Dynamytus...
A lot of what you're saying is true. One Clint Rickard doesn't mean the entire Police Force is made up of rapists. However, the majority of the population are likely to come into contact with the Police only as a result of a traffic ticket. NZ's got a population of 4 million, and there are 1.1 million traffic infringements issued per year.
So, it could be fair to say that most people's impression of the Police is formed by how they perceive their treatment when getting a ticket. No-one likes getting one, but people are far more likely to get pissed off if they feel themselves hard done by. It gets even worse when they have a cop who has absolutely zero evidence to support his claim, but gets believed solely because he's got a shiny badge.
The point that Kwakerjack raised is valid. Cops should only be able to issue tickets for the speed they've locked in to their radar; not a speed they claim to have seen previously. The radar / laser units should also have clear and readily available audit logs that show when each unit was triggered and what speed it recorded. This would immediately invalidate drivers' claims that the unit was triggered once and the cop continued to issue tickets based upon the readong for the whole day.
The Police should be encouraging these changes. It demonstrates honesty and openess. It might not change everyone's opinion of the cops, but it would be a good start.
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