A politician making sense????

[Eurodave]

I saw this extract in the news today,in an article about night police poor response times up north, maybe there is hope for this politician????;

United Future's law and order spokesman Marc Alexander, says the situation needs to be fixed once and for all. He wants police to stop concentrating on fining people for driving just over the speed limit and focus on stopping criminals instead.

[onearmedbandit]

Oh how I'd love for something like that to be true, but how much revenue can you gather from arresting a burglar? None, in fact it costs money. But speeders, well there you go. We're cash cows. Now who said I was cynical??

And before anyone harps on about how speeding drivers are dangerous and should be shot on sight; a) there is a time and place, b) Fuck off.

[Eurodave]

Yeah,I like this guys way of thinking, but sadly I reckon he is a lone voice in the wilderness, as you have said, theres absolutley no money in this [correct]course of action

[HDTboy]

Yeah,I like this guys way of thinking, but sadly I reckon he is a lone voice in the wilderness, as you have said, theres absolutley no money in this [correct]course of action

Hence we pay the govenment to carry out this (correct) task through our taxes

[onearmedbandit]

Hence we pay the govenment to carry out this (correct) task through our taxes

But does it happen enough?

[spudchucka]

Its an election year, polititians are going to suddenly start making sense and saying all the things people like to hear. Thats what happens in an election year. Next year they will all be back to not giving a shit about what the public want or think of them and just carry on screwing us for all they can get.

BTW, as a cop I can tell you that there is nothing that gets cops as excited as catching burglars, even the dedicated traffic cops get off on it. Thats why most people joined the job, (to catch burglars) and its just one thing that keeps them going and helps them to ignore all the negative crap.

[Coyote]

The government is like my old intermediate school. The money from school fees and fundraisers (where us 11-13 year old kids were supposed to talk to strangers) did not go into new books, new p.e. gear or restoring the 50 year old bulidings, it went into a staffroom upgrade. State of the art kitchen (silverware, not whiteware), comfortable non-plastic seats and carpet that wasn't designed to last several thousand years unlike the bed of nails in the classrooms. All this while they were spouting propaganda about how the money was going to benefit us.

Also my Primary school was very similar, only they did restore the classrooms and get us new p.e. equipment

[Skyryder]

The down side of Alexanders quote is that if by some remote chance less police are in the road, you just watch our casualty rates increase. Oooopps "officer I did not see the bike" thinking to him/herself I was going to fast.

I don't mind the amount of FORCE on the road, just wish they would target other offences as well as speed. ie changiang lanes at intersections, running redlights, tailgating, failing to indicate when changing lanes etc. Like when was someone ticketed for changing lanes at an intersection? This is realy bad here in Christchurch when drivers are making a right hand turn and instead of keeping in the right hand land veer off into the left lane. This is beggining to happen in double lane roundabouts now.

Skyryder

[onearmedbandit]

BTW, as a cop I can tell you that there is nothing that gets cops as excited as catching burglars, even the dedicated traffic cops get off on it. Thats why most people joined the job, (to catch byrglars) and its just one thing that keeps them going and helps them to ignore all the negative crap.

Spud, I'm in no doubt that catching burglars/rapists/etc is the reason why 99% of police force joined in the first place. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that, but the image the public get is that the powers that be expect a high amount of time spent on enforcing the speed limit, shit look how much advertising has gone into that one issue, yet where are the govt sponsered ad's regarding serious crime? So surely they want their 'investment' back?

[spudchucka]

Spud, I'm in no doubt that catching burglars/rapists/etc is the reason why 99% of police force joined in the first place. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that, but the image the public get is that the powers that be expect a high amount of time spent on enforcing the speed limit, shit look how much advertising has gone into that one issue, yet where are the govt sponsered ad's regarding serious crime? So surely they want their 'investment' back?

I understand your sentiments and often feel the same way. However being on the other side of the fence and seeing what you inevitably see as a result of speeding and generally shithouse driving helps you to understand and accept why enforcing speed limits is necessary.

Most cops would like to see more resources poured into general policing, the police association are right behind it too. The problem lies in getting those in the ivory towers to agree and to cough up with the dough.

[Jackrat]

Maybe it's time to return to the old system where cops do cop work, an we have an MOT again.A pay rate that reflects the real responsibility and dangers involved might attract the numbers needed.
The system we have now sure doesn't seem to work either for the public or the police.

[Ixion]

Maybe it's time to return to the old system where cops do cop work, an we have an MOT again.A pay rate that reflects the real responsibility and dangers involved might attract the numbers needed.
The system we have now sure doesn't seem to work either for the public or the police.

Is there anyone (outside Government) who thinks the amalgamation of Police and MOT has been a success? Everyone I've talked to has reckoned it's been a failure. And setting up the HP was an implicit admission of that.

[Skyryder]

Is there anyone (outside Government) who thinks the amalgamation of Police and MOT has been a success? Everyone I've talked to has reckoned it's been a failure. And setting up the HP was an implicit admission of that.

When the amalgamation of both forces was first mooted the general public believed that this was a good thing.

For the record I opposed this on the grounds that policing was primarily there to enforce public safety and the MOT to enforce road code laws. I got into a few serious discussion on this on social occasions.

The amalgamation was supposed to increase road safety on the grounds that every police officer now had an added responsibilty to act as an enforcer for road rules. This did not work for a number of reasons. Primarily those in the Police force joined for other reasons than to be Traffic Cops.

If the HP had been formed as a result of the merger I am of the opinion that driver behavour in this country would be better than it is now . The formation of HP was a result of little enforcement of road behavour with the result that much of the bad driving that we we see today is a direct result of the establishment of bad driviang habits, formed when their was very little enforcement.

As an example of this there was a time when it was a rare occurance that a driver did not STOP at a compulsary stop. It is now a rare occurrance to see a driver STOP at these sighns. Most treat them in the same manner as GIVEWAY signs. And it would be interesting to know the number of charges that have been laid (in Chch) for this very offence. (I can remember a time when the MOT use to sit and watch for this)

However having said this there has been a success story with the merger and that is the DRINK DRIVING campaigns and road testing for alcohole related offences. For that I am thankfull.

Skyryder

[Ixion]

..
However having said this there has been a success story with the merger and that is the DRINK DRIVING campaigns and road testing for alcohole related offences. For that I am thankfull.

Skyryder

However, the drink driving campaigns were driven by the LTSA (and ACC). I think they would have happened just the same if it had been the MOT doing the roadside stuff.

[Pixie]

The down side of Alexanders quote is that if by some remote chance less police are in the road, you just watch our casualty rates increase. Oooopps "officer I did not see the bike" thinking to him/herself I was going to fast.

I don't mind the amount of FORCE on the road, just wish they would target other offences as well as speed. ie changiang lanes at intersections, running redlights, tailgating, failing to indicate when changing lanes etc. Like when was someone ticketed for changing lanes at an intersection? This is realy bad here in Christchurch when drivers are making a right hand turn and instead of keeping in the right hand land veer off into the left lane. This is beggining to happen in double lane roundabouts now.

Skyryder

This is true if you believe the LTNZ's reasons for continued reduction in the fatality rates.However, the rate has also fallen in countries that don't have fascist road authorities,and this is an embarrasing fact the they would rather not mention.
Personally,IMO,most of the deaths on the road are the fault of the people involved and I don't care if they kill themselves