# Portuguese police - a case of mistaken identity!



## chris gooding (Nov 10, 2014)

My wife and I were really looking forward to our first big European trip last March in our lovely Lotte (T5) and  I spent hours planning special walks and campsites around the mountains that rise up behind the beaches of the Algarve and Costa del Sol.
Having camped all our lives - to have a gleaming white T5 with tinted windows was a bit of a departure for us and I was more than a little worried about the attention that we might receive in the deep south of Europe from those who might think that we might be worth robbing.
I had heard and read about the horror stories of marbles in the road, being flagged down by apparent breakdowns and of fake police officers demanding on the spot fines.
The best advice seemed to be to roll off the ferry in Santander and to immediately put the pedal for the floor and break out of that first death zone.
After that, from what I could surmise, the general rule of thumb would be to apply the deadlock and stop for nobody.
At service stations (where we might be 'jumped'), the routine was to be me getting out of the van, my wife to lock the van as I moved around to the petrol cap, my wife to quickly unlock the door so that I could open it and thus unlock the diesel cap, her to lock it again while I filled the tank - then unlock it to give me the cash card etc etc . I could go on, but you get the picture - we were ultra-cautious and we had a plan.
Now as I said, Erika and I are very experienced travellers. We have back-packed all over most of the major mountain ranges of Europe, either driving, hitching or using buses and trains to move around. We had to plan thoroughly for all these trips to make them work as well as they did, so our rather paranoid behaviour around our new van was not really spoiling things for us. We simply wanted to be in control of all the situations that we found ourselves in.
The only part of this holiday planning that I just could not sort out for myself was the unfathomable Portuguese toll system on their motorways. How was one to pay? Where could you pay? When could you pay? Who did you pay? I spent hours on this laptop exploring official and unofficial sites and nobody could give me the definitive answer. 
The simplest for a single journey seemed to be to pop into a post office after the journey and pay then. The problem that I was faced with 
was that the journey that I wanted to make was from Silves In Portugal to Seville in Spain. I really wanted to use the A.22, but how could I pay a Portuguese motorway toll in Spain? It was not going to happen. I really did not want to use the N.125 if I could help it as I'd heard about the horrendous traffic jams and needed to do quite a long drive that day, but it seemed to me that that was what we would have to do - unless somebody that I met along the way could advise me otherwise.
Anyway, I love driving in Europe and its amazing landscapes and driving down to Caceres that first day on virtually empty roads was pure pleasure.
Four days of orange blossom-scented walking around Monchique (Vale da Carrasqueira) and another four around Silves (Campismo Silves) followed and were wonderful, the only problem being the guard dogs that everybody keeps, not always chained up. We use a Dazzer 2 from Amazon (which sends out an ultrasonic whine which only the dogs can hear - it kind of stops them in their tracks) and bending down to pick up a rock (which they see as a sign to back off).
Then the time came to break out of Portugal. We'd resigned ourselves to the slog along the N.125, but actually, in mid-March, it wasn't too bad. Everything kept moving pretty well, the only downside being the numerous settlements that we had to travel though with their traffic lights and roundabouts.
As we left tiny Alloutorilho (I think that's the spelling), we noticed that the single lane traffic had slowed. Roadworks we thought. Then we saw a policeman by the roadside. Was he directing the traffic around some obstacle? He appeared to point in our direction. I looked at him and he pointed to me again. He wanted me to pull over. I eased the car to the side of the road next to him to find out what he wanted.
Suddenly, Erika went in to self-defence mode. "Switch on the deadlock!" she shouted. Having been in the country for several days now, I'd kind of switched off from all of that, but she was right. Who was this guy? What did he want?
He motioned for me to wind down my window, which I did a little. "You go too fast", he said. "You must pay fine."
What?! - We'd been crawling along on a busy road and had just come though a little town that had a least 3 roundabouts and several pedestrian crossings.
Erika lent across me and asked to see his ID. To his credit - he then produced a card to show us but as Erika reached out to look at it more closely - he snatched it away.
"Passports", he asked. Erika got out our passports and passed them to me. I opened them to show him. He gestured that he wanted to inspect them.
 "Don't give them to him!" she shouted. So I didn't.
"You pay 120 euros" he said. "You go too fast"
 Both of us decided right then that this bloke was trying it on. That amount was far too much to ask for even if we had been speeding - which we hadn't.            He wasn't a copper. He was a gypsy in disguise.
"You're not a copper" I shouted. We're off!!
"No" he said. "You pay fine"
"Sorry mate, I'm going" I explained as I began to pull away.
The look of horror and surprise on his face as he trotted alongside the van as I moved on will stay with me forever. Once I'd got to about 10 mph - he had to release his grip on the side of my window.
We drove off.
"Right," I said. "The next 2 minutes is going to be very interesting."
"If he's not a copper, he won't chase us. If he is, he will." Cue blue flashing light in mirrors.
One thing I've learnt in these situations is to try not to be dominated too much by the person who thinks he is (and probably really is) in charge.
Stay one step ahead of them, I thought. So wisely, I pulled over immediately before they had the opportunity to shoot my tyres out. I also thwarted their plan to haul me out of the van and splay me against its side by calmly getting out and walking towards them as they pulled up, my hands in the praying for forgiveness mode, repeating the word "Sorry" a lot.
They both got out and walked towards me. I noticed that they both had guns and were not smiling.
I'll start this conversation, I thought. "I'm really sorry, but I thought that you were going to rob us" I explained.
"I thought that you were gypsies in fancy dress."
The policeman who'd obviously been in the car when the first guy pulled us over got really put out by this.
"Do you think that this is not real" he shouted, gesturing to his immaculate garb.
"It's really nice" I replied, "and so is your car." (Which I hadn't seen earlier and was very impressive.)
"Shut up Chris", pleaded my wife." They think your making fun of them." I was actually just trying to be friendly but probably overdoing it in my nervousness.
Anyway, we got a massive telling off. A warning that the fine could easily have been raised to 500 euros for running away and paid the 120 euros by putting our card into their card reader which they obviously keep handy for any GB plate which gently drifts past them.
I guess I was lucky they didn't bang me up for a day or two looking back on it. However, I am quite old and have a white beard and don't look like much of a threat to anybody, so I guess at least they're not ageist.
I did feel very hard done by and quickly decided that now my fear about not paying the toll on the motorway had completely evaporated.
We got to Seville really quickly.


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## Sharon the Cat (Nov 10, 2014)

Well done for sticking to your guns & deciding to leg it.
One to chalk up to experience.


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## chris gooding (Nov 10, 2014)

We're aiming for Cadiz and its hinterland next March - Lots of good walking and a huge migration of birds to wonder at.
We will go back to Portugal again - but those dogs were intimidating.
I do feel that foreign police target GB plates because really we can't really afford have an argument over an alleged infringement as one might in this country.
About 25 years ago we had our car towed away and impounded in Italy from a spot that I knew was 100% OK. That one cost us £50.
Generally I do get the impression that the people who are the ones who are supposed to be protecting us are in fact the ones we should be wary of.
Or is it just me?!


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## n brown (Nov 10, 2014)

these guys ,due to the after effects of the country being a dictatorship for years,are not used to being stood up to ! i was once fined 600 euros and ended up paying 30 after a long 'discussion'. just don't get personal,remember,once charged ,you can be banged up for a year before you see a judge !


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## Tony Lee (Nov 10, 2014)

> Or is it just me?!



Quite probably.
Both of you.

"the routine was to be me getting out of the van, my wife to lock the van as I moved around to the petrol cap, my wife to quickly unlock the door so that I could open it and thus unlock the diesel cap, her to lock it again while I filled the tank - then unlock it to give me the cash card etc etc . I could go on, but you get the picture -\"

Yes, got it.


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## n brown (Nov 10, 2014)

only fair to add that i was driving a portuguese registered van at the time !


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## Fazerloz (Nov 10, 2014)

Bizarre ! what more can you say.


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## Tezza33 (Nov 10, 2014)

You are not paranoid, they really are out to get you, it could be the van


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## chris gooding (Nov 10, 2014)

Ha ha !!


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## RichardHelen262 (Nov 10, 2014)

Up until 2 years ago i spent over eight years doing european courier work, and i am sure that they see british plates as cash machines.
Richard


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## Pauljenny (Nov 10, 2014)

*Nasty Experience !*

We have been wintering on the Algarve for over 15 years and that's the first time we have heard such a tale . I can only think you were unlucky and hope it will never happen again. Don't let it put you off coming back. They really like the Brits, and the cash we bring. Away from the tourist meccas, there is much less crime and Junkie robbers would have to wait all day for a careless, boozed up Brit victim to arrive.

    We have avoided the motorways as they were complicated and the locals objected to the Spaniards not having to pay , so they boycotted the toll roads. We felt uneasy about not paying our whack, too.

    This year, on arriving at the border, from Seville, we found that they have made it almost foolproof and convenient for all foreign plated vehicles to pay, by going through a special lane, registering your number plate & paying by bankcard.

    I am seriously thinking of fitting a cab cam... They are much cheaper and simple to use, these days. You might get a discount on your insurance, too.

    Hope you do come back, but avoid Albufiera !


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## runnach (Nov 10, 2014)

Indian Police are equally as interesting, Taxing taxi drivers for "bakeesh" late evening ..peering in the back to see if there are more pickings ..."where are you from ? " Great Britain ....9/10 "sorry to trouble you sir, we have been having problems " ...."oh nice to see you are addressing it you are a credit , this taxi driver I know he is legitimate " ......sent on our way ..occasionally the taxi driver would have to report to a station ......Goa at gunpoint ! was a tad interesting with a good friend who is Keralite , the Goans have a problem with them, see them stealing jobs etc....Ex wife having kittens, I was complimenting them on the fastidiousness to protect their state ....long story short ...still here to tell the tale ....As Shibu my pal often reminds me ..This is India anything is possible.  Joys of travel eh ? 

Channa


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## Byronic (Nov 10, 2014)

White van, tinted windows = dope dealer in southern Iberia, just a paranoid cop realising his mistake as soon as he clocked your aged innocent features, thought he might as well go for the face saving speeding slap in lieu of. 
Sure is wild out there in southern Europe, might be safer staying home and not finding yourself a GB target in a "death zone". It's put me off.....well almost, I think I'll still be getting the ferry next week, must remember the survival routine when filling up at the service stations though


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## n brown (Nov 10, 2014)

i drove the same Brit van nearly every day for years on the Algarve and was only stopped twice,just routine. in the portuguese van i got stopped lots of times


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## GWAYGWAY (Nov 10, 2014)

Just somehow, I just feel that I will not be going in that direction at all. I am worried enough about France and the further South/West/East you go the more the hassles seem to multiply, I would like to go to Herculaneum but that means going passed Naples And I worry that there might by more tea-leaves there than the rest of the place put together. It is always the lack of language that leaves you vulnerable. 
Am I paranoid?
Am I unjustified?
Am I staying North?  probably.


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## runnach (Nov 10, 2014)

GWAYGWAY said:


> Just somehow, I just feel that I will not be going in that direction at all. I am worried enough about France and the further South/West/East you go the more the hassles seem to multiply, I would like to go to Herculaneum but that means going passed Naples And I worry that there might by more tea-leaves there than the rest of the place put together. It is always the lack of language that leaves you vulnerable.
> Am I paranoid?
> Am I unjustified?
> Am I staying North?  probably.



Nike...Just do it, my little Indian adventure is true but go back tomorrow...the surrealness stops you from being scared 

Channa


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## Byronic (Nov 10, 2014)

Did the P one have tinted windows, and did you drive it like a Portuguese? If yes to one or both of these questions then you have reason why they pulled you. Whereas you probably drove the GB van as befits the archetypal English gent


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## Deadsfo (Nov 10, 2014)

after overtaking on a no overtaking part of an equivalent 'B' road in the then Yugoslavia (yes I know I shouldnt have,but I had just left Austrian roads and had'nt quite adjusted) I was followed for about 3 miles by a police Fiat van with the the blue light flashing for me to pull over,

there was'nt anywhere to stop and nowhere for him to overtake, so on we went,eventually we found a place to stop and two very polite policemen walked up to my van and asked to see our passports ,I handed them over ,they perused them then told us to collect them the next day from the police station,I very firmly said no and demanded them back and managed to make them understand that we had to be in Peraius to catch a ferry ,they went into a huddle had a little chunner between themselves then one approached the side window and said 'DINAR,DINAR'  I had a mixture of denominations in the glove box I opened it and he put his hand thro the window sorted out the shrapnel from the bigger denominations took six or seven notes gave us our passports back gave us a smart salute and wished us a bon voyage.He had took the equivalent of about five pounds ,a trucker we spoke to on the ferry was amazed and said he drove thro' Yugo with a slush fund of thousands.

     Another odd experience whilst travelling thro' Yugo was the one and only toll road we came across with unattended and vandelised booths,  they were all covered with graffiti  with smashed window and were a total wreck and were obviously not in service except for the one booth that some chancer had decided to sit in for a few hours in the hope that some mug would go thro his booth and pay up,well being British and brought up to obey authority we dutifully drove up to the chancers  broken window ,'Deuchmark' he demanded 'got none' we said
 ' DOLLAR'  was his next request 'got none' we said as we drove off


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## n brown (Nov 10, 2014)

if you don't go and do it ,you'll never gain the experience to know how to handle situations ! i,like many travellers,could tell some hair raising stories,but none of us ever regretted going-it's fun if you have the right attitude,and you get that by doing it !


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## chris gooding (Nov 11, 2014)

Too right! We both love travelling and have always tried to make those experiences different and special. That has often put us in situations where we have had to make sensible calm decisions about how the trip should progress.
Looking back on it now - I have no regrets about what we did in Portugal - We smelt a rat and acted on those instincts.
I guess that's what one always does.
The next time we get stopped like that? Well, we'll just have to wait and see! Treat every situation on its own merits I guess.


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## Polar Bear (Nov 11, 2014)

Myself and three mates were stopped in a campervan in Italy by the fuz brandishing guns. We were going around vineyards looking for wine to bring back for Ignazio 's restaurant. Yes I do know one shouldn't but???

As two of us were in the back with no seat belts they made us get out at gun point and stand by the roadside. 

Our driver Ignazio  is Italian and proceeded to get them down to one tenth of the amount of cash they first asked for. 

They did make two of us stand there with them until Ignazio came back with a car to pick us up.


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## chris gooding (Nov 11, 2014)

I guess one could always ask for a receipt to stop them overcharging. Having said that, it's not that easy to do when somebody is pointing a gun at you or, as in our case, you've done a runner.


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