or is that just a convenient arguement best saved for another time and place !!
Leadfoot senior Victorian police officers caught speeding
Herald Sun
August 01, 2009 12:01am
Police Sending Wrong message ... an off-duty cop booked between 15km/h and 25km/h over the limit was the worst leadfoot.
* Top cops receive speeding fines
* Management "disappointed" by fines
* One travelling almost 25km/h above limit
ABOUT a third of Victoria Police's top brass have defied their own road-safety messages and collected speeding fines.
An off-duty cop booked between 15km/h and 25km/h over the limit was the worst leadfoot among the state's most senior law enforcers.
Traffic boss Deputy Commissioner Ken Lay yesterday refused to name and shame the high-ranking offenders who had racked up a total of 12 tickets, the Herald Sun reports.
Mr Lay would only say he, Chief Commissioner Simon Overland and his predecessor, Christine Nixon, were not among the offenders.
He admitted he was surprised how many of his top-level colleagues had been nabbed, and said he was disappointed.
Bad driving by the state's best and brightest officers had the potential to undermine vital road safety messages, he added.
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" Every K over is a killer?"
"There's no excuses. It's simply unacceptable," he said.
Seven of 20 serving officers in force command copped tickets between January 2007 and May 2009, including three who were booked twice. An eighth officer, who also collected two tickets during the period, has since retired.
Mr Lay said he was most annoyed by a driver who recorded between 15km/h and 25km/h over the limit. But he said eight tickets issued for exceeding the limit by less than 10km/h, and two tickets for up to 15km/h over, were also disappointing.
"I have spent a lot of time talking about the dangers of low-level speeding," he said.
Details of top officers disregarding road rules surfaced after a Herald Sun request using Freedom of Information laws.
Eleven of 12 fines issued were for speeding, and one was for failing to give way.
None of the offences was committed during police work.
Revelations of the top cops' driving records come as Victoria Police continues a major blitz in the state's worst regions for dangerous driving.
Force command has spent considerable resources urging drivers to take greater care on the roads, even recently resorting to using social networking site Twitter.
Mr Lay said the senior officers paid their own fines and copped demerits where relevant.
"They are treated like any other member of the community. They have to face the consequences," he said.
The Herald Sun emailed many of the possible offenders asking them to own up.
None replied.
Mr Lay said it was unknown how many speeding fines were issued to officers across the force each year.
Members do not have to disclose offences unless they lose their licence or are caught drink driving.
A report this week revealed that from July 2000 to May 2009, 179 Victoria Police officers were caught over the limit while behind the wheel.
