Cop charged with dangerous driving while responding to an urgent job

**Patrick** · 24th January 2007, 08:11

Just read on the text news that a cop is being charged for doing 115 in a 50 while responding to a bus crash with injured kids on board. 10 were taken to hospital. It was a priority 1 job, which means urgent. Anyone know more of this?????

Does this mean I should go 50kmph the next time someone is being bashed/raped/burgled whatever...????? WTF?????????

**pervert** · 24th January 2007, 08:16

115km in a 50km zone right outside a school to be exact.

**N4CR** · 24th January 2007, 08:17

Originally Posted by patrick

just read on the text news that a cop is being charged for doing 105 in a 50 while responding to a bus crash with injured kids on board. it was a priority 1 job, which means urgent. anyone know more of this?????

does this mean i should go 50kmph the next time someone is being bashed/raped/burgled whatever...????? wtf?????????

i've seen cops going lanesplitting through glen innes to respond to incidents a few times, outside the dairy/school on the road that goes past the slums. they are doing a decent 30k faster than the traffic while school kids are walking around and they are really erratic out there probably all the sugar from the dairy.

no amount of specialist training can stop a 1.4 tonne car in 10m from 70-80kmh when a kid runs out infront. i've seen kids do it a few times now. i've also seen them almost take out a pole overcorrecting when they pulled a real big uey once. a fair amount of the cops i see can drive sensibly in urgent situations but a few do some really really stupid stuff which puts public in alot of danger and makes the police look worse and worse every time.

so to sum it all up if you have sirens you're allowed to drive like a completely regardless t0sser sometimes. cool eh? probably the guys behind the wheel trying to show off or something.

**scumdog** · 24th January 2007, 08:22

Originally Posted by Patrick

Just read on the text news that a cop is being charged for doing 115 in a 50 while responding to a bus crash with injured kids on board. 10 were taken to hospital. It was a priority 1 job, which means urgent. Anyone know more of this?????

Does this mean I should go 50kmph the next time someone is being bashed/raped/burgled whatever...????? WTF?????????

It was in Invercargill on a really wide dual lane road, cop had passing the hazardous area and booting it towards the crash, camera man saw him coming, blue&reds going, siren on etc but "didn't have time to turn the camera to stand-by" (WTF?) and it took a picture of the patrol car.

Sgt driving it is chaged with dangerous driving.

**Patrick** · 24th January 2007, 08:22

[QUOTE=N4CR;908960] they are really erratic out there probably all the sugar from the dairy.

Damn donuts....
but a few do some really really stupid stuff

but it said he is a Sergeant... someone with experience...
so to sum it all up if you have sirens you're allowed to drive like a completely regardless t0sser sometimes.

Ummm... no...... he has experience, not a newbie...

QUOTE]

**scumdog** · 24th January 2007, 08:24

Originally Posted by N4CR

i've seen cops going lanesplitting through glen innes to respond to incidents a few times, outside the dairy/school on the road that goes past the slums. they are doing a decent 30k faster than the traffic while school kids are walking around and they are really erratic out there probably all the sugar from the dairy.

no amount of specialist training can stop a 1.4 tonne car in 10m from 70-80kmh when a kid runs out infront. i've seen kids do it a few times now. i've also seen them almost take out a pole overcorrecting when they pulled a real big uey once. a fair amount of the cops i see can drive sensibly in urgent situations but a few do some really really stupid stuff which puts public in alot of danger and makes the police look worse and worse every time.

so to sum it all up if you have sirens you're allowed to drive like a completely regardless t0sser sometimes. cool eh? probably the guys behind the wheel trying to show off or something.

Nice troll - but you won't get a bite from me seeing as you know all the facts.

**Ixion** · 24th January 2007, 08:24

I believe he did not have his lights and siren on. Does that make a difference?

This is like the case a year or so back when an ambo got charged. It seems harsh, and counter productive , to nitpick such decisions. Emergency services are exactly that - dealing with emergencies. And the quicker they get there the better IMHO. But the word "kids" has nowdays become a nice emotional bludgeon to clobber anything Mrs Grundy disapproves of.

EDIT: I see that while I was writing that Mr Scumdog has posted and says the lights and siren were on. So what's with that then, I thought that cops were allowed to exceed the speed limit if they had their light n sound going.

**Patrick** · 24th January 2007, 08:26

Originally Posted by scumdog

It was in Invercargill on a really wide dual lane road, cop had passing the hazardous area and booting it towards the crash, camera man saw him coming, blue&reds going, siren on etc but "didn't have time to turn the camera to stand-by" (WTF?) and it took a picture of the patrol car.

Sgt driving it is chaged with dangerous driving.

What a fit up. Too slow to push a button once???

**jimbo600** · 24th January 2007, 08:28

Originally Posted by pervert

115km in a 50km zone right outside a school to be exact.

Actually I think he slowed down outside the school. I understand that he even stopped by the crossing there to let kids cross.

I think its BS when cops have to fight prosecution for doing their jobs. What the hell was he supposed to do? Cruise at 50kmh with the strobes going while responding to an emergency. In fact PIB should have shoved that infringement photo straight in the bin.

**davereid** · 24th January 2007, 08:30

Actually, for car accidents, or even bus accidents, both FIRE and AMBO are restricted in how fast they can go to get there. I think thoses services can only respond to calls at a max of 40 km/hr above the speed limit.

I don't really see that its necessary for Police to get there faster than the Ambo staff.

The law really needs tweaking a bit, pretty clearly there are times when emergency services need to break the speed limit to get to a job.

But 65 km/hr above the speed limit outside a school IS too fast IMHO.

Police chases are another case in point. From an enforcement point of view its a no brainer - police have to catch the speeding - stolen car.

But every year innocent people lose their lives when a Police chase ends in tragedy.

To lose my wife or family to an unnecessary police chase would gut me - no stolen car is worth a life, not even the thiefs !

**MSTRS:Me** · 24th January 2007, 08:30

Charged with Dangerous....rightly so. Not above the law, is he? Extenuating circumstances?? Needed to be somewhere in a hurry?? Let Joe Public use that 'excuse' and see how far it gets him.

**scumdog** · 24th January 2007, 08:34

Originally Posted by davereid

I don't really see that its necessary for Police to get there faster than the Ambo staff.

The law really needs tweaking a bit, pretty clearly there are times when emergency services need to break the speed limit to get to a job.

Hmm, most times the cops are the last to be told, last to get there, Ambo and fire tend to be first.

**N4CR** · 24th January 2007, 08:34

[quote=patrick;908963]

Originally Posted by n4cr

they are really erratic out there probably all the sugar from the dairy.

damn donuts....
but a few do some really really stupid stuff

but it said he is a sergeant... someone with experience...
so to sum it all up if you have sirens you're allowed to drive like a completely regardless t0sser sometimes.

ummm... no...... he has experience, not a newbie...

quote]

it don't matter if you are a newb or not if a kid runs out infront and you have 10m to stop you are going to make road pizza. most of the cops drive with caution but of course fast (responding to incidents) through there, but a few seem to do stuff that is completely *****ic. i'm referring to glen innes btw. one incident was the cop that got stabbed in mt wellington, i saw some of the response units going to the incident. for some reason they went down the buisiest road even though the incident could be reached faster and safer on a nother road (comms fault??). most of them drove fast but didn't take any stupid risks. one unit drove very dangerously and put alot of people at risk.
one of my mates in the po-po at gi station knew the young stabbed cop well. i ain't mentioned the stupid driving by some officers i see yet but i'll mention it next time.

Originally Posted by scumdog

nice troll - but you won't get a bite from me seeing as you know all the facts.

not directly referring to the news artical just my own experiences.

**Beemer** · 24th January 2007, 08:36

Did anyone actually see the item on the news last night? They had the reporter standing where the cop got the ticket, and said he had slowed down at the crossing to let children cross, and had been snapped doing 115kph at 'this point' - which was about 10m from the crossing! Shit, if police cars can accellerate to 115kph from a dead stop in that distance, I wouldn't try outrunning them!

Having said that, 115kph at 8.43am outside a school is perhaps not advisable, although as none of us was there at the time, who knows what really happened?