Respect the Cops? WHY!

[Timber020]

When I hear about another 8km over the limit ticket, its not the cops I blame, its LTNZ and ACC. The kind of pressure they are putting on the police to give a financial return on $ they have invested in them makes hitlers pressure on the SS seem subtle.

LTNZ are big and getting bigger. I know a dozen guys at the moment whose trucks have no COF's because of a little $300 tax grab and law change that requires all owners to have some sham of a license to get a COF, waiting list for the test is so long its a disgrace. Wankers.

[Ixion]

?? Why do you need a licence to get a CoF. Surely the CoF relates to the condition of the vehicle regardless of owner? What happens if the owner is a company ?

[Patrick]

I must say that if there is one aspect of police attitude that infuriates me it is this decriminalisation of "property crime". "Property crime" (so called) often does kill. There have been many instances where a burglary has escalated into a bashing and death. There is probably a good deal more likelihood that a burglary will lead to injury or death than that a random motorist exceeding 100kph will.

And apart from the cases where actual homicide results, burglaries can still destroy lives in more subtle ways. I know of many cases where elderly people have had their peace of mind and confidence so devasted by burglary and home invasion that they have effectively lost the ability to continue independant living.

I do not know anyone who lies awake at night because they are afraid of speeding drivers. I do know old folk who do not sleep at night , at all, because they are too frightened to. Frightened because of experience of "property crime".

Burglary is NOT a trivial non-crime and the police attitude that people should just accept it and not complain makes me very angry.

You got me all wrong there fella...

Property crime has NEVER been "decriminalised." Your comment about a few being killed is nice, a few too many, by the way, but if there were 400 murders a year, what outcry would there be???????????????

400 die on the roads every year...... Pffftttt...... thats OK....... THAT is the message I hear.

The point I was making is about the bitching and moaning that goes on about getting tickets for whatever, tickets that those who get them earned all on their own, by the way.... yet the constant call is too many cops issuing tickets and not enough doing crime...

Stop the ticket issuing by not breaking the rules, then those that are on traffic can do criminal stuff instead. It is that easy, but.... it aint going to happen, is it?

The call always seems the same... traffic is not as important as burglary or theft. It has its place........ get over it. I did.... I was against the merger, but hey, that was so 15 years ago....

Don't break the rules, all is good.

Break them, and get a ticket, it's your own stupid fault, no one elses, yours and yours alone. We have all been told what will happen if you speed, anywhere, not just past schools... Don't bitch and moan about it..... get over it.

Those who think tickets are only issued for speed are clearly trolling or just too thick to know what goes on outside of their computor room in the real world......

[Highlander]

Totally agree with that. Some of the blokes down the pub can hardly walk out the place but still get in their ute's and drive home. They've been doing it for years. Can't see how it would take a lot of police resources to catch them.

I beg some of my mates to walk home or try and give them a lift but "she'll be right".

I have been stopped for a breath check three times in 10 years (twice in the car once on the bike), and routine WOF / Reg / licence check once (on the bike 10 in the morning, but they breath tested the guy behind me).

I don't mean to bag the Police, they got a thankless job to do against the public perception that "anything is legal as long as you dont get caught" in regaurd to road safety.
It does however, appear that the enforcement is slanted in favour of the easy money.

[scumdog]

Property crime has NEVER been "decriminalised." Your comment about a few being killed is nice, a few too many, by the way, but if there were 400 murders a year, what outcry would there be???????????????

400 die on the roads every year...... Pffftttt...... thats OK....... THAT is the message I hear.

Don't break the rules, all is good.
Break them, and get a ticket, it's your own stupid fault, no one elses, yours and yours alone. We have all been told what will happen if you speed, anywhere, not just past schools... Don't bitch and moan about it..... get over it.

Those who think tickets are only issued for speed are clearly trolling or just too thick to know what goes on outside of their computor room in the real world......

So, so true! - especially about the road death 'tolerance' vs murders.

Some people are just born 'ticket collectors' eh?

[smoky]

I do about 1500 kms a week for work in a cage.
So yes I get the odd ticket, 116 - over taking a truck in a passing lane, I think that was a bit ungenerous of cop - but it is against the law to speed, I wrote a letter - lost the appeal, paid the fine.
I went all the way to high court to defend going thru a amber light and won - and won compensation for the costs. I don't whinge about it - I follow the appropriate channels if I think I've been dealt with unfairly.

After spending a few years globe trotting and driving in a number of different countries I have some ideas on what I see as the real reason we have too many road deaths - our roads are shit
We should have duel carriageway main trunk state highways to and from every major city in NZ, that allows for the diversity of traffic - big trucks, campervans, tourists, people who find it hard to sustain 100 on our open road. It would cut down on risky over taking, frustration of being stuck behind one of the above.
If that’s not a reality to build then; why let these huge long haul trucks fill up our road ways, they're getting heaver every year and stuffing up the surface of the road when our main rail ways are struggling to survive (when I'm informed it's a greener option for freight anyway).
I apologise to all long haul truckies for saying that - but while you might be a good driver I'm sure you'll agree that a lot of motorist get frustrated sitting behind you and do silly things to get past.

A lot of our accidents where speed is a factor stems from frustration of being held up by slower traffic.

[James Deuce]

You got me all wrong there fella...

Property crime has NEVER been "decriminalised." Your comment about a few being killed is nice, a few too many, by the way, but if there were 400 murders a year, what outcry would there be???????????????

400 die on the roads every year...... Pffftttt...... thats OK....... THAT is the message I hear.

The point I was making is about the bitching and moaning that goes on about getting tickets for whatever, tickets that those who get them earned all on their own, by the way.... yet the constant call is too many cops issuing tickets and not enough doing crime...

Stop the ticket issuing by not breaking the rules, then those that are on traffic can do criminal stuff instead. It is that easy, but.... it aint going to happen, is it?

The call always seems the same... traffic is not as important as burglary or theft. It has its place........ get over it. I did.... I was against the merger, but hey, that was so 15 years ago....

Don't break the rules, all is good.

Break them, and get a ticket, it's your own stupid fault, no one elses, yours and yours alone. We have all been told what will happen if you speed, anywhere, not just past schools... Don't bitch and moan about it..... get over it.

Those who think tickets are only issued for speed are clearly trolling or just too thick to know what goes on outside of their computor room in the real world......

Yeah, but back to the point ticketing someone for speed wouldn't have saved me from being killed and resuscitated after a 50 km/hr accident at an intersection, would it?

If you guys want to save lives, target areas where people are actually killed an maimed, instead of trying to reduce the road toll through 1 single element.

You make the big boohoo story about no one caring about road deaths, you guys have already read my feelings on that issue over and over, but instead of acknowledging the validity of the argument that lessening the road toll will require training and shift in enforcement objectives, you just spout the STFU n00b, you're an idiot argument.

And you wonder why the "NZ Public" (you know, the people that the Police now have zero respect for and the Public have kind of picked up on that) are making an issue of the minimum ticketing requirements.

If property crime hasn't been decriminalised, how come you can't get anyone to attend a call when you've got people trying to break into your house and you're there? You just get a speech from some telephone operator about not antagonising the guy who wants your stuff and not to perform any criminal acts in the "defence" of your property.

[Kickaha]

when our main rail ways are struggling to survive (when I'm informed it's a greener option for freight anyway).

Rail ship a large portion of their frieght by road as it is faster

[scumdog]

If you guys want to save lives, target areas where people are actually killed an maimed, instead of trying to reduce the road toll through 1 single element.


If property crime hasn't been decriminalised, how come you can't get anyone to attend a call when you've got people trying to break into your house and you're there? You just get a speech from some telephone operator about not antagonising the guy who wants your stuff and not to perform any criminal acts in the "defence" of your property.

(1) Down here we DO target the problem areas where speed/bad overtaking (yellow lines etc) are the problems, the muftis do a good job getting the corner-cutters and yellow-line crossers (I bet they're gutted to find that the ticket which 'only' cost $150 also carries a 35 demerits penalty - and it's not noted on the ticket at the time).

(2) You can't always get somebody to attend a *555 call either - so I guess that evens things up eh??????????

[spudchucka]

[LEFT]If you guys want to save lives, target areas where people are actually killed an maimed, instead of trying to reduce the road toll through 1 single element.

Because the police never prosecute any traffic offence other than speeding........

[smoky]

I guess we could slag off the Police all day if we wanted too - there are good cops and bad cops around, and a whole lot of cops somewhere in between. Like good doctors and bad doctors, good lovers and bad lovers, GOOD BIKERS & BAD BIKERS - we all think we're on the good side of the spectrum.
Being a cop and a biker must be a little difficult sometimes - I've heard some cops slaggin off bikers with an obviouse prejudice, but i don't think thats the general feeling from the police.
I still don't see any harm in having a grumble about getting a ticket though - even if you deserve it, it still sux'.

P.S - but theres no such thing as good parking enforcement officer - is there?

[Quartermile]

Because the police never prosecute any traffic offence other than speeding........

Maybe they should start then there are a lot of other dangerous traffic offenses other than speeding

[spudchucka]

Maybe they should start then there are a lot of other dangerous traffic offenses other than speeding

Is sarcasm a new concept to you?

[Quartermile]

DAMM, just a nibble maybe if I twich the line a bit, surprised you didn't go off your nut, surprisingly cool headed for a cop

[Ixion]

You got me all wrong there fella...

Property crime has NEVER been "decriminalised." Your comment about a few being killed is nice, a few too many, by the way, but if there were 400 murders a year, what outcry would there be???????????????

400 die on the roads every year...... Pffftttt...... thats OK....... THAT is the message I hear.

...

400+ times each year ?

Now, you see , this is the crooked spin that undermines public respect for the police.

The obvious intention here is to imply that police focus on speeding is justified because if everyone obeyed the law then 400 lives would be saved. Which is patent nonsense. The biker killed the other day , when a tree branch fell on him? What level of enforcement would have saved him? Who do the police intend to charge over that "crime"? A large percentage of that 400 are simply accidents, plain and simple.

As to the "if there were 400 murders a year ?": Well, if you are comparing with the 400 road deaths , then you mjust compare not with murder but with all forms of non natural death. (That brnch killed a biker so it is a road fatality. But it could just as easily have been a branch fall in someone's garden and kill a householder) . That would include drownings, industrial accidents, manslaughter , medical misadventure - way way more than 400 (drowning alone is 126 per year. Yet we never hear how despicable and wicked boaties are) .

The odds are enormous that whatever kills you will NOT be motorvehicle related . And motorvehicle fatalities form a small percentage even of non disease deaths.

The implication that traffic enforcement is justifed by the possibility of "saving" 400 lives a year is false, and deliberately deceptive.

EDIT: To put that 400 into perspective. 515 died by suicide (2003). 126 drowned (2002). Smoking is estimated to cause 400 deaths per year.