Another downside to living in Levin...

[Lou Girardin]

What, and leave you to fang around all over the place moaning how your radar detector was a waste of money and you don't need it now?

Nah mate, we wouldn't leave you in the lurch like that by taking the traffic types off the street to do 'police' work!

I might need therapy, but I'd force myself to cope.

[spudchucka]

Well, as we are constantly told that the police force cannot obtain enough recruits, I suggest it does matter several zots.

Since the "traffic" cops are not, in fact, using the training or powers that they have to deal with general police work, it would be much more logical for them to be a separate force.

Then, ALL the graduates from the police academy would be assigned to general duties . And since the duties of the "traffic" cops would be significantly different, there would probably be little difficulty in recruiting a separate force for that purpose. Not saying there that traffic policing is a lesser thing than general policing. Just that the nature of it being different, there would doutless be people who would be keen to be traffic cops, but don't want to be general duties cops.

If they separated traffic from general policing it would simply result in more road nazis consentrating solely on road nazi stuff and less general police to do what you want them to do. It would be a reverse of the John Banks promise that lead to the merger in the first place, "Vote for me and I'll give you 1500 new police"! What did he do? He turned the TO's into cops and made cops into TO's . So what would happen if they did the reverse? It would simply mean that the actual 'Police' numbers would be reduced and you would have a new and improved road nazi division. Be careful what you wish for, the reality might be worse than the status quo.

[spudchucka]

Shame they don't use them.

They do, frequently.

[oldrider]

Correct me if I am wrong but wasn't one of the major arguments for the merger because the Traffic Officers of the day had no power of arrest when they changed the drink driving laws to criminal offences.
The new laws caused too many "Police" being doubled up with Traffic Officers in order to "arrest" the drunk drivers being apprehended.
Before that time it was considered a defence argument if you were "pissed" when you crashed or whatever in a vehicle!
Thats the way I seem to remember it anyway. Cheers John.

[scumdog]

So what would happen if they did the reverse? It would simply mean that the actual 'Police' numbers would be reduced and you would have a new and improved road nazi division. Be careful what you wish for, the reality might be worse than the status quo.

And it would save the problem of "They said there were no police to attend my burglary and I had a look and there was a bloody cop car at the end of the street and he was giving out speeding tickets"

If they changed to two sperate branches/uniforms/cars etc the same person would say 'I had a look and there was just a traffic cop at the end of the street, they were right, there IS no policeman around to attend my burglary.'

And joy and happiness would reign forever.
(Tuis moment here)

[spudchucka]

Correct me if I am wrong but wasn't one of the major arguments for the merger because the Traffic Officers of the day had no power of arrest when they changed the drink driving laws to criminal offences.
The new laws caused too many "Police" being doubled up with Traffic Officers in order to "arrest" the drunk drivers being apprehended.
Before that time it was considered a defence argument if you were "pissed" when you crashed or whatever in a vehicle!
Thats the way I seem to remember it anyway. Cheers John.

I'm not sure what the situation was prior to the merger. The current situation is that the LTA 1998 provides that a driver has to accompany an enforcement officer for the purpose of breath alcohol analysis, if they refuse to accompany you then you arrest them. If they agree to accompany you then you are "detaining" them, they aren't under arrest.