Bring Back Traffic Police Patrols

I drove a truck for 3 years on our roads and have come to the conclusion that Police do not patrol our roads any more. In fact most of the time I see a Police car it is a dual cab paddy wagon that is not a ‘pursuit vehicle’.

I was in New York in 1996 and have seen the vast difference in Policing style. The New York Police (and American Police in general) have an ‘Active Patrolling’ strategy. In fact our country cops still have this. I was in the country for a period too.

At the end of this is an email I would like everyone to send to the Minister for Police Rob Johnson and Premier Colin Barnett. But hear me out first on why we need to change things.

I have been on 6PR often talking about this and will continue at every available opportunity. I have talked on radio with Howard Satler, Paul Murray with the Police Commissioner, Jon Lewis, Graham Maybury and Chris Ilsley. I have to talk with Steve Mills and Tony Mac about it still.....so there is still room for me to do work on the radio on this issue.

The form letter at the end of this email (for you to send off to the Minister and Premier, and even your MLAs and MLCs) can be taken from my brief study of Policing worldwide. Recently the Police are starting to focus on road campaigns, but it seems dependent on budgets, resources and other factors (like summer overtime permits Traffic Branch to put in a few more ‘hours’). The main thing here is that Police have become redundant to computer systems, speed cameras and RBT booze buses, rather than an 'Active Enforcement' model (US based like New York). I wrote this after three weeks of seeing daily smashes on the (Kwinana) freeway during mid 2011. Having spent a lot of time on the roads myself in recent years, one thing I noticed was the lack of Police on the roads. When I did see a Police car they would not pursue minor offences, as they were doing something else.
This issue has been brought up on 6PR radio and I have discussed this with several MLAs in State Parliament.
Due to budgetary considerations and daft strategy (as in having 20 Officers at a booze bus when they could be on the roads) and relying on speed cameras, we have seen a sudden decline in Police enforcement on the roads, leading to very undisciplined driving. While minor offences are just that, if allowed to ferment like they have been they are leading to very large problems on the roads.
Police are subject to jobs dispatched via their computer system, and prioritized as such. So there are no eyes on the road, apart from a few speed and red light cameras at intersections, where everyone behaves now!!!
The best form of education is a cop on the beat with an infringement book, and leaving the computer at home so he/she can 'Actively Patrol' the streets.
Another problem is the Police Union have decided that 2 Officers should travel together in a Police vehicle. That has halved the efficiency and patrol resources of the WA Police Force.
All across Australia now the light is turning to Police Forces as Labor Governments have 'managed' them for many years previously.
I would prefer Highway Patrol vehicles are manned by one Officer. In the US Highway Patrol cars are always manned by a single person, and this doesn't seem to be a safety issue. Officers are armed with the Glock 9mm and as used in the Pilbara a few years ago can kill assailants.
This is the letter that I sent last August to start the ball rolling on the changes we need to make in this state regarding getting Police back on the roads.
Here:

Law Enforcement Poor in WA
by Daniel McAloon on Thursday, August 11, 2011 at 11:45am ·


My Letter to various Ministers of the Western Australian Government and Bureaucrats who cannot handle the fact that law enforcement needs to be engaged!


Dear Sir/Madam,

After noting the recuring traffic accidents on the Kwinana Freeway (daily occurence) I believe I have a completely valid point in this email below.

WA is known as the state of 'cashed up bogans'. Unfortunately there is little emphasis in this state on thinking but more on 'doing'. Driving is merely a competition. If you aren't going at the speed the driver wants to go (no matter the speed limit) the rule is you MUST be overtaken. Merging, well there is no courtesy with that. Lots of bullies. Here it is more like a free for all. Biggest problem is the Police don't pull over motorists as much any more, they rely on speed cameras. Drivers often ignore STOP signs, do not indicate, today I even observed 3 red lighters!!!!! I was surprised that they kept going when our light was green!!! To me it all points to the mentality of the crowd/mob (idiot mentality and they are better than you-so it is they are better than you) and the lack of Police and tough enforcement. Here there seems to be no enforcement. I feel I am qualified to say this, as new red light/speed cameras have considerably slowed motorists down within days/weeks of their insertion and flashing. Motorists are aware and are not dumb, they are just plain idiots and need a Police force to give them a big kick up the backside. And I think our Police Minister will need to be given the heave ho. He is not performing according to my observations. Having asked for a meeting with him, he has declined at least once. I will again ask for a meeting for a second chance. But I don't believe there will be any change. The Police culture in WA is a soft leftism installed by the top brass thanks to the communists being installed at high levels. This will need to change. Look at the UK, they have no enforcement. Years of social decay will do that.

The Kwinana Freeway needs a daily blitz (suggested 10-15 or more vehicles) for at least 3 weeks. People do not indicate and drive recklessly, From 5:30am traffic patrol vehicles should travel Northbound and actively give tickets. An enforcement approach needs to be taken here so drivers can again respect the law.

I saw 3 cars go through a red light this morning in Dianella (Morley Dr/Dianella Dr), all following each other. I saw the same intersection this week have a car enter the red light 'running the red'.

These are my well qualified observations.

Police travel around and are not actively engaging traffic offences. All Police vehicles need to be active on the road and pull over motorists.

Motorists consistently speed through school zones in Mirrabooka (and probably everywhere!!!) and ignore stop signs and do not indicate. I don't spend a lot of the time on the roads so my observations do take a true snapshot of traffic.

Tonkin and Reid Highways (Roe as well) do not have a visible police presence. I am also qualified to say this. In New York City I travelled on the freeway there for an extremely limited amount of time but was surprised by the Highway Patrol car actively pulling over motorists. After stopping one motorist and giving a ticket they will soon come speeding past you again to pick up the next one they spotted.

The Policing in New York takes a very activist approach. Since Guliani New York has taken a no tolerance approach on law enforcement.

Every second motorist in Perth does not indicate and you have the result of assaults after people get cut off.

People are taking the law into their own hands because their is no police on the road and/or actively enforcing the law.

I am very annoyed that our Police Force is suffering from a lack of direction. We have a good Commissioner and a positive morale amongst Officers, but the lack of enforcement is stunning. I also state this as qualified. I travel on the roads at various times. I haven't seen vehicles been pulled over by Police for a very long time. Apart from blitzes, Police need to be the law on the road. When someone does not indicate or does a U turn at traffic signals, the offender needs to be pursued and given an infringement.

I received a call from Inspector Phil Van de Guys of South Metro (I don't have his last name correct I think) the other night. It is much appreciated but it confirmed to me we have a lack of resources on the roads to target offending road users. WA drivers are the worst in Australia and someone needs to start taking responsibility for this. We can't blame Police for how people drive, but we can certainly finger Police for lack of enforcement.

I have consistently noted multiple car crashes on the Kwinana Freeway during peak times in the last 4-5 weeks. We need to ask ourselves why is this happening???

I have observed drivers being so well behaved at the new red light camera intersections (with speeding). This tells me that where there is enforcement, there is a respect for the law.

Between 5am and 9am a lot of traffic offenses take place on our roads. While I understand Police resources are finite and have a limited budget, I need to get this message through.

Main roads and highways in the Perth Metro area needs to be targetted consistently and with a no tolerance activist approach. No more turning a blind eye. And we need to return to traditional Police methods of targetting motorists that may be driving a vehicle that is not roadworthy.



With Regards,


Daniel McAloon

I like the idea of restricting high powered vehicles to those under the age of 21. A power to weight ratio law would certainly make sense in WA. Turbocharged and supercharged vehicles are all too common these days. In the 'olden' days cops used to pull over the high powered vehicles(esp with young 'hoon' drivers). Back in the days of when Police had real pursuit cars, V8s. We should get back to giving Police the proper equipment, high powered pursuit vehicles (to Officers who have been on the Force for at least 5 years).
I want to get the Highway Patrol vehicles on the roads in Perth and the country highways, with only one officer per vehicle. Twelve vehicles each for the freeways, another for the highways (Roe Reid and Tonkin) and another twelve for Wanneroo rd, Albany highway Gt Eastern Highway etc.
We could set aside twelve more vehicles for country highway patrol duty, Albany Highway, Brand Highway etc. Bunbury and Geraldton could have its own Traffic Branch units.
I think a younger Police Minister is needed and someone with room for ideas. The Police Force as we discussed has been pacified, thanks in no part to Police pursuits being un-politically correct especially where deaths occur (esp of Indigenous where the cat calling starts) and now our reliance on devices such as RBT and speed cameras. In a balanced fashion these devices are very practical, but to rely on these for mainline Police work is not only a waste of taxpayers money, but it is lazy and shows intent that 'less Police are needed' because there is a reliance on these devices.
Road rage occurs because simply no Police are on the roads.
If my plan is put into action (with all vehicles being on the road from 5am-2am (21 hours per day) 7 days a week and within 2 years there is no marked change on the behaviour of drivers on the roads, I will gladly concede that my strategy is flawed.
As I do not believe that I am going to work hard until we get cars on the roads and pulling people over, giving them infringements. I would like to see a no tolerance policy so that when an infringement occurs, then a ticket is given.
I believe we can quickly clean up our streets.
Also, car thieves and criminals that do not stop for Police (causing a pursuit) should be punished by way of 1 year mandatory imprisonment on top of any other dangerous driving charges. I urge the law get very tough on people that think they can get away with evading Police.

I believe we need tougher penalties for those involved in accidents when driving without a licence. Mandatory 2 years in addition to any dangerous driving charges. If you are speeding and drunk as well as unlicensed, a 'slam dunk' law will add a mandatory jail term of 7 years, or something like it, in addition to the charges.
And we need a 3 month mandatory jail sentence if you drive without a licence. This is all too common in WA with people disregarding the law.

My ideas aren't refined but I believe I have the 'meat' of it!!
The second issue is the thuggery, violence and bikie related violence in this city. In the CBD alone violence is out of control. Young thugs are ruling territory in gangs, from Lebanese to Africans.
Like road rage which is a natural response to there being a lacklustre Police strategy on the roads, there will be vigilantism if we don’t start punishing them. If they continue to get away with their thuggery in the city, why can’t I go and get some retribution? What I am saying is that if the law isn’t going to be enforced, then it will be the Wild West. Just like on our roads, where I consistently see NO POLICE vehicles, especially no traffic branch ‘Highway Patrol’ vehicles.
I believe we need to build that super prison I suggested a while back and get thugs off the streets. If a 14 year old is old enough to steal a motor vehicle, isn’t he old enough to go to prison? If a 12 year old is strong enough to bash a pensioner, shouldn’t the 12 year old be able to serve a prison sentence in a jail with adults, since the pensioner would have to go to the same prison, right?
I will endeavour to get some ‘meat’ on this second issue so we have a solution to this acute problem.

Minister's Email: Minister.Johnson@dpc.wa.gov.au
http://www.premier.wa.gov.au/Ministers/Rob-Johnson/Pages/Contact-The-Minister.aspx
Also this can be sent to your local MLA and MLCs (for example North West Metropolitan like Peter Collier, Michael Mischin
http://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/parliament/memblist.nsf/WCouncilMembers?openformhttp://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/parliament/memblist.nsf/WAssemblyMembers?openform
All, please print/email adding your name at the bottom to your local MLA, MLCs, Police Minister and Premier. We need to get this passed. As soon as we get this we can start work on Christian Porter and really put the spotlight on the court system. But the primary thing here is to start making the idiots on the roads take some responsibility NOW by getting fined, pulled over and spoken to by LIVE traffic cops!
Go Police!!! (Just copy this and paste it to your email client or word processor to print it-if you need help with email and postal addresses just ask!)

Date

Minister for Police; Road Safety
20th Floor
Governor Stirling Tower
197 St Georges Terrace
Perth WA 6000

Dear Minister (and your MLA) Hon Rob Johnson,

I am writing to ask that traffic enforcement patrols are prioritized on our roads, as of now it is not.

With speed cameras, booze buses (RBTs) and TV advertisements, it is a definite that real Police work has been forgotten.

A strategy by Daniel McAloon who has written to yourself, the Premier and the Attorney General, clearly brings to the fore what needs to be done to change driver attitudes effectively.

Active Enforcement, where Traffic Police Highway Patrol vehicles (pursuit cars), manned by single Officers, patrol the roads and freeways looking for infringements. Even minor infringements need to be dealt with as these soon lead to totally undisciplined and reckless driving.

Please support the funding for Police to buy 48 new Traffic Vehicles with the speed cameras on board so they are free to pursue those that don't indicate, tailgate and use
their mobile phones whilst driving.

Please forward this to the Police Union as we want to see the Authority of the Law restored to WA roads and have drivers booked for bullying others and being stupid on the roads.

Highway Patrol vehicles should not be used to be called on for violence related tasks. In fact they should be kept on the roads and only called on for traffic related emergencies, such as debris on the road. In this case it is appropriate that these vehicles do not require a second Officer.

Just to make this very clear, I am asking that two things be done.

1. Introduction of the Active Enforcement Strategy to keep traffic police on the roads for around 21 hours a day (multiple shifts) where they are to pull as many people over as they can. That is if they break the law, the Officer stop the vehicle and immediately with no discussion give the driver a ticket (ie failure to indicate).

2. Purchase of the 48 new Traffic Police (high powered V8) vehicles for use on the freeways, mainroads and highways of Perth streets.

For far too long we have seen not enough Police on the roads thus making it fertile ground for people to behave in almost any manner possible.

Thank you for your consideration.

Your's Sincerely, 

Your name and address here.