Marked police cars curb motoring law breakers

[ltd_on20s]

Originally Posted by Pedro

Qld Police report on Q-cars (unmarked cars)

Between 20 December 2007 and 31 March 2008 a trial of
two Q-cars was undertaken as part of the Government’s
commitment to reducing the number of deaths on our
roads. The aim of Q-cars is to target serial and dangerous
traffic offenders where other conventional traffic
enforcement strategies may not be effective.

During the trial period, Q-cars were deployed on 120
occasions and travelled 33 813 kilometres. 1,480 offences
were recorded, an average of 12 offences per deployment.
A large proportion of life endangering offences were
detected (1 210): 718 (59%) speeding offences; 183 (15%)
mobile phone offences; and 72 (6%) fail to wear seat
belt offences.

In comparison, two high visibility marked
vehicles detected 485 life endangering offences during the
same period.


The above except is from a Qld Police Dept. report. You will notice that unmarked police cars detected 223% more offences than marked police cars.

Surely then, the argument that more marked police cars on our roads will make drivers more law abiding is proven by their own internal report.

But of course the dept. can produce around 223% more revenue by using more Q-cars and we all know it’s about generating revenue … not saving lives!

Like speed cameras … don’t stop them speeding … just watch them doing it and grab the cash.

does this prove there was 233% LESS negligent driving on our roads with marked cars?? surely with a stat like that if they were to "save lives" then more visible police presence on the road is the answer??

[steamin63]

Originally Posted by Explorer_Me

I was wondering how long it would take for a comment like that to be posted

work this one out.
october last year a young bloke was getting the snot kicked out of him by a gang of louts down the road from my house .the missus rang the police as i and 2 of my neighbors chased these maggots off. the police never showed.no call back ,nothing.
new years eve , a tool in a r32 is doing a donuts at the intersection up the road. i rang the police and they were on the scene in 3 minutes [yes 3 minutes].
that is just one example.

[Rodp]

There have been unmarkeds in NSW for as long as I can recall.

I was followed through the M5 tunnel by an unmarked green F6 only yesterday until some clown in a Hiace cut him off and on go his christmas lights. There's also a white XR8 with orange stripes that cruises around my area.

Harder to spot these days but the telltale lights above the rear parcel shelf and dash are easy to spot if you're looking for them.

[b2tf]

Originally Posted by Rodp

There have been unmarkeds in NSW for as long as I can recall.

I was followed through the M5 tunnel by an unmarked green F6 only yesterday until some clown in a Hiace cut him off and on go his christmas lights. There's also a white XR8 with orange stripes that cruises around my area.

Harder to spot these days but the telltale lights above the rear parcel shelf and dash are easy to spot if you're looking for them.

The XR8's have been finished up now in favour of XR6T's, also saw a VE SS unmarked while on the South Coast recently - runs up and down the Princes Highway and the lights are actually mounted on the bootlid above the numberplate - none in the back window at all.

[LTDHO]

Originally Posted by Pedro

During the trial period, Q-cars were deployed on 120
occasions and travelled 33 813 kilometres. 1,480 offences
were recorded
In comparison, two high visibility marked
vehicles detected 485 life endangering offences during the
same period.

Like speed cameras … don’t stop them speeding … just watch them doing it and grab the cash.

Originally Posted by MITCHAY

Unmarked = bust people after doing the wrong thing
Marked = deter people from doing the wrong thing

No, marked means you go else where and do it.

Originally Posted by azaxr8

Good job getting those speeders and raising revenue all while we innocent citizens are getting robbed, bashed, stabbed. I know which one i rather be increased.

Exactly, always will be about making income than peaoples lives.

Anyone, including police, that think that due to these results that marked cars prevent street crime, are incredibly nieve.

[platinumXR]

Here we go again :

I'm with Laminge on this and am sick of it...social attitudes REALLY need to change...I've said it before and I'll say it again...

Does it REALLY matter whether HWP are marked or unmarked? Don't speed and you will not be giving the Gummint any revenue...it really is that simple. Don't like the speed limits? Complain to the Gummint...not the cops.

If there were no speed limits or traffic laws there would be anarchy and chaos...a bloke got shot in Mexico...sorry...Victoria the other day due to a "Road Rage" incident apparently...too many drivers are cranky children who treat the roads like a racetrack and drive around with their hair on fire in the wrong place at the wrong time...and in 40 School zones...what's it going to take? YOUR kid to have his head split open and brains splattered all over the pavement by some boxhead running 5 minutes late for work and doing 75 through your kid's school zone? YOUR granny t-boned and killed by some fool who likes to see how fast he can go through a round-about and impress his mates...YOUR girlfriend's face smashed through the windscreen because some wombat thought he didn't have that many beers/bongs and forgot to see the stop sign/red light?

Everybody know's what the speed limit's and traffic rules are but eveybody choses to ignore them and then sook like a 4 year old when they get busted and try to blame everything else under the sun...except themselves.

Far too many people have proven they don't know how to drive safely at any speed let alone high speeds. A woman was killed the other night because she swerved to miss a dog...she would rather kill herself or possibly some innocent bystander and not go home to see her family than smash up her front bumper...or was she REALLY on her mobile?...might never know... or maybe too busy talking to someone in the back seat to drive around a slight low speed right hand bend and plough through a group of people and send kid's flying through the air and end up on top of cars in a carpark? (Lorne, Victoria...place might be wrong)

Cop's are no angels and neither am I, that's not what I am advocating...but they are not fools or idiot's and hear all the good excuses; all day every day...C'mon officer - it's a safe bit of road...I just changed my wheels and tyres so the speedo must be out...the kid's are late for school...I am menstruating...my throttle stuck...why arent you out catching real criminals (to a HIGHWAY PATROL OFFICER...think...jeez)...I no understand ingerish...It's a new car and I don't know how to work the cruise control...I didnt see the speed sign (that I drive past everyday for the last 3 years)...

There are opportunities to take matters to Court for GENUINE GRIEVANCES...GENUINE...not sooky man tears ones...If you feel you have been LEGITIMATELY hard done by then go for it... that's what courts are for.

EVERY TIME I have been booked, I have been doing the wrong thing, simple - I accepted it and moved on. EVERY TIME...and even lost my license for it too, but I did the time and got on with my life. It took me a long time to figure out the right time and place and just why they enforce traffic laws so vigorously.

You wanna drive flat out? Prove what a big man you are? Prove you can drive faster than your mate in his Subaru? Go to Eastern Creek, or Wakefield, or Winton, or wherever, you all know exactly where they are. I love it, track day's are the BEST THING - I can drive all my hotted up Fords as fast as I can...in a controlled and more importantly for MY SAKE...relatively safe environment...and CHEAPER than a 30k/hr and over.

You are all adults correct? Or am I giving you to much benefit of the doubt...maybe I am wasting my breath and you are all kids and just don't want to play well with the others...

: : :

[platinumXR]

Q-cars are also known as Covert and are usually task Force orientated...like Taipan...sort of.

[BOSS 540]

Originally Posted by jaydee

If people aren't caught and fined appropriately whats the deterrent.
See a marked car, behave yourself, once out of sight go about driving like an idiot.
How many of us slow down for a speed camera then go back to 10 kays over the limit.
I reckon all cop cars should be unmarked except those attending an accident scene.
My 2 cents.

My 2 cents as well. Whats so bad about 10k's over?, hardly criminal behaviour is it? But in NSW you can loose half your licence during double demerit periods for such an offence. Hardly a punishment that fits the crime is it?, especially if it takes your licence or you loose your job. There are plenty of zones where the speed limit doesnt always seem appropriate to the road conditions. Sure every one speeds, its just drivers perceptions as to what is considered safe or appropriate. IMO 10ks over (in the dry) isnt that bad and certainly not worth the demerits where as 30 or 40km over could be considered very dangerous most of the time. For me its about driving to the conditions, road weather etc and simply being sensible about it. The laws are there for those that arnt sensible about it but this matters little when its comes to enforcement. Is speeding twice as dangerous during a long weekend? No, but extra drivers on the road means an opportunistic time for a cash grab and all those "horror" road toll messages.

[irlewy86]

Originally Posted by Hunter

People need to remember that these unmarked cars catch a hell of a lot more than speeding, which I would prefer. Book more people for tailgating, running red lights, using highbeam when inappropriate, etc. All that sort of thing. Ping the numbskulls who have a hard time tying their shoe I say.

Agree. I'd rather 10 unmarked cars over one speed camera anyday.

[XBROO]

[QUOTE=platinumXR]Here we go again :

I'm with Laminge on this and am sick of it...social attitudes REALLY need to change...I've said it before and I'll say it again...

Does it REALLY matter whether HWP are marked or unmarked? Don't speed and you will not be giving the Gummint any revenue...it really is that simple. Don't like the speed limits? Complain to the Gummint...not the cops.

If there were no speed limits or traffic laws there would be anarchy and chaos...a bloke got shot in Mexico...sorry...Victoria the other day due to a "Road Rage" incident apparently...too many drivers are cranky children who treat the roads like a racetrack and drive around with their hair on fire in the wrong place at the wrong time...and in 40 School zones...what's it going to take? YOUR kid to have his head split open and brains splattered all over the pavement by some boxhead running 5 minutes late for work and doing 75 through your kid's school zone? YOUR granny t-boned and killed by some fool who likes to see how fast he can go through a round-about and impress his mates...YOUR girlfriend's face smashed through the windscreen because some wombat thought he didn't have that many beers/bongs and forgot to see the stop sign/red light?

Everybody know's what the speed limit's and traffic rules are but eveybody choses to ignore them and then sook like a 4 year old when they get busted and try to blame everything else under the sun...except themselves.

Far too many people have proven they don't know how to drive safely at any speed let alone high speeds. A woman was killed the other night because she swerved to miss a dog...she would rather kill herself or possibly some innocent bystander and not go home to see her family than smash up her front bumper...or was she REALLY on her mobile?...might never know... or maybe too busy talking to someone in the back seat to drive around a slight low speed right hand bend and plough through a group of people and send kid's flying through the air and end up on top of cars in a carpark? (Lorne, Victoria...place might be wrong)

Cop's are no angels and neither am I, that's not what I am advocating...but they are not fools or idiot's and hear all the good excuses; all day every day...C'mon officer - it's a safe bit of road...I just changed my wheels and tyres so the speedo must be out...the kid's are late for school...I am menstruating...my throttle stuck...why arent you out catching real criminals (to a HIGHWAY PATROL OFFICER...think...jeez)...I no understand ingerish...It's a new car and I don't know how to work the cruise control...I didnt see the speed sign (that I drive past everyday for the last 3 years)...

There are opportunities to take matters to Court for GENUINE GRIEVANCES...GENUINE...not sooky man tears ones...If you feel you have been LEGITIMATELY hard done by then go for it... that's what courts are for.

EVERY TIME I have been booked, I have been doing the wrong thing, simple - I accepted it and moved on. EVERY TIME...and even lost my license for it too, but I did the time and got on with my life. It took me a long time to figure out the right time and place and just why they enforce traffic laws so vigorously.

You wanna drive flat out? Prove what a big man you are? Prove you can drive faster than your mate in his Subaru? Go to Eastern Creek, or Wakefield, or Winton, or wherever, you all know exactly where they are. I love it, track day's are the BEST THING - I can drive all my hotted up Fords as fast as I can...in a controlled and more importantly for MY SAKE...relatively safe environment...and CHEAPER than a 30k/hr and over.

You are all adults correct? Or am I giving you to much benefit of the doubt...maybe I am wasting my breath and you are all kids and just don't want to play well with the others...

I agree with most of what you have wrote. And I've been guilty of speeding and getting caught and I don't have a problem with it. What I don't agree with is people getting caught for a few kays over, which is absolute rubbish. And that is revenue raising IMO. 8 to 10 kays or over yes but 3 to 5 rubbish, I'm lucky I live in QLD where I haven't been done for anything under 10 kays over and I've been past radars and cameras doing a few over but have never been done for that.

[Rob's 76 Effy]

Doesn't matter in the eyes of the law 1-2-3k's over the limit is speeding, i can see it now, they raise the limits on all roads to 10k's above what they are now, will this satisfy ppl no cause they will speed above that limit, so the line has to be drawn somewhere, never seen or heard anyone in NSW get booked for being that much over, 10 and about for sure, the limit is the limit stick to that and theres no revenue raising

[atec77]

Originally Posted by XR6_190

Putting more marked cop cars on the streets won't do anything to stop people from doing the wrong thing, not unless they have a cop car on every street, and no government in this country can afford that.

People might think it's purely revenue raising, but the way I see it, unmarked Highway patrol cars are very useful, in the case of most idiots on the road, they will only stop driving like an idiot (doughnuts, excessive speed, etc) when they see a marked cop car, so even if marked police presence was heightened, it wouldn't stop the majority, but if they get a ticket when they thought nobody was watching, they might think again.

And yes I have done stupid things in my car, the difference is when I was booked, I didn't blame the system, or the cops, I blamed my self, something more people need to do

The figures prove repeatidly marked cars reduce infringements , the effect last longer than round the next corner and it certainly has a calming effect but there are not enough cars on the road . I remember local policing and the crime rate and traffic problems were far less , unmarked cars produce more revenue and I expect like cams will continue to grow as the taxes they produce line govco pockets , unless we as a group make a noise about it of course , more police on site instead of revinue raising is the right answer and always has been

[eyes87]

The Unmarked Cars Down Here In Tassie Could Be Anything. Ive Seen Them In X-trails Subarus Commodoors Falcons And Even Camrys. I Actually Saw One In An X-trail Pulled Over On The Side Of The Road The Other Day, Hazard Lights On And The Bonnet Up. Tricky Or What?

[flappist]

Here is a point to ponder:

Police have a duty to uphold the law.
The law is supposed to be what society thinks is the right thing.
It is basic human nature to do the right thing and ignore the wrong thing.
More and more people are getting caught breaking pedantic and almost pathetic revinue orientated laws.

THE LAWS MUST BE THE WRONG THING.

Of course the wowsers, social engineers and little hitlers LOVE the pedantic, intrusive and revinue orientated laws because it makes them feel powerful by controlling others and for a short time they forget about their pathetic lives.

They will do and say anything to support their position as this is very important to them and you often see how angry they get when they are confronted about it.

Dont blame the police, blame the idiots you voted for and the worms in the "lobby groups".

Remember September this year......... Resistance is futile....

[XR6_190]

Originally Posted by eyes87

The Unmarked Cars Down Here In Tassie Could Be Anything. Ive Seen Them In X-trails Subarus Commodoors Falcons And Even Camrys. I Actually Saw One In An X-trail Pulled Over On The Side Of The Road The Other Day, Hazard Lights On And The Bonnet Up. Tricky Or What?

No chance the cop had just broken down on the way into work is there?

[Rob's 76 Effy]

Originally Posted by flappist

Don't blame the police, blame the idiots you voted for and the worms in the "lobby groups".

Remember September this year......... Resistance is futile....

So you think a change in government will mean a change in law enforcement, I don't think so somehow, the next mob in just capitalises on the out going and will introduce new ways to make a buck

[XR6TCraig]

Originally Posted by Explorer_Me

So you think a change in government will mean a change in law enforcement, I don't think so somehow, the next mob in just capitalises on the out going and will introduce new ways to make a buck

Unless enough people kick up a fuss and real road safety initiatives ( world class roads, review licencing standards, etc) become an election issue.

[azaxr8]

Originally Posted by Craiginmackay

I'm in the same boat, but I know of people being done by speed cameras for 63 in a 60 zone. When you can be booked for such a minor hiccup, paranoid sets in and people take their eyes off the road to focus most of their attention on the speedo.

Is that safer than looking up and taking in your surroundings at 10kph over the limit?

You act like you don't know the difference between right and wrong!?

[XR6TCraig]

Originally Posted by azaxr8

You act like you don't know the difference between right and wrong!?

You've known me so long, thanks for your insight into my personality!

How do you know how I act? Are you my long lost mother?

Please tell me oh wise one, how does paying more attention to the road and surroundings (other cars, trucks bikes,etc) than a gauge on my dash make me someone who doesn't know right from wrong?

[jaydee]

Originally Posted by Craiginmackay

You've known me so long, thanks for your insight into my personality!

How do you know how I act? Are you my long lost mother?

Please tell me oh wise one, how does paying more attention to the road and surroundings (other cars, trucks bikes,etc) than a gauge on my dash make me someone who doesn't know right from wrong?

Don't you look at your rev counter from time to time, your temp gauge, oil pressure gauge etc, and how hard is it to glance at your speedo for half a second every so often.
If you keep your foot on the accellerator pedal at the same point without going up or down, your speed should stay pretty much the same and vary only slightly, obviously allowing for inclines and declines.
It's just part of driving a car, if you find it too difficult then drive 5 kays under the limit and you should be right.
I just don't see how people have trouble controlling their speed. I'm not perfect, been caught speeding numerous times, wasn't my fault though, it was my damned right foot every time. If only it would communicate with my left foot to brake a little sooner too.

[XR6TCraig]

Originally Posted by jaydee

Don't you look at your rev counter from time to time, your temp gauge, oil pressure gauge etc, and how hard is it to glance at your speedo for half a second every so often.
If you keep your foot on the accellerator pedal at the same point without going up or down, your speed should stay pretty much the same and vary only slightly, obviously allowing for inclines and declines.
It's just part of driving a car, if you find it too difficult then drive 5 kays under the limit and you should be right.
I just don't see how people have trouble controlling their speed. I'm not perfect, been caught speeding numerous times, wasn't my fault though, it was my damned right foot every time. If only it would communicate with my left foot to brake a little sooner too.

I dont have trouble controlling my speed but thanks for the driving tips. I haven't had a speeding ticket in a car for 10 years, despite driving a car which can get to the speed limit very quickly.

I do look at my gauges on a regular basis. I have even bothered to fit 3 extra ones to get even more info from my car. I never said I didn't look at my gauges.

My argument is that when the government starts collecting revenue for doing only 3 or 4 klm over the limit (hard to tell when you have sped up only 3 or 4 klm without staring at the speedo), the knee jerk reaction to the paranoia created has drivers looking at their speedo more than they probably should because they are scared of losing points and moneys for such a trivial speeding infringement.

This could have the follow on effect of more accidents, not less, yet the government is cracking down on speeding using the premise of speed being the cause of most accidents and deaths on the road. The truth is, that simply isn't true! If it was, Vic would have had the lowest road death toll over the christmas period. It had the highest, yet it has the most stringent speed inforcement.

Drivers should be concentrating on the road around them more than the gauges on there car to prevent running into stationary and moving objects! That doesn't mean ignoring your gauges. Just a quick glance every now and then along with mirror and head checks,etc.

I dont know how you came to the conclusion that I dont check my gauges or how azaxr8 has come to the conclusion that I don't know right from wrong. I do!

[Laminge]