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Old November 14th 03, 05:34 PM posted to uk.transport.london
Bluestars Bluestars is offline
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First recorded activity at LondonBanter: Nov 2003
Posts: 3
Default More troublesome bus drivers

'Cops search war heroes' says Sun reporter John Coles in article:
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2003520537,00.html

This happened in Weymouth on Tuesday 11 Nov, so its OT.
Could it happen on a bus or train anywhere....?

Up to 50 passengers were locked in a First Southern National route no 2 bus
in Weymouth when the driver suspected 60 pounds of his takings had been
stolen.

The driver pulled into a stop in the town centre and locked the passengers
in while he called the police. Eight police officers attended the scene
and gave the passengers the option of being searched on the bus or being
taken in the bus to the police station.

The passengers, included a party of war veterans on their way home from a
rememberance day ceremony in their parade outfits, were lined up in the bus
shelter and publicly searched. The veterans were quoted as saying 'it was
despicable'.

The passengers were detained for over an hour, but no trace of the alleged
missing money was found.

The bus company, who maintain the money is missing, apologised to the
pasengers, but there was no mention of any recompence for the time or any
consequential loss.

A police spokesman said the driver acted correctly in detaining the
passengers on suspicion of theft and the police acted legally to detain and
search them.
-------------------

My comments:

If this happened on a London bus I think some passengers would not have
reacted as calmly as the citizens of Weymouth.

I posted a version of this story to uk.legal. under the heading
'Bus passengers detained and searched', for reaction, as I intuitively I did
not think the actions of the driver and the police were as legal as the
police maintained.

Roger.