Police revenue generating!

[SPman]

New Zealand Herald 22/4/03

Police in parts of the central North Island have been ordered to issue three traffic tickets an hour, keeping them away from investigating crime, some officers say. Orders handed down by the central district's rural area commander, Inspector Dave Scott, to traffic squad members said 70 per cent of motorists stopped had to be ticketed. A "productivity" requirements document stated that each officer had to issue one ticket an hour for speeding, another each hour for non-wearing of seatbelts and a third ticket each hour for "road safety". Each officer was expected to net a drink-driver every 10 hours. Tickets for speeding would automatically be issued to those driving more than 11km/h over the posted speed limit, Mr Scott said. The three-ticket quota covers the rural area from Otaki to Feilding and Ashhurst through the Manawatu Gorge east to Norsewood. The order took effect on February 28. Police officers said the quota policy was causing problems for those working on the front line. To meet quotas, some general duty officers were forced in the last hour of their day to seek out motorists to ticket. "That's not policing, as far as I'm concerned, that's fulfilling a quota," one said. Road Policing Support Inspector John Kelly said that up until June 30 last year police had used a quota system based on "contacts". A contact was described as any interaction between officers and motorists and included such things as offering directions, helping with vehicle breakdowns and issuing verbal warnings and tickets. Highway patrol officers were expected to make three contacts per hour and other traffic staff 2.5 contacts per hour. "Some districts have since put in place their own requirements," he said. Mr Kelly said he saw quotas as a staff performance monitor. The Tasman policing district, which covers Marlborough, Nelson and the West Coast, also incorporated ticket quotas from February 10. Mr Scott could not be contacted over the Easter break.

I bet he couldnt!!!!!!!!

[twistymover]

Doesn't exactly encourage respect for them does it?

[Coldkiwi]

Talk about slimy bastards!

Who was it who didn't want the cops to be called pigs?!?

This sort of attitude in the Central north Island may well be percolating further noth and might explain Slim and BikerBoys encounters?

Filthy dirty coniving piggy weasels...

 

 

[bikerboy]

We've been hearing rumors of this for ages but they finally have admitted it.

This whole thing really pisses me off big time. I've been doing research to determine if I should contest mine. What one reads just inflames one even more.

Research shows that radar, etc. is only 15% - 30% accurate in the most ideal circumstances but the unofficial stance is to defend vigorously all challenges to prevent precedents and discourage the public from taking these things to court! That's why if you loose you pay court costs but if you win they don't pay your court costs.

WE NEED TO REVOLT OR WE WILL ALL BE WALKING

[Slim]

I heard a rumour that they were offering Easter Baskets to any officers who wrote 30 or more tickets of the Easter Weekend, and something super-dooper in each district to the officer with the most tickets over all (a mystery weekend or the like).

I was told early last year by a cop on the road south of Cambridge to keep my speed under 112kph otherwise the cops had to issue a ticket, so this is not a new thing.

[vicki]

They've made a bit of a cockup in the UK, where if you get caught speeding on camera, they send you a form to fill in. It is illegal not to fill the form in and send it back, but it is NOT illegal not to sign it. Unfortuately, without your signature, they cannot prosecute you if you go to court!!
It's been really well documented now in all the bike mags, so they'lll probably close this loophole, but it might be worth looking if there's something similar in NZ laws?

[Kwaka-Kid]

haha yeah like

** Official Police Infringment Notice ***

You _______ Were doing ____ on this road _______ at ______

Please Honestly Fill in, and send back, it is a legal requirement.

Sign Here to Confirm what you wrote is true __________

Please note this is not a legal requirement, i.e you can get off the fine

- Written by the NZ Govt.

*** Official Police Infringment Notice ***

[SPman]

Talking to a plod in Hamilton at the Toy Run and he said he cuts bikes a bit of slack (prob. 115-118k), but all Harleys get a ticket at 111k !

A man with the right priorities

[Goddess of Goof]

Kwaka-Kid

I do know some options for you to consider:

You are under 25 years, so can seek free legal advice from the
Youth Law Project, who have an office downtown in Albert Street. Ring first if you want to, or just drop in. Check the street number in the white telephone pages under Youth Law and you will see the listing. They can advise you on this situation for a modest donation towards your fee. While they are not specialists, they can seek information on your behalf from another legal specialist. Ask for this if they don't think of it themselves.

Or, if you attend any UniTech or tertiary provider, you can ask the student union rep for a referral to the free legal clinics held once a week, usually on Thursdays. There's one at Uni of Auckland,
telephone and check times, dates, access. I doubt if they will turn you away, even if you are not a Uni student because the clinic is run and funded by the lawyers' pro bono trust fund.

Or, if the above dosen't suit, look in the yellow pages under Lawyers and seek out a traffic specialist. This is important. They know all the technicalities. They are aware of loopholes similar to Slim's English example of a signature on a form. Yes, there are always loopholes in our laws.

Tell the receptionist at the traffic law specialist firm that you are age 17, maybe studying or apprentice or whatever, and outline the circumstances. You may be surprised that the first consultation is free for you, and that you can pay according to your means. Don't be shy, just ask them.

Before you go to anyone, write out exactly what happened, all facts, time of day, weather, alcohol (none, of course), road conditions, distances etc. Plus a list of your questions and what you want to happen next. ie. You want the infringement notice stopped. Do you have any witnesses ? Include their details.

From what you have said, I think you were unfairly ticketed, and have every reason to take legal advice on it.
At least telephone the Youth Law people, or drop in to see them. They will take you seriously. They are youth-friendly, have heaps of interesting brochures in the foyer, and free coffee !
There you go.

Best of luck and kind regards to you (and your Dad !!!)


:bigthumb: :bigthumb: :bigthumb:

[Kwaka-Kid]

Whoa! okay a few things

a) i fully didnt know all that! and thats wicked to hear, hmm youthlaw, im sure ive heard that on radio or somthing. but all good, and thanks heaps.

but b) what do u mean i was unfairly ticketed? - that infringement notice thing i typed out was a joke to show what ours culd be like :P haha. But what do u mean u feel i was unfairly ticketed? i did get a speed camera fine however, ive yet to go to my mothers house and pick it up, i guess i feel it might just dissapear if i dont

? im lost, sorry if u mis-understood me, but thanks for that info anyways! - so i take it youth-law etc can be used to all other legal reasons etc?

[Goddess of Goof]

Confusion Sets In .......

Mngh, I was weary, and got Kwaka-Kid's post mixed up with BikerBoy's unfair ticket received when he accelerated out from the service station.

I was only intending to encourage the recipient to do something about it ..... !

BikerBoy might be a few months over 25 and Youth Law might have eligibility concerns.

A Moderator has had stern words with me about: late night postings, not checking my facts, not checking the flow of the posts, and the insidious effects of peroxide poisoning on the brian. brane. braein. bairn. uh, head thingey.

[Kwaka-Kid]

Ahh its alrite

we will let you off, however you do realise riding suzuki's does dodgey things to your head?

Next thing you know Youll have to ask yourself each morning "i wonder if the suzuki will start" and other such odd questions like my old man has with the GS1000 :P     But i know, My Kawasaki will never fail me unless however some young teenage hoon crashed it the weekend before on the racetrack.  Thats when maybe it wont start...

[Goddess of Goof]

Heh Heh Heh

I tell U, my Suzuki can always do more than its rider
can do - and especially when its me in the morning....something like this:

forget the key - fish in pocket - put in ignition - ha ha but -
forget to engage ignition - click it in - forget to put bike in gear - let out clutch, nothing happens - forget to put on gloves after finding key - they slide off tank when move off in 1st.
Forget to return bike into neutral, stall it. Put bike on stand, retrieve gloves, put on. Return bike to neutral - into 1st again - off you go, uh-oh splutter splutter - forget to turn petrol tap on.

Recognise starts like this ?
Oh yes, Suzuki riding does funny things to my brane.


But I have never ridden a Kawasaki.

[Kwaka-Kid]

Kidding?  darn, ill have to let u blast the 400 oneday   just dont do what i usually do and youll be right.

Ive never riddin a Yamaha that i can think of - if i did i obviously chose to forget rather fast bahaha

[bluninja]

SLIM, you forgot the other loophole in UK.....a police officer got off his speeding camera offence by pleading that he had no memory of who was driving his car at the time. Since the picture didn't identify the driver they couldn't pursue the case. The legality of the forms are still being challenged under the European court of human rights in that they may force a person to self incriminate under threat of prosecution. I think NZ laws are different. If they have the car pic on speed camera, the registered owner is liable for the fine and points if they don't identify who was driving; or is that Australia?

TTFN