Road cops quit ticket quota

The days of assessing road police on how many tickets they issue are over.

Instead, Waikato Road Policing Manager Inspector Marcus Lynam wants his staff to emphasise better outcomes.

Road policing sits at the start of the ‘‘justice pipeline’’ and is a cause in reoffending.

‘‘We issue tickets, they can’t pay the fines, they end up in court ... so we are part of that problem.

‘‘I’m in this job for the next two years and in the next two years, I will not have any performance measures on the numbers of tickets for any staff because it is a barrier to what we want to achieve,’’ Lynam said.

Half of all police interactions with the public happen at the roadside, he said.

‘‘What I want to achieve is making the most of every interaction on the roadside.

‘‘We want staff making good decisions and using initiative to look at alternative ways of dealing with a situation rather than just looking to write a ticket out.’’

A quarter of all infringement notices issued in the Waikato are compliance infringements and ‘‘have no relevance to safety’’.

Out of date warrant of fitness stickers do not necessarily mean the vehicle is unsafe to drive, he said.

That doesn’t mean traffic tickets won’t be given – they remain a valuable tool.

Lynam was at a Waikato

‘‘We issue tickets, they can’t pay the fines, they end up in court . . . so we are part of that problem.’’ Waikato Road Policing Manager Inspector Marcus Lynam

Regional Council transport committee meeting on Monday and said something needs to change and it starts with top brass being less prescriptive.

‘‘Do we want a whole lot of figures and not very good outcomes, or do we want fewer figures and better outcomes?’’

And while it’s a ‘‘huge shift in mindset’’, the nation’s road toll – which in the year to December 4 stands at 370 and in Waikato is 58 – needs to come down.

In a statement, National Manager Road Policing Superintendent Steve Greally said infringement notices are one tool used to measure activity.

He said police districts across the country are changing from an ‘‘output focus to an outcome focus’’.

‘‘It is important that our officers take time to have a conversation with drivers who are offending before deciding how they will resolve that offending,’’ Greally said. ‘‘If we understand the cause of offending, we are more likely to be able to prevent it happening in the future.’’

Issuing an infringement notice is still an option and may be appropriate, but other options are available – including referrals to other agencies, driver-licensing programmes and further education.

‘‘It makes no sense at all to appraise an officer’s performance based on the number of infringements issued and we support Inspector Lynam’s approach.’’

Speed is a factor in 33 per cent of tickets handed out and it’s also a factor in the rising number of fatal crashes on our nation’s roads.

Earlier in the Regional Transport Committee meeting, New Zealand Transport Agency statistics showed the increase in the number of fatal crashes between 2012 and 2016 was influenced by longer trips and an 11 per cent increase in the number of motorcycles on the road.

The severity of crashes in the same period was influenced by an average increase in speed of 0.4kph, an ageing population, a 24 per cent increase in heavy vehicle numbers on the roads, people not wearing seatbelts and an ageing fleet.

Waikato Regional Council senior transport and infrastructure policy adviser Rachel Cook said the Labour-led government is reviewing the country’s approach to road safety and healthy, lowemission transport options – like walking and cycling – are likely investment areas.

A government-proposed fiveyear programme investing $800 million in local roads and highrisk infrastructure could save up to 1300 lives over 10 years, she said.

Deaths and serious injuries occur on local roads and Waikato Regional councillor Russ Rimmington said more analysis is needed to ensure roads that councils are responsible for are up to standard.

‘‘There is never any mention of road design and that needs to be looked at,’’ Rimmington said. ‘‘The fatalities are appalling – one per day. Better road design will reduce the number of fatalities. That’s what it needs.’’