police carry firearms.

As for operating off-base, I know of an instance where they conducted surveillance off-base. And another where they followed the guilty b*st*rd from one unit to another and then arrested him.

You may find that it is the road traffic law that prevents the 'Blues and twos' bit.
If they were to have an accident and were not correctly authorised or trained on civilian highways, they WOULD be liable. Driving for another lighted service, the Chief Constables (and ACPO) of some UK counties have stated that they would prosecute the law to their fullest ability if untrained persons (even on legitimate shouts) had an accident using the equipment - they can follow and apprehend but not necessarily with emergency lighting?? Try it and see how you get on?
They also are not permitted to contravene road traffic law so would stop as red lights – defeats the purpose really!!!!

a little more info - note only RAF mountain rescue are specified.

Down near Warminster I saw an RMP WO with blues certainly having stopped someone on the dual carriageway.

Back in the days of station exercises, long before mobile phones or even radiopagers, RAFP used to roar around the MQs in Cartoontown blasting away on a very loud two-tone air horn in order to invite participation in yet another pratteval of one form or another.

Often at 0-dark-00!

Eventually, the locals had enough - and the Stn Cdr was informed that, if ever this happened again, RAFP would be prosecuted under whatever law it is which forbids the use of car horns in built up areas between 2330 and 0700.

Although the horn was rather more effective than the tannoy which I once heard at about 0500 in the Brize OM in early 1984. After clearing his throat, the night porter (remember when we had such chaps?) politely announced, rather discreetly, "Good morning, exercise Taceval is now in force".....:\

Gamu,

Surely Simon and Cheryl can sort things out for you?

Good Luck BTW – I think you should stay.

If civvy police cannot "pursue" unless correctly trained then Service Police will not be allowed to either, (A lot of Constabularies will no longer allow pursuits unless Air Support is available).

Just This Once

"RAF Plod have pretty much the same powers both on and off base. Even if you evaded them on base they could still pitch-up at your civilian house on the other side of the country, force an entry, arrest you, search the house etc which may give your wife and kids a fair old surprise!"

B@LL@CKS.

Only those trained are allowed to use the blues and twos - even an MT driver without b&t training has to have the lights covered when on the public highway - even if delivering it to a garage. However, if trained, then yes they can. This sort of thing is usually explicitly sorted with the local Chief Constable to ensure compliance.

Must be lots of mountain rescue teams in Herefordshire then :}

Airborne, Silver disks are a totally different subject!!!!! You can't catch them to tell them off and I don't think the web site was thinking of their kind of emergency?

I think extpwron and myself are the only ones getting the joke here!