I fell foul of one of New Zealand's patched-up gangs a few months ago.
Like all gangs the Police has its share of good and bad members and a couple of the bad ones ticketed me at the end of a passing lane then demanded money with menace.
All gangs have their own ethics and this was in contravention of the highway robbery gang's policy that "vehicles should not be targeted within 250 metres of the finish of any passing lane"[1]
Furthermore, they deployed their RADAR in a devious way that did not give the full 3 second reading required for accuracy[2].
Finally, demonstrating the widely criticised arrogant refusal of front line members to accept any view contrary to theirs, be it from Gang HQ (which they call Bullshit Castle) or any other source,
and following the rising trend, especially amongst highway members, to ignore individual circumstances[3]
the members refused to listen to my explanation that if I had sped, which I doubted, it was because the vehicle I was passing had accelerated dangerously along with those closely following it
meaning I had not breached the Road User Rule[4]
With help from the District Court I was able to make the gang see reason and all charges have been dropped.
I considered asking the Court for a non-molestation order against the Police but decided against it. As a five year resident of Wanganui I have become used to encountering gang members in their variety of uniforms, patches, badges and other insignia. This is the first occasion on which insignia has been used menacingly, and ultimately it proved harmless.
[1] http://www.police.govt.nz/resources/...ide/index.html
[2] Police RADAR Operator’s Manual
[3] "My Individual Circumstances Were Taken Into Account... a significant decline ... most notable among those who have had roadside contact." Gravitas 2009-10 Citizen Satisfaction Survey
[4] “A person is not in breach of this rule if the act took place in response to a situation on the road not of the person’s own making ...” S1.8.1 Land Transport Road User Rule 2004
I have no affiliation to any gang.
Bookmarks