Fast Cops

According to the Sunderland Echo the Police have been making some fast journeys to transport kidneys needed for transplant operations between Northern and London hospitals. A journey from London’s Fulham Hospital to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle was apparently undertaken by a team of 12 police cars, working in relays, the last one “skidding to a halt” at the Infirmary 4 hr. 24 min. after the first one left Fulham. Road works and snowstorms had to be contended with on the way. Three weeks earlier, according to the newspaper report, a similar operation was mounted, from the Newcastle Royal Infirmary to the Royal Free Hospital in London, the time taken being 3 hr. 30 min., an average speed of 77 m.p.h., speeds of up to 130 m.p.h. being reached on the Motorways. In these instances speed saved lives, and it is nice to find our police so occupied, instead of playing with radar traps trying to pretend that exceeding 30 m.p.h. on a straight road is criminally dangerous. It would be even nicer if they recalled their 130 m.p.h. dashes in the dark when apprehending civilian drivers who somewhat exceed 70 m.p.h. in daylight on the same Motorways.—W.B,