NZ Police - why do they do it?

**tri boy** · 15th August 2009, 15:16

I'm with Smoky on this one.
That little piece of road is poorly mandated speed wise and........oh forget it. The "speed is bad brigade" will just argue it till next year.
Unlucky smoky.
(fucking highway snake needs to slither back to the doughnut shop)MHO

**Mom** · 15th August 2009, 15:34

Not that long ago the speed restrictions were lowered all around our little town. Nowadays you are restricted to 80kph in almost every direction. The cops also police it strenuously. One particular road that I travel every day on the way to work has been lowered to 80kph. I have no idea why, it is an open, rural, back road. Nothing dangerous about it, no houses to speak of, in reasonable condition.

No consultation entered into that I was aware of, and now we have it. Nothing we can do about it, speed and get pinged. A perfectly good bit of tarmac, with a crazy speed limit all the way between Warkworth and Matakana. Through Matakana (50 kph) and then back on a road exactly the same as the one you have just been on, open road 100kph posted limit.

Still, it is posted, you obey it no matter how stupid it seems.

**YellowDog** · 15th August 2009, 15:47

This really does piss me off too. It has nothing at all to do with road safety, it is just the Police going after soft targets. It's easy money for them. You'll soon be able to buy shares in the highly profitable Police force. If every cop covers thier salary x 5, your shares will go through the roof.

I got clocked doing 130kph and a $235 fine. All I was doing was overtaking the last car at the end of the passing lane before slowing back down to 109.

It's becoming a Police state!

But seriously, it really is quite trivial and annoying. It just makes you wonder why more priority isn't given to road safety by removing dangerous drivers from the road. By stopping striaght line speeders who are a few Ks over the limit; all they are doing is showing their attempts to address this serious problem are failing. i.e. The seriously dangerous hoons are getting less attention due to the net being too widely spread (getting everyone else).

**RT527** · 15th August 2009, 15:47

Im sorry but I find it Ironic that a bureaucrat as described in your profile would question an officer of the law, please....just what sought of bureaucracy are you in, ie what is your real job and is it something that if I owe you money would you show discretion and allow me to get away with out paying you???.
I see your point but dont agree with it, you broke the law and it was hard luck that you got pinged. Suck it up and move on.

**Squiggles** · 15th August 2009, 15:55

Originally Posted by Virago

The Plod generally allow a 200m discretionary margin, for people slowing down as they enter a lower speed area. But for people speeding up before they get to a higher speed limit - no excuse.

Operating a vehicle without a WOF - again no excuse.

You took your chances and got pinged. Accept it and move on.

Yup

Originally Posted by smoky

It's not the fact I got caught for speeding that irks me, it's the attitude of enforcing the strict letter of the law for no apparent logical outcome - I am fining you because I can, thats all.

Say wha?

**Stormer** · 15th August 2009, 16:18

Get yourself a top of the line radar detector, use your eyes, and trust your instincts...it`s about all you can do.
Oh, and apart from obeying the speed limit to the last decimal point, like half the law abiding drones around here.

**YellowDog** · 15th August 2009, 16:21

Originally Posted by Stormer

Get yourself a top of the line radar detector, use your eyes, and trust your instincts...it`s about all you can do.
Oh, and apart from obeying the speed limit to the last decimal point, like half the law abiding drones around here.

Those will be outlawed soon and I don't see why you should have to get one.

**Stormer** · 15th August 2009, 16:32

Originally Posted by YellowDog

Those will be outlawed soon and I don't see why you should have to get one.

Which...the radar detector, your eyes, or your instincts??

"I`m sorry sir, but you have used your instincts...that will be a $180 fine, demerits, blah, blah, blah..."

**Donor** · 15th August 2009, 16:52

Originally Posted by short-circuit

You're surely not gonna try and defend this? It's practically entrapment...

Well, from a random 'merkin law site (since I couldn't find a relevant kiwi legal definition) we read:

ENTRAPMENT - A person is 'entrapped' when he is induced or persuaded by law enforcement officers or their agents to commit a crime that he had no previous intent to commit; and the law as a matter of policy forbids conviction in such a case.

So, how exactly did this malicious revenue gatherer our poor victim into speeding?

He did the speed.

He got a ticket.

Cry me a river, a lesson has (once again) been learned!

Forgive me if I missed something in road usage 101 but the speed limit signs are from when you have passed them NOT when you are approaching them!

Clearly the lagers I have consumed this afternoon are clouding my thought processes, I better go for a ride, as clearly there was a police officer pouring the amber goodness down my neck...

See: http://www.lectlaw.com/def/e024.htm for further reading from said 'merkin web site.

**rebel** · 15th August 2009, 17:10

Blatant revenue raising (the speeding ticket, fair game on the WOF). Right before a passing lane too, an easy place to catch innocent motorists and pull the speeding guilt trip on them.
For fucks sake its Huntly, surely there are more productive policing to do around that shithole.

Was driving down SH27 yesterday north of Matamata and saw one who had pulled over a ute just outside of a 70kmh roadworks zone (ghost road works) near Tahuna turn off. Not a worker in sight, the only difference was the fact cones were placed in the safety shoulder, yet we have to slow down to 70 kays for 2-3km?! Hopefully the cop was giving him a 'warning' but as we all know common sense isn't too common these days so I wouldn't hold my breath.

**crazyhorse** · 15th August 2009, 17:14

That's sad for you - I've been fortunate as I've only had 2 tickets in my life - but then again, I better not jinx it

**Blackbird** · 15th August 2009, 17:18

On occasions, we all use an approaching speed restriction sign (in or out) in a discretionary manner to roll on or off the throttle. As others have pointed out, the key word here is discretionary, both from the viewpoint of the offender and the police, even if the law is quite clear. Whether some speed limits and sign positions at a particular location need reviewing or not is a completely separate issue.

I'm certainly not being sanctimonius; have had a few speeding tickets and deserved them. On the flip side, I've had just a flash of headlights from the law when I thought I'd be walking home due to almost unbelievable discretion on the cop's part too. Got away with far more than I deserve so can hardly complain if I do get pulled - Karma at work! I suspect that this applies to you too Smoky

Edit addition: I once got the mother and father of a bollocking from a cop just outside Rotorua. I came flying round a corner and he was busy booking a car driver. He was out of the car, hadn't got my speed but knew I was well above the limit. Pulled me over then tore real strips off me when he had finished with the car. At he end of the reaming out, he told me he'd attended a fatal bike accident at the same spot the previous day and had been to deliver the news to the kid's parents in the small hours. He was still pretty upset and although that bollocking was over 20 years ago, it's just like it happened yesterday.

**tigertim20** · 15th August 2009, 17:22

Originally Posted by smoky

Nah - It's not the fact I got caught for speeding that irks me, it's the attitude of enforcing the strict letter of the law for no apparent logical outcome - I am fining you because I can, thats all.

The thing is, the law is Black and white. There are no grey areas, the law only changes when the circumstances change. Cops can occaisionally see the "grey area" that you and I think exists, but he doesnt have to. Get over it, you knew you were quicker than you shouldve been, take it like a man!

Originally Posted by smoky

Thats not my point;
Ask yourself scumdaog, would you pull someone for 84klm/hr 200 meters for the open road sign?
again, can you not simply accept that you were in fact over the limit? I speed to, knowingly, from time to time, but do it with it in mind that if I get a ticket, I wil take it without crying.

But actually on some of our roads I do think we could look at 120 klm/hr speed limit, especially duel carriageways , motorways and so on - but thats a different subject

That I do agree with, but like you said another story

Originally Posted by smoky

Again that's not the point - you should be a cop, you have the same dick head jobsworth mentality as he had.
Can't you think a bit more logically than that?
Think about how your reputation is damaged in the eyes of the public when you become anally attentive to the letter of the law rather than the sensible reasonable enforcement of it.
How the public are loosing respect for the uniform, when you throw you weight around like Nazi's

Think how anal the community gets when the cop admits that he DIDNT pull you over for speeding, miutes before you kill someones kid cos you were doing 85 instead of 70 and couldnt stop in time?

Originally Posted by tri boy

I'm with Smoky on this one.
That little piece of road is poorly mandated speed wise and........oh forget it. The "speed is bad brigade" will just argue it till next year.
Unlucky smoky.
(fucking highway snake needs to slither back to the doughnut shop)MHO

It isnt a 'speed is bad", I (sorry if I did miss it being said) dont recall anyone saying that, they have simply said that he knowingly chose to speed, so he shouldnt be crying about it

**Virago** · 15th August 2009, 17:30

Originally Posted by tigertim20

...Think how anal the community gets when the cop admits that he DIDNT pull you over for speeding, miutes before you kill someones kid cos you were doing 85 instead of 70 and couldnt stop in time?..

Bingo. Speeding in a residential area - no discretion, no sympathy.