What To Tell Cops Who Say You've Been Drinking....

[MSP0RT5]

Hi Guys,

Firstly, my apologies if there's already a similar topic on this, however did a search and nothing came up!

I'm in SL for a month for Christmas/family events, and driving on an international licence (don't have an SL one as I've lived in Aussie all my life). Went out for an aunts birthday tonight and on the way home got flagged down by a traffic cop on a routine licence/rego check on dharmapala mw. Anyway, cop asked for the papers.. and while I was getting them started telling me that I had been drinking. I had heard about this routine so I said I don't drink (which I actually don't... let alone at an aunts 71'st birthday with all her church pastors there... ) Anyway, the guy kept insisting. My wife reckons it's coz my sinhalese is so bad (probably a touch of aussie accent in there too lol) that it sounds like I've had a few when I speak.. but what's the done thing in these situs? In aussie it works differently and the cops carry a breathaliser around with them as many of you know, so it's more cut n dry.

IS there stuff to say/not say etc? The cop seemed pretty insistent, and my wife reckons he was just after a bit of cash or something. He kept us there for about 15 minutes and then another cop rocked up on a mobike, asked me a few questions in english and said to the other dude lets go and they took off. But it was all a bit of hassle with an infant and 2 toddlers in the car!

So.. any tips on how to tackle these situs? Wife reckons I should just speak to them in English!!

Cheers

Chris

Another headache was.. since I sold my BM last year, I'm using my mother in law's vehicle tonight (company car) and the insurance card thing was missing... luckily the cop was so focused on that I had been drinking he said not to worry about the insurance.. but to make sure it's there next time or something.

Edited December 27, 2008 by MSP0RT5

[MasterDon]

first of all mate,not all of these guys are after your money.it just maybe the matter of language difference or their attitude that makes you seem like they do...i do not blame you ,but most of the people like you(foreighners,ex-lankens) are brain washed by our fellow idiotic lankens in to thinking that all our cops are nothing but greedy scum,so you tend to face any SL cop with an unjust prejudice.

however no cop can just SAY that you are drunk..he has to prove it...just ask for a breathelizer(baloon) test..plain and simple

Edited December 27, 2008 by HelRazor

[JadeyBlitzen]

in my opinion sl cops are rather peculiar. but then again all cops are. its just sri lankan cops are a bit more peculiar than the others i guess.

in ur case msport i think the cops were just "picking" on you. it was probably a routine check right until the moment they realised ur sinhalese was a bit off. so they probably took you for a snob. for one thing nearly all the government organisations in sl seem to hate snobs. unlike normal people who'd deal with a snob and then make a funny remark once they are gone, these people seem to make it their business to give them a hard time.

anyways this is just beyond our control. as helrazor said just ask for breathelizer test in a case like this. or just get straight to the point with no bs.

if they do charge you even when you are innocent, as an extreme solution tell them they are going to regret this, get in your car drive away generating a lot of wheelspin (cos there's no better way to say f*ck u! i dont care) and then phone some big shot and have ur license collected. i mean after all you are innocent rite?

if you are guilty, again dont let them harass u cos u did something wrong and you are already paying for it. and you can do without their abuse. so face the sodding charges and let that be a lesson to u.

[MSP0RT5]

Thanks guys.

Basically, I hadn't done anything wrong - as I really don't drink, and I actually now drive at 50-55kmph too (yeah i know... old age). I don't have an SL licence, only my aussie and an international one. I didnt' realise you could ask for an on-the-spot balloon test - that's good to know if they keep insisting. If I was in the wrong, 100% I'm not going to argue the point - I constantly tell that to the young guys in our church, and I have to live by it It's tough, but hey..

LOL.. I don't mean to sound like a snob - I'm the last person to do that, but it's just my sinhalese isn't the best if I'm not speaking it regularly!!

[MasterDon]

..... My wife reckons it's coz my sinhalese is so bad (probably a touch of aussie accent in there too lol) that it sounds like I've had a few when I speak....

hmm i think your're right.your accent when speaking in sinhalese might have made the bugger think that you are drunk.

[MSP0RT5]

No doubt mate. It was just annoying, as had the kids crying in the car too. The cop was actually speaking like he had a few too lol

[Devinda_Z]

Thanks guys.

Basically, I hadn't done anything wrong - as I really don't drink, and I actually now drive at 50-55kmph too (yeah i know... old age). I don't have an SL licence, only my aussie and an international one. I didnt' realise you could ask for an on-the-spot balloon test - that's good to know if they keep insisting. If I was in the wrong, 100% I'm not going to argue the point - I constantly tell that to the young guys in our church, and I have to live by it It's tough, but hey..

LOL.. I don't mean to sound like a snob - I'm the last person to do that, but it's just my sinhalese isn't the best if I'm not speaking it regularly!!

the best way to deal with the law no matter how annoying they are is to be nice to them - honestly - "kill 'em with kindness"

just smile and ask for the test if they insist you drunk , cuz if i'm not mistaken , if a cop makes a person take the test and he is Not under the influence , the cop is liable to pay the cost of the breathlizer kit!

they might not have one in hand, which means the posibility of having to go over to the nearest police station.

[Devinda_Z]

in ur case msport i think the cops were just "picking" on you. it was probably a routine check right until the moment they realised ur sinhalese was a bit off. so they probably took you for a snob. for one thing nearly all the government organisations in sl seem to hate snobs. unlike normal people who'd deal with a snob and then make a funny remark once they are gone, these people seem to make it their business to give them a hard time.

anyways this is just beyond our control. as helrazor said just ask for breathelizer test in a case like this. or just get straight to the point with no bs.

if they do charge you even when you are innocent, as an extreme solution tell them they are going to regret this, get in your car drive away generating a lot of wheelspin (cos there's no better way to say f*ck u! i dont care) and then phone some big shot and have ur license collected. i mean after all you are innocent rite?

if you are guilty, again dont let them harass u cos u did something wrong and you are already paying for it. and you can do without their abuse. so face the sodding charges and let that be a lesson to u.

i agree with you about the part about 'snobs'...

but driving away in a cloud of smoke isn't the way to go about it

you might well be able to pull rank and retrieve your licence, but such a rash and arrogant manoeuvre good well result in some trigger happy man in a uniform taking pot shots at you!

don't forget , SL is yet under emergency regulations , so should you choose to be so cocky, you could well be apprehended for a host of other offences or simply given a hard time for posing a threat or some sort or for acting in a manner that would cause suspicion..

i don't think anyone enjoys abuse, but its best not to antagonize the law..

[JadeyBlitzen]

i agree with you about the part about 'snobs'...

but driving away in a cloud of smoke isn't the way to go about it

you might well be able to pull rank and retrieve your licence, but such a rash and arrogant manoeuvre good well result in some trigger happy man in a uniform taking pot shots at you!

don't forget , SL is yet under emergency regulations , so should you choose to be so cocky, you could well be apprehended for a host of other offences or simply given a hard time for posing a threat or some sort or for acting in a manner that would cause suspicion..

i don't think anyone enjoys abuse, but its best not to antagonize the law..

im sorry mate! im still very much annoyed by this incident that happened 2 years back. i was in colombo at around 12am one nite. and this cop on a bike made an illegal turn in front of me and ended up in a position where he had the right of way. but since i had the green light i ignored him and drove on without letting him through, commenting to my cousin how even cops are breaking the law nowadays. and at the next junctions i got flagged down. and this cop was dirty. he was trying to find something wrong with me or the or the car. and i wasnt doing a fake smile or anything (i never do with any kind of cops) and i kept a straight face all the time. he started with the good old "lean in and smell your breath" test. then he was checking out the car to find something thats not road legal. i didnt fret for a moment cos i had not done anything wrong and i was taking it for a routine test. right until the moment he asked me for my license. im sure any of you who got their license after 2005 knows that its probably the worst quality piece of plastic ever. mine has a picture of a faded ghost and the rest of the colour is embedded into my wallet. so when u pull it out it says u cant make out anything on it. and its certainly beyond our control isnt it? and then he started going "this license is unreadable. i'm sending you to courts" and just then that cop on the bike arrived. and i knew what was going on. and i asked him "u asked him to stop me cos i didnt let you through rite?" he said yes looking really smug. so i asked him "are u allowed to make an illegal turn like that especially when its not an emergancy?" and he said "we are the police we can do whatever we like" and the rest of the events were pretty much like what i described in my last post. and my evening was pretty much ruined.

anyways then i called up a friend of mine and she arrnanged a meeting with some higher ranking officer at the same police station. and i explained to him that all this was because my license was faded and the court dates were a week after i've left the country. he immediately understood that this was too harsh and its not my fault that my license is faded. so he sent for the cop who took my license in the and to his dissapointment made me collect it straight from him. and then it was my turn to look smug. as for the other cop. well i got way more important things to do than deal with a jerk like that.

[Devinda_Z]

im sorry mate! im still very much annoyed by this incident that happened 2 years back. i was in colombo at around 12am one nite. and this cop on a bike made an illegal turn in front of me and ended up in a position where he had the right of way. but since i had the green light i ignored him and drove on without letting him through, commenting to my cousin how even cops are breaking the law nowadays. and at the next junctions i got flagged down. and this cop was dirty. he was trying to find something wrong with me or the or the car. and i wasnt doing a fake smile or anything (i never do with any kind of cops) and i kept a straight face all the time. he started with the good old "lean in and smell your breath" test. then he was checking out the car to find something thats not road legal. i didnt fret for a moment cos i had not done anything wrong and i was taking it for a routine test. right until the moment he asked me for my license. im sure any of you who got their license after 2005 knows that its probably the worst quality piece of plastic ever. mine has a picture of a faded ghost and the rest of the colour is embedded into my wallet. so when u pull it out it says u cant make out anything on it. and its certainly beyond our control isnt it? and then he started going "this license is unreadable. i'm sending you to courts" and just then that cop on the bike arrived. and i knew what was going on. and i asked him "u asked him to stop me cos i didnt let you through rite?" he said yes looking really smug. so i asked him "are u allowed to make an illegal turn like that especially when its not an emergancy?" and he said "we are the police we can do whatever we like" and the rest of the events were pretty much like what i described in my last post. and my evening was pretty much ruined.

anyways then i called up a friend of mine and she arrnanged a meeting with some higher ranking officer at the same police station. and i explained to him that all this was because my license was faded and the court dates were a week after i've left the country. he immediately understood that this was too harsh and its not my fault that my license is faded. so he sent for the cop who took my license in the and to his dissapointment made me collect it straight from him. and then it was my turn to look smug. as for the other cop. well i got way more important things to do than deal with a jerk like that.

Oh right, I can see where you’re coming from on this now

..And I can do more than just sympathize, by empathizing seeing as I’ve been in a very similar predicament with the whole faded license issue

- In my case it was the number that had decided to erase itself!

I was driving back a friend who had surgery on a dislocated shoulder and the law decided to give me grief in the middle of the night

It was then that I truly realized the benefit of playing dumb, naive, innocent and humble as humble can be...

Bottom line was I ended up walking away with my license in hand with just friendly tap on the shoulder and free advice that it would be best if I got a duplicate sometime or another for my own benefit

[MasterDon]

arrrghhh..my licence has faded too,but i only had one cop giving me trouble about it...recently no trouble...maybe the cops have realised about the shoddy plastic work too

[MasterDon]

It was then that I truly realized the benefit of playing dumb, naive, innocent and humble as humble can be...

Bottom line was I ended up walking away with my license in hand with just friendly tap on the shoulder and free advice that it would be best if I got a duplicate sometime or another for my own benefit

i agree with devinda...playing the high horse may get you some self satisfaction but there's no point,and it's too much trouble anyways...and don't go speaking in english if you are tan colored or black,because playing "kalu sudda" may piss them off even more..speaking in english is for "sudu kollo" only

a couple of humble "athada ralahami" or "ehemai ralahami" might do wonders...i should know because acting humble and friendly saved me from some over-capacity issues recently...and both of those cops ended up being my friends...

a word of caution though...do not get over friendly with any cop..i know a lot of businesses that went bankrupt because the owner got too friendly with his police "friends"...

[MSP0RT5]

I agree with you guys - it's definately better to swallow some pride on this one, as long as it doesn't start getting out of hand (ie. allowing the cop to walk all over you). In 1999 I used to live down that lane next to crest gems, and that was when they used to close off that section of galle rd from 7pm - 7am. I learnt quick how to handle the cops, coz no matter that I had a permit to enter, they would always give me grief, as they were usually also drunk by around 10-11pm. I learnt then that speaking sinhala, even broken sinhala, is probably better than speaking english altogether.

To be honest though, I've only been stopped a handful of times by the traffic cops - but everytime bar one, as soon as they've seen my ID (aussie passport) they straightaway say I've been drinking, or just trying to find something - like one time they insisted my international licence wasn't any good here till I showed them Sri Lanka on the list. I don't know if they were looking for a "support" or what, but I stick to my guns in that regard.

Be nice, be friendly, and if you've done the wrong thing man up.

[Devinda_Z]

I don't know if they were looking for a "support" or what, but I stick to my guns in that regard.

Be nice, be friendly, and if you've done the wrong thing man up.

amen to that

although i've seen how greasing thier palms can make things so much easier, thats where principle takes precedence over convenience

[JadeyBlitzen]

i agree with devinda...playing the high horse may get you some self satisfaction but there's no point,and it's too much trouble anyways...and don't go speaking in english if you are tan colored or black,because playing "kalu sudda" may piss them off even more..speaking in english is for "sudu kollo" only

a couple of humble "athada ralahami" or "ehemai ralahami" might do wonders...i should know because acting humble and friendly saved me from some over-capacity issues recently...and both of those cops ended up being my friends...

a word of caution though...do not get over friendly with any cop..i know a lot of businesses that went bankrupt because the owner got too friendly with his police "friends"...

see thats the other problem. i can never remember their ranks according to their uniforms no matter how hard i try. so i just end up calling every cop "officer". hope it doent have any effect on my snob factor.

[isam]

see thats the other problem. i can never remember their ranks according to their uniforms no matter how hard i try. so i just end up calling every cop "officer". hope it doent have any effect on my snob factor.

Guess not. and I agree with playing the humble card...

This one time I ran a yellow light, and a cop stopped me and said that I ran a red light. With an innocent face I admitted my mistake and apolojized for it. Since I did not know his rank and I was guilty as charged, I called him 'Sir'. There was another (probably a lower ranking officer) there too. He warned me and gave me back my licence.

So, I guess acting the dumb innocent one with polite words is the best way.

Edited December 30, 2008 by isam