Have you had any trouble with police overseas?
Posted by lxlviperlxl@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 98 comments
Given the stereotypes people have had with British people and overseas, thought I’d actually ask people and see if it’s as common a possible.
I was once stopped by a police in Spain on an evening stroll on the park, pulled to to a side road (where they seemed to have a full operation going), they asked to see through my bags and that was pretty much it.
rictay44@reddit
In southern France, on a motorway I got stopped by armed police, about 10 of them. They quizzed me about where I was going etc. (I was a contractor at the time, no contract, so went for a long holiday in the south of France.) They searched everything. Then, as they'd found nothing, the senior officer present apologised, wish me a good holiday and explained they were looking for an Englishman with a gun who'd robbed a cashier of 7,000 Euros. Phew. I don't have to tell you I was absolutely scared sh*tless.
172116@reddit
I spent some time trying to work out how they'd clocked you as a Brit while driving, before realising that you were presumably driving your own car, with the handy little UK identifier...
rictay44@reddit
Their clue was the right hand drive car and the handy little GB sticker on the back.
BertieBus@reddit
Bet your glad they didn't find the balaclava and the cash in the duffle bag in the boot. That would have been a nightmare
tobotic@reddit
They stopped me taking photos of the American embassy in Rome.
MyDadsGlassesCase@reddit
Is there a stereotype with British people? I feel that there's a stereotype with some British people. Maybe from a certain part of the UK
rybnickifull@reddit
I work in the night industry in Poland, I promise they don't differentiate. It's just "drunk Brits abroad", even if they recognise there are different flavours.
tfm992@reddit
We regularly stay somewhere in a city in Poland on the way between the UK and home. The owner of that place likes us as we're one of the few families with someone from the UK who doesn't make noise late at night and always leave the room as we found it.
We normally bring a bottle of wine back with us in the evening, drink it and sleep.
We've been on the receiving end of drunk Brits at the same location. Luckily the soundproofing is decent.
I wasn't popular one morning at the airport with the local police when I refused boarding to about 60 football fans from a flight to the UK. It was about 9am, I wasn't in the mood to deal with drunks who had caused damage to the city in the previous 2 days. Looking at the bookings for the next few days, we made them the problem of another airline, which is fine by me, but sorry for that.
rybnickifull@reddit
I'm in Krakow, you can imagine the reputation here. The signs saying "no stag parties" aren't in any language bar English, not even Polish.
vipros42@reddit
Quite the opposite. Uni field trip in Barcelona and a course mate for scammed out of 50 euros (he was very naive and hadn't seen a game of find the queen before and I couldn't stop him in time), As we were walking away an undercover cop introduced himself, told us they were picking the guy up and could get the money back.
On another occasion in France we got excellent directions from the police about where we could park up and sleep in our campervan in a nice part of Hossegor near good facilities.
edward_blake_lives@reddit
Did the Mongol Rally in 2009 in a beaten up old Kia Rio.
Got stopped by police in Germany, Ukraine, Kazakhstan (many times), Russia, and probably a few more places. May have been speeding most times as we often didn’t know the limits and there are traps everywhere.
We only got “fined” once for about $50.
Every other time we just showed them our world map while we kept pointing at Mongolia and asking for directions until they lost patience and let us go on our way. Or gave them cigarettes, toys, or booze that we strategically purchased in advance.
Good times. Would recommend.
BraveLordWilloughby@reddit
How long did the rally take you? It's something I've always wanted to do. Luckily I work in a school so get summer holidays off.
And roughly how much did it cost you?
edward_blake_lives@reddit
Our adventure was about five weeks, but we switched between high tailing it at some points (24-hour non stop) and staying in a few places for more than one night. Everyone’s journey is different. We met one team at the finish line that started in 2008!
I think you could do three-four weeks if you took the northern route and didn’t stop much, but I heard it’s quite uneventful.
There were three of us and we maybe spent a couple of grand each. Biggest expenses are entry fees, fuel, repairs, spare tyres, and the flights home.
Hard to tell what the actual total was because it’s like the Wild West out there. We stopped tracking expenses after about a week and just went with the flow.
The Rally used to be about “take the worst possible vehicle the longest possible distance,” but now I think it’s more structured and people use off-road vehicles and navigation devices.
Biggest recommendation: If you do it, do it old school - buy a cheap old banger and drive east. You’ll be amazed how far you can get with some intuition and the help of fellow rally folks. And bribes of course 😅
Worldly-Bicycle-7343@reddit
Arrived in Majorca with my family late one night. Dropped my wife and 2 young girls right outside our rented apartment as the street was full of drunken teens. Got a €150 parking fine from 2 armed police, whilst the drunks paraded past in a shopping trolley. Absolute cowards - refused to deal with the chaos and picked on a young family for a minor driving offence. I told them that they should be ashamed of themselves - all the gear but full of fear!
superioso@reddit
I'm fairly sure it's not illegal to be drunk in public, but you took a risk by parking illegally and clearly it cost you.
TheBlueDinosaur06@reddit
Ridiculous if that's what you got out of that story
superioso@reddit
Objectively that's what happened. There's a car parked illegally so the police fine the driver, nearby there are people who have been in a local bar breaking no laws (bear in mind Spain doesn't have a minimum age to consume alcohol, just to purchase it.)
OccidentalTouriste@reddit
I used to get regularly stopped at a roadblock in Zambia on my way to work. They'd then point out some fabricated traffic violation and ask for some money to buy a Coke. One day I was prepared and when I was predictably flagged down and asked for Coke money I instead handed him a can of Coke. Thinking quickly on his feet he said 'but Sir, there are two of us' so I reached into the glovebox and handed him two straws. After a befuddled pause he waved me on.
I had many regular interactions with the Zambian constabulary. I once witnessed an accident and having checked everyone was OK I called in at the Police station about 5km down the road. Having woken up the Officer on Duty and reported on what I'd witnessed he made me drive him back to the scene where he proceeded to conduct an auction between the two parties involved to see who he would seem responsible.
DaveBeBad@reddit
Twice had the Italian police wave guns in my face in the same day.
First was kicking me awake in the train to Venice to check my passport, second was for taking my shirt off in Venice.
A long time ago but I haven’t been back to Italy since
TomatoMiserable3043@reddit
They pointed a gun at you because you were asleep on a train?
DaveBeBad@reddit
i was asleep in the aisle. It was an overnight train from Vienna and I found somewhere to crash out.
TomatoMiserable3043@reddit
So they pointed a gun at you just for being asleep?
DaveBeBad@reddit
I was blocking the aisle, they wanted my passport and I was kicked awake with a gun in my face. 🤷♂️
dbmage@reddit
When we were in Andorra, the Irish workers in a little Irish pub warned us that the Andorran police had a special disdain for the English. If we did anything they could grab us for, they'd take it as far as possible.
We were warned not to get too drunk and/or make a scene because of it.
Saw the police break up a fight between two Polish guys, and they were pushed into the back of the police van, onto their faces (hands cuffed behind their backs). So I'd not like to have seen how they'd have treated English people, if they were that horrible to others.
I avoided them at all costs and was very cautious when out drinking.
BraveLordWilloughby@reddit
What reason do Andoranns have to dislike us?
dbmage@reddit
I think it was due to ignorance and drunken shenanigans.
BraveLordWilloughby@reddit
I wouldn't have thought Andorra would have much exposure to pink-skinned, beer-filled British tourists.
soulsteela@reddit
when we went the Tequila was tax free and sold by the gallon, we bought 20 gallons and set up bars at festivals, very mental.
dbmage@reddit
Maybe they've been to Spain, places like Benidorm are enough to taint their view
jonsky7@reddit
Andorra is the only place I've ever had a problem with police. One guy started quizzing me in French, I could manage to say "I'm sorry I don't speak French" he kept going on.
Luckily I was seeing a French girl at the time and we had popped to Andorra for a short break, she started talking to him but sounded like she was tearing him a new one. Brave girl.
I asked her afterwards and it was something about taking advantage of tourists. I thought I was getting done for taxes as I had just bought a motorbike jacket.
uneasy-chicken@reddit
US police were unsurprisingly absolute dickheads when I drove an electric scooter on an empty pavement for about 5 feet. I apologised but they just wouldn't let it go, wanted me to kiss their arse. I just left, luckily I'm white and a woman or I probs would have got shot.
CoffeeandaTwix@reddit
Only when I inadvertently left a Stanley knife in my hand luggage. Got escorted to an interrogation room by two German coppers. They were pretty reasonable to be fair and allowed me to explain.
northernbeardfactory@reddit
The police in Italy had a slightly overinflated sense of importance of themselves. Maybe we found a bad one.
Brainfart92@reddit
There seem to be about 15 different types of police in Italy too, I don’t get it.
BraveLordWilloughby@reddit
Pulled over by police in South Africa on a family holiday when I was about 11. Our Rhodesian guide had told us to never hand over documents to an SA policeman, no matter what.
Pulled over for "speeding". When asked for documents, my dad brought out his driving license, but get a firm grasp of it. He didn't keep such a firm grasp on the two 50--Rand notes sat underneath the license.
Turns out it was all a big misunderstanding, and we were allowed to leave...
Choice-Demand-3884@reddit
In Berlin, I set the burglar alarm off in the company office I was working alone in. The cops showed up within about 2 minutes with hands on their pistols. They were going to haul me off to the police station because I had nothing to prove my identity. Thankfully a colleague had taken a Polaroid photo of me just the day before, and it was stuck to the office fridge. They were happy with that and abruptly left. They weren't exactly friendly.
In the south of France I was escorted off a beach by some gendarmes when me and some mates were where we didn't know we weren't allowed to be. I gave them some lip and got a kick up my arse from one of them that I fully deserved.
Thin_Pin2863@reddit
Was pulled over by the police in Nicaragua whilst on a borrowed motorbike. She asked me if I wanted to buy a "reefer"
Didn't know that word at the time. Turns out a rifa is a raffle ticket in Spanish, and they were raising funds for the police to keep operating. First prize was a cow!
PolarLocalCallingSvc@reddit
No because I respect the local laws and customs.
I don't visit countries where I believe local laws and customs would be incompatible with my plans.
theModge@reddit
That does sometimes involve a bit of research though: in Italy for example you should have ID on you at all times and your drivers license when driving. Not insurmountable, but if you don't know it is possible to get done: a car I was in was pulled and the driver's license checked on one occasion, purely randomly. It was no problem: he had it, but had he not, it could have been.
rybnickifull@reddit
Surely that's common sense, the license part. How would Italian police check the DVLA database?
PolarLocalCallingSvc@reddit
I can accept some ignorance of local laws, but if driving anywhere abroad I think it would be remiss to not check the local driving laws. Some countries require carrying portable breathalysers, others certain items of breakdown kit, etc. The RAC website has a simple guide to how to comply with local laws and rules when driving abroad.
On the whole I think an expectation of doing some research before travelling to a foreign country is pretty reasonable. The FCDO web pages are also pretty simply worded with the key information. E.g. I'm back in the Netherlands for a few days next month, and the FCDO page is pretty clear about ID: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/netherlands/safety-and-security
Glass-Lead-5946@reddit
austrian police took a friend of a friend for a drive up to the other end of town, asked for €200 then dropped him there to walk back after he gave their car a middle finger. very deserved as he was being a prick
The__Pope_@reddit
Corrupt police is deserved for giving a middle finger?
Pigflap_Batterbox@reddit
They were treating a cunt as a cunt - a very Aussie thing to do ;)
The__Pope_@reddit
Austrian...
Pigflap_Batterbox@reddit
Ah, I stand corrected. I'm the cunt.
FrostyImplement9565@reddit
At least you’re self aware
Drath101@reddit
My old man is a diabetic, when we went to Egypt they didn't have anybody who could read English at the airport to read his prescription notes confirming the tablets in our bags and we had to wait an hour for a translator. Otherwise, no
Consistent-Pirate-23@reddit
My wife is diabetic, some places are a breeze and others are a nightmare
shatteredrealm0@reddit
I had a similarly lengthy experience trying to take my Ritalin into Busan, first they had to find a customs officer, then they had to work out how to add it to the system, (even though I had a piece of paper from customs already, because you have to register it with them before you travel, so no idea what thats for), then they took the tablets out (in a strip already mind) and inspected each one against their drug catalogue thing, then they couldn’t work out how to give me a ‘receipt’, then they finally let me go! 45 minutes wasted, even Japan isn’t that strict on stimulant meds.
GreekVicar@reddit
I got pulled by the police on my last full day on Cyprus. I'd spent the week driving into the local town each morning, turning left into a side road. On the Saturday, as soon as I turned left I was flagged down by a cop on a motorcycle. Apparently the road was no entry. I did consider arguing that it was obscured by a tree but, as we were joining a cruise the next day, decided that was a bad idea. I got a stern warning and told to turn around.
The next day, Sunday, we passed the road on the way to the cruise. The sign was there, covered in a black plastic bag.
I think it was only no-entry on Saturdays, when the market was on.
Cute_Ad_9730@reddit
Got pepper sprayed by French police because we were camping somewhere we shouldn't. They were just being assholes and it was completely unjustified.
zephyrthewonderdog@reddit
Greece many years ago. Quiet bar, just me and the girlfriend, when a loud, drunk, Greek bloke comes in and starts being aggressive with the bar staff. Couldn’t understand the full argument obviously, because it was all in Greek, but it sounded bad. I got the impression he was asking for money. Loud drunken Greek bloke helps himself to a free drink and sits at bar.
About 10 minutes later a couple of Greek cops turn up and speak to the barman. Both of them are staring at me all the while. The barman says something to them and nods at the Greek bloke and the cops come over ask if we have nearly finished. I quickly drink up and leave with my girlfriend, who didn’t want to go, but I knew what was going to happen.
Door gets locked behind us and the aggressive Greek bloke gets given the good news.
FatBloke4@reddit
I was in Germany temporarily for work and driving an American car with British plates. In Munich, I was stopped twice in the space of a few minutes. Once to complain that the car had the Daytime Running Lights on but not the headlights and the other to check that I had the relevant insurance and other documents.
In Spain for the first time, on a business trip and ten minutes out of Madrid airport in a hire car. I was using my phone to navigate and picked it up to check if I needed to come off at the next exit. I was stopped and fined €150 on the spot in cash for using my phone while driving.
On holiday in Thailand and on a rented scooter. I was stopped and "fined" for not wearing a crash helmet. The "fine" was written in biro on the back of some random form.
shatteredrealm0@reddit
Tbf the other option with Thailand is they take you to the police station, give you the real fine, then if you’ve not got the IDP you’ve got another fine, then the mandatory insurance isn’t valid so that’s another fine, and then they might still ask for more money and it takes you all day haha
FatBloke4@reddit
Yeah - I wasn't going to argue. He was only asking for about 100 baht or so.
xdbojacx@reddit
The fundamental point we are debating here is the difference between societies based upon Napoleonic Law and those based upon Common Law. It’s an oversimplification, but in the former, you are granted the ability to do things by the state. In the latter, you are prohibited from doing certain things. This has led to a completely different culture of policing depending on the origins of the legal system in the place in which you happen to live.
Exact-Put-6961@reddit
i was threatened by Bulgarian Traffic Police because i would not admit to speeding. Threat to take my passport.
I later learned from Bulgarian pal, all they wanted was a small bribe. That is normal apparently.
Slim pickings from me!
Flashy-Nectarine1675@reddit
No, but the police in Paris took me to the hospital, when I was choking in a café.
They were just there, and put me in the van and drove me there.
First_Folly@reddit
The most interaction I've had with foreign police was in Florence when I got asked for my passport. I showed the officer, she looked at it for a few seconds and then handed it back to me.
shatteredrealm0@reddit
I live in Thailand so issues can appear out of thin air depending on the policeman’s appetite because I’m A: not Thai and B: have a bike.
Most are pretty boring but my fav story is this. Not to long ago I stopped at some traffic lights I use several times a week that has a police box on it. I’ve never seen them actually pull anyone from that box, but because I was maybe 1mm outside of the bike box (literally never been an issue for me and the hundreds of people I have seen do this on that before) out comes a policeman with the biggest grin on his face I think I’ve ever seen, asking me to go inside.
Once I went inside I could understand vaguely what he was saying to his colleagues in Thai which was basically ‘I’m going to try and get the most money’.
Then we start speaking, grin visibly dropped in stages, the first stage was when I pulled out my licence, the second was when he saw the registration papers, but he still had a half grin as he started telling me how much the fine was for being outside the box (It was around £120 according to him).
So far all of this had been in English, so at that point I asked him in Thai if I could have the actual ticket to go and pay the police station because he didn’t seem to be able to agree on the costs with his colleagues, and I have never seen someone’s face turn so quickly as he’d realised I’d understood him and his colleagues when I first walked in.
Suddenly the fine was much less, (like £20) and I couldn’t be bothered to go to the police station because it takes ages so I just gave him the money there and then.
I got stopped going to the doctors and then on the way back, by chance I was going to drop into my (Thai) business partners home to give him some paperwork, which isn’t too far from the police box. I got there I told him what happened and where as a passing comment and he was not pleased at all - little did I know one of his friends I’d met before is a thai-equivalent deputy superintendent for that particular police area, and i got an apology and never had any trouble from that box since.
Spottyjamie@reddit
Yes stopped at gunpoint at the singapore/malaysia border 25 years ago and they found all the hooky gear we procured from malaysia
If we had blank dvds we’d still be in changi now as that would imply we were going to copy stuff ourselves
Spiritual_Loss_7287@reddit
Stopped by Gendarmes on a road in eastern France doing "ahem marginally over the speed limit". Escorted to their mobile office van where a bloke with a typewriter produced some sort of document. Flashed the Gitanes, which I smoked at the time, which went down well. Paid a fine of about £100. Shook hands and off we went.
Lion_Of_Lime_Street@reddit
I find European police to be more polite and professional. but also able to protect the public and fight terrorists. British police always look like goons.
xdbojacx@reddit
I disagree. I still believe in policing by consent, not by force. It’s an important principle.
Lion_Of_Lime_Street@reddit
If you believe the UK has policing by consent, I feel sorry for you.
xdbojacx@reddit
I certainly won’t try to argue that it is a perfectly preserved principle. But I don’t like seeing police officers strolling around peaceful towns with machine guns. When I am in the UK, I don’t generally have to deal with that.
Lion_Of_Lime_Street@reddit
Why does a police officer being armed, move it from policing by consent, to policing by force? British police still enforce draconian laws, they can deprive you of your freedom or call for armed backup. They are just less effective at dealing with serious criminals.
xdbojacx@reddit
Ah. You’re one of the ‘nothing to hide, nothing to fear’ people then. Quite the lion, you are. I hear you roar (faintly)
Lion_Of_Lime_Street@reddit
Actually I would prefer a system of sheriffs and deputies with a balancing set of inalienable set of rights like the American West.
The idea that them having guns makes them more able to remove my rights is an absurdity.
xdbojacx@reddit
Good for you. We all want a better, fairer and more peaceful society. I happen to think that we make that possible through our own choices and actions every day. That doesn’t make me right.
Lion_Of_Lime_Street@reddit
You already don't have that and whether or not the police have guns makes no difference.
xdbojacx@reddit
Indeed I do not. But I can act in a manner that makes it more likely instead of outsourcing it to people who wanted to join the army but were rejected.
Moist_gooch90@reddit
I was pulled over (along with a bunch of European/American tourists) in Thailand for riding a moped without a helmet/licence. They showed us all a laminated piece of paper saying we were going to have our passports taken and then get taken to a police station. I asked if there was a fine that could be paid to avoid that. Gave them some cash and then went about my day.
Whilst this was happening dozens of locals rode by without helmets on.
Jenpot@reddit
Been stopped by them in Italy and they demanded to know where we were staying and to show them our passports. This was a good ten years ago and we didn't have them on us, we were part of Europe then. They didn't speak any English at all and our Italian was dire, it wasn't fun.
Being given into trouble by French police because we had a bonfire on the beach along with the other staff members from our campsite next door, again a long time ago, almost twenty years.
Other than that, nope. They look scarier but have been fine every other time I've been to Europe.
jsm97@reddit
You must carry biometric identification on your person everywhere you go in Italy, even if you are an EU citizen. As UK never had ID cards this meant UK citizens have to carry their passports.
The same rules apply in Spain and several other EU countries. I feel like Brits are so culturally unused to have to carry ID that most of us completely forget to check when we go on Holiday
Jenpot@reddit
Yeah we worked that out after it happened. We always keep them in the car now when travelling, or in our backpacks if we're car free. I hate carrying my passport though as I'm always nervous I'll lose it abroad.
Stephen_Dann@reddit
Not directly the police, but a German ticket inspector on a bus. He asked to see my ID, I showed him my passport. He demanded to know where I lived, so I gave the town I live in. That wasn't good enough, he wanted to know where in Germany I loved. He would not accept that I didn't live in Germany. He also would not give me my passport back. Just then the bus arrived at the end of the route. Fortunately there were a couple of police there and they spoke English. They made him give me my passport back. They also explained that German passports have the town listed that you live in and the inspector couldn't understand why mine didn't have that.
CurrentTurbulent@reddit
Friend of mine living in Dubai fell asleep in a taxi after an evening out (that was it, wasn't hammered causing trouble), taxi driver dropped him off at the police station where he was arrested for being drunk in public. They took his passport and found himself handcuffed to the people either side of him as part of a human chain'. He was terrified and admitted he cried (he's a Welsh rugby lad), spent a few nights in a sweaty hell hole but was eventually released.
xdbojacx@reddit
Sadly he will have probably have sounded very drunk indeed to anyone not familiar with a Welsh accent, however stone cold sober he was.
Warm-Marsupial8912@reddit
Didn't know there were stereotypes! Did get a police escort to a psychiatric hospital in Spain - but we were on an NHS visit to learn about how they do things there, got lost & asked for directions!
octoprickle@reddit
Me, my Dad and a New York local were walking out of Yankee stadium and onto the train stop platform. Two girls, who I swore were all of about 16, suddenly revealed themselves to be under cover cops and whipped out police badges and wanted to lecture our local friend for smoking on the platform which was apparently illegal. He got really angry with them and argued loudly about what a great citizen he was and to find some real criminals. I simply chimed in that me and my dad were tourists and they were really nice to us. Local friend was being difficult but they let him go after much finger wagging. Honestly I was really impressed with them. They looked like real local gangsta types, hair braided in corn rows, bandanas etc.
threeleggedcats@reddit
1) drunk friend in Prague aged 15, police threatened to put him in a cell, we talked them out of it and apologised profusely.
2) Sardinia - pulled over by police with machine guns who wanted to check the vehicle documentation. Huge language barrier - ended up talking in school boy french.
DameKumquat@reddit
America - got police trying to bash the door down at 11pm, yelling and threatening to shoot. Turned out uncle and I had been reported for illegal hunting by some busybody - we'd actually been cutting willow stems, on the legal side of a fence, and I'd stacked them over my shoulder. They'd thought I was carrying a shotgun.
Luckily it was a small town and one cop knew my uncle, so that was OK.
Other time was when my passport was pickpocketed in New York. The police refused to believe I had an American passport, because I don't sound American, and refused to record the theft. Even after I showed them a photocopy of the passport!
It got farcical - they wanted me to go down to City Hall to get proof of my naturalisation certificate, which obviously I don't have, because I've been American since birth. Eventually we popped in there, and a lady groaned and said 'not again - you're the fifth one this week! First white one, though.' She gave us a rude note to give to the cops.
Got back to the cops, and got interviewed by the Fraud Squad, who seemed to have the one brain cell in the station. They eventually decided I couldn't report the theft there as I'd been going on the subway outside of their precinct. I'd have to go to a different cop shop. They'd send my file over.
They did not send my file over. And because they refused to record my stolen passport, my travel insurance refused to pay for the replacement, which was about £500 in all...
papayametallica@reddit
Pulled over by the police in Australia. He was talking so fast I couldn’t understand what he was saying. When I managed to get a word in he realised I wasn’t Australian and was then as nice and friendly as he could be. We had a good yarn about rugby and cricket and he sold me tickets for his police station fund raising BBQ
CanIhazCooKIenOw@reddit
Not necessarily stereotypes, reality is that most coastal cities in southern Europe to get a lot of typical shrimp coloured Brits that don’t know how to enjoy a holiday without being drunk and obnoxious
ChuckStone@reddit
A minority, but significant proportion of that community are also involved in international drug smuggling.
Diligent-Till-8832@reddit
Nope!
Because I know how to behave myself.
Over_Locksmith9670@reddit
Staying in Spain, there were a few pickpockets going round our hotel and the other ones near by. Mostly late 30s aged Spanish men. All the english speakers at the hotel were talking about them. One guest was being interviewed by the police outside the hotel as she caught a man trying to steal her handbag whilst she was sat outside a cafe near the hotel.
She described the man as wearing a red t-shirt, being bald, and having a tan. Well, guess who matched that description perfectly and also happened to be walking past this police interview on the way to the beach? My dad.
From what my dad remembers (granted he’s prone to exaggeration), the guest shouted over at him and the officer rushed over ready to confront him - that was until my dad turned around, and the officer saw the fact that he clearly wasn’t hispanic in the slightest, and had to awkwardly deflect the confrontation in broken English.
My dad is pale with almost invisible eyebrows, blue eyes and freckles everywhere, he just happens to also tan really well. Aside from on his face which turns bright red if it comes in contact with the sun
Voodoopulse@reddit
In Russia watching Liverpool In turkey watching Liverpool In Italy watching Liverpool
Conscious-Mango1917@reddit
Got pulled over by German police for speeding in a transit van, language was a barrier but with pointing and showing my military Id card, it was sorted out quickly and we carried on with just a warning.
Fullchimp@reddit
Not in the way you mean, but in Italy I saw some absolutely atrocious firearm discipline, I was fuming, but when in Rome and all that. Kept my gob shut and avoided them.
pigsonthewing@reddit
Me, in Belgrade: Can I take a photo of your police car, for Wikipedia?
Serbian cop: No! If I let you do that, not only will you be arrested, but so would I.
Me, in Pristina, four months later: Can I take a photo of your police car, for Wikipedia?
Kosovo cop: Sure! Let me close the window first, so it looks better for you.
Maleficent-Win-6520@reddit
Yes. The Italian Police. We were on a work course and went for a walk one evening. We were stopped when we were wandering about. The language barrier was an issue to start with. They thought we were trying to break into shops or something. When they discovered we weren’t American or German they were really nice to us. We had the same in the hotel. Once they realised we were English the English worded menus came out and we were over fed. I would definitely go back.
Icy_Place_5785@reddit
“_Short sleeved uniforms chunkier truncheons.
Mate they're all corrupt basically if you misbehave and don't have the money to bribe them. They take you up to these shepherds huts in the hills beat you up and bum ya_”
ClimbsNFlysThings@reddit
My mate got totally mugged off by Greek police, cost him fifty quid to get released having not actually committed a crime.
Spain, another mate fell out of a cab drunk, two local cops walked over, I thought, here we go, couldn't have been nicer, where's your hotel? Over there? OK, you going to get him back OK? Helped me get him up.
Nicest european police officer I ever met was the Polizei in Gare du nord in Paris as part of Frontex, he was from Berlin. Lovely bloke, had a chat, told me about his job.
Feeling-Bluebird8413@reddit
I got pulled over in the middle of the night in Iceland as I kept finding myself driving very close to the edge of the road a the correcting (first time driving on the right). Got pulled over by an officer and was breathalysed (I’d not had a drink for weeks so no issues there). He was very polite and respectful the whole time, as was I. Absolutely no issues.
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