Breaking the Law

[matty_f]

Where do you stand on breaking the law? I would guess that most people have or will break the law at some point in their lives, but where is your moral compass on when it's ok to do it?

Some things are fairly openly done- drinking on trains, vaping in football stadiums/smoking in the toilets (or doing more than that), watching football on a Firestick, speeding (24mph in a 20, for example - not necessarily 120mph down the motorway).

Assuming some degree of law breaking, how do you decide which laws apply to you, and which don't?

[Hibrandenburg]

There's a German phrase "Wo kein Kläger, da kein Richter", it literally means where there is no plaintiff there is no judge but figuratively means as long as no one is bothered, then nobody gets punished. I think that's a fair representation of how I look at it.

[Bridge hibs]

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Where do you stand on breaking the law? I would guess that most people have or will break the law at some point in their lives, but where is your moral compass on when it's ok to do it?

Some things are fairly openly done- drinking on trains, vaping in football stadiums/smoking in the toilets (or doing more than that), watching football on a Firestick, speeding (24mph in a 20, for example - not necessarily 120mph down the motorway).

Assuming some degree of law breaking, how do you decide which laws apply to you, and which don't?

Ive broken many a law when I was a daft teen, nothing serious and all mostly breach of the peace. That law though ****ing bugged me though as countless times I was randomly targeted by a couple of well known Police officers in Porty, we had a love hate relationship and more often or not I was lifted if I bolted or lifted if I faced them and disputed any charges they hit me with.

These ***** are public servants and their job is to protect the public. That pair of power hungry ***** made my life a misery for years and I couldnt even walk down the same street as them I knew what was coming.

One time on Bath Street I was minding my own business, I had left the Sands hotel after having a couple and then those ***** just happened to be walking down the opposite way, one of them shouted something sarcastic but I was used to that so I just gave them the middle finger salute. I was heading Joppa direction to grab a Chinese takeaway when all of a sudden I was surrounded by Police, 2 cars and a van and I was arrested on the spot.

Clerked in and then taken up to the high st cells to face the Judge in the morning. Early wash, sliced sausage roll, pissy cup of tea and then I was taken to a single cell where a “defence lawyer” popped his head in and advised me everything was against me and advised me to plead guilty or I would face a week in Saughton. I pled guilty to charges of breach of the peace, drunken and wreck less behaviour, wilful damage to property and something else that I cant remember. The only charge that stood was breach of the peace and I ended up with a £30 fine.

For **** all !!! 🤬

[Smartie]

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Ive broken many a law when I was a daft teen, nothing serious and all mostly breach of the peace. That law though ****ing bugged me though as countless times I was randomly targeted by a couple of well known Police officers in Porty, we had a love hate relationship and more often or not I was lifted if I bolted or lifted if I faced them and disputed any charges they hit me with.

These ***** are public servants and their job is to protect the public. That pair of power hungry ***** made my life a misery for years and I couldnt even walk down the same street as them I knew what was coming.

One time on Bath Street I was minding my own business, I had left the Sands hotel after having a couple and then those ***** just happened to be walking down the opposite way, one of them shouted something sarcastic but I was used to that so I just gave them the middle finger salute. I was heading Joppa direction to grab a Chinese takeaway when all of a sudden I was surrounded by Police, 2 cars and a van and I was arrested on the spot.

Clerked in and then taken up to the high st cells to face the Judge in the morning. Early wash, sliced sausage roll, pissy cup of tea and then I was taken to a single cell where a “defence lawyer” popped his head in and advised me everything was against me and advised me to plead guilty or I would face a week in Saughton. I pled guilty to charges of breach of the peace, drunken and wreck less behaviour, wilful damage to property and something else that I cant remember. The only charge that stood was breach of the peace and I ended up with a £30 fine.

For **** all !!! 🤬

Why am I hearing the thumping drums that open a majestic Clash track when I read this?

[Bridge hibs]

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Why am I hearing the thumping drums that open a majestic Clash track when I read this?

🤣 That was a regular occurrence mate believe me. Im sure there are others on here that have had the same treatment meted out by our public protecting boys in blue.

[hibsbollah]

When I was in my late teens I travelled around the US for almost a year, staying with relatives and friends of relatives in various places, travelling by Greyhound bus, saw 30+ states, got into quite a few scrapes, and worked in multiple jobs illegally. I also overstayed my tourist visa by more than a month or two, so I was the very definition of the 'illegal' that gets shackled and sent off to some industrial prison in El Salvador today by the current administration. It was all a bit of an adventure but thinking back on it all it needed was for me to have some bad luck and i'd have been in a lot of trouble. I think thats what happens to a lot of folk that fall foul of the law, all it takes is making some questionable decisions, consciously or unconsciously, and getting some bad luck in the form of getting caught.

[Greenbeard]

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Ive broken many a law when I was a daft teen, nothing serious and all mostly breach of the peace. That law though ****ing bugged me though as countless times I was randomly targeted by a couple of well known Police officers in Porty, we had a love hate relationship and more often or not I was lifted if I bolted or lifted if I faced them and disputed any charges they hit me with.

These ***** are public servants and their job is to protect the public. That pair of power hungry ***** made my life a misery for years and I couldnt even walk down the same street as them I knew what was coming.

One time on Bath Street I was minding my own business, I had left the Sands hotel after having a couple and then those ***** just happened to be walking down the opposite way, one of them shouted something sarcastic but I was used to that so I just gave them the middle finger salute. I was heading Joppa direction to grab a Chinese takeaway when all of a sudden I was surrounded by Police, 2 cars and a van and I was arrested on the spot.

Clerked in and then taken up to the high st cells to face the Judge in the morning. Early wash, sliced sausage roll, pissy cup of tea and then I was taken to a single cell where a “defence lawyer” popped his head in and advised me everything was against me and advised me to plead guilty or I would face a week in Saughton. I pled guilty to charges of breach of the peace, drunken and wreck less behaviour, wilful damage to property and something else that I cant remember. The only charge that stood was breach of the peace and I ended up with a £30 fine.

For **** all !!! 🤬

Smokeless fuel?

[Bridge hibs]

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Smokeless fuel?

Not sure what you mean 👍

[silverhibee]

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Where do you stand on breaking the law? I would guess that most people have or will break the law at some point in their lives, but where is your moral compass on when it's ok to do it?

Some things are fairly openly done- drinking on trains, vaping in football stadiums/smoking in the toilets (or doing more than that), watching football on a Firestick, speeding (24mph in a 20, for example - not necessarily 120mph down the motorway).

Assuming some degree of law breaking, how do you decide which laws apply to you, and which don't?

No comment

[Scouse Hibee]

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Where do you stand on breaking the law? I would guess that most people have or will break the law at some point in their lives, but where is your moral compass on when it's ok to do it?

Some things are fairly openly done- drinking on trains, vaping in football stadiums/smoking in the toilets (or doing more than that), watching football on a Firestick, speeding (24mph in a 20, for example - not necessarily 120mph down the motorway).

Assuming some degree of law breaking, how do you decide which laws apply to you, and which don't?

I do a dynamic risk assessment in my head, very helpful in my decision making 😉

[danhibees1875]

These police entrapment tactics are getting more and more obvious.

[silverhibee]

For any of our law experts, is odour/smell of weed on its own enough grounds for a search in Scotland.

[Aldo]

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For any of our law experts, is odour/smell of weed on its own enough grounds for a search in Scotland.

I would say yes!

[CropleyWasGod]

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For any of our law experts, is odour/smell of weed on its own enough grounds for a search in Scotland.

This is the "UK" police position, although I suspect they mean England and Wales. It's a No.

https://releaf.co.uk/blog/cannabis-s...top-and-search

Reading through that, though, it seems that that is merely a recommendation, and not necessarily being carried through.

[silverhibee]

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I would say yes!

Outside and in a park where other people were sitting but a good enough distance away from them and other person with me puffing a vape and we get picked out as we leave the park, they said they had a complaint of a smell of weed in the park, not we were smoking weed which I think would be grounds but not for just odour on its own in a built up area where it was clear other people were smoking or vaping.

And am I correct in saying I would not have to give them my details at that point.

[silverhibee]

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This is the "UK" police position, although I suspect they mean England and Wales. It's a No.

https://releaf.co.uk/blog/cannabis-s...top-and-search

Reading through that, though, it seems that that is merely a recommendation, and not necessarily being carried through.

I had read that, but police to use discretion, if it’s just a smell in a outside environment they more than likely don’t stop and search, I suppose different if you are stopped in your car or at a house.

[speedy_gonzales]

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For any of our law experts, is odour/smell of weed on its own enough grounds for a search in Scotland.

Any chance those who stopped you were after something else and using the "smell" as an excuse?
A few years back I was quite aggressively stopped on Lothian Rd by two plain clothed Police. Told as I walked past them they could smell weed/grass and I was being searched.
I protested, I wasn't smoking (I don't smoke!) and although they tried their best to search, I refused to show any ID, purely because I was caught out unawares and for a split second I thought I was getting mugged.
They asked the usual, where I had been, where I was going and let me on my way but I still feel they were looking for someone/something else.

[hibsbollah]

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I would say yes!

Then potentially a good proportion of those walking around Easter Road, Leith Walk, a good number of the public parks in Edinburgh and near the university would be liable for search then. Cycling about town, i smell it more and more

[Aldo]

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Outside and in a park where other people were sitting but a good enough distance away from them and other person with me puffing a vape and we get picked out as we leave the park, they said they had a complaint of a smell of weed in the park, not we were smoking weed which I think would be grounds but not for just odour on its own in a built up area where it was clear other people were smoking or vaping.

And am I correct in saying I would not have to give them my details at that point.

Just to clarify YOU would have to smell of weed. If you had been smoking you’d be reeking of it.

Sounds to me like a fishing trip or someone needs their figures boosted.

I wouldn’t be giving them details as they’ve not had grounds to specifically search you because there was a wiff in the park.

I hope you asked why you were being stopped and questioned when there were others in the park! Did they get searched and questioned etc?? If not why not.

[tamig]

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I had read that, but police to use discretion, if it’s just a smell in a outside environment they more than likely don’t stop and search, I suppose different if you are stopped in your car or at a house.

Really interesting debate on Nicky Campbell’s phone in on 5 Live at the moment about this very topic. Try and catch it on BBC Sounds if you can’t listen live 👍