NSW motorists know the story of long weekends in this state. A few days prior the TV and radio ads start, promising double demerits for drivers. Families heading north, south or west of Sydney undergo an obstacle course of portable signs flashing warnings, speed camera installations placed at the best spot to catch you going five klicks over the limit, and highway patrol cars behind every second bush. It has nothing to do with road safety. I’ll never forget driving to Kempsey last year and seeing so many Highway Patrol cop cars hidden in scrub along the Pacific Highway. When we arrived at the rest area at south Kempsey there were signs everywhere saying it was a high crime area and perhaps dangerous, to even get out of your car. My friend subsequently explained that grey nomads had been bashed and robbed there repeatedly, with some hospitalised. So while the Highway Patrol was out on the freeway raising revenue, the crime hot spot was police-free. But note – I don’t blame the cops. It’s the Ministers who make these deployment decisions. To add insult to injury, three days into the long weekend, there’s usually a senior policeman on the radio saying how disappointed he is personally, at a big road fatality. And how all drivers are collectively guilty and we need tougher laws. Then two days later you find out the fatality involved some kid with his brain fried on booze pulling 160 clicks in his old Commodore and wrapping himself and a few mates around a tree in the middle of the night. But anyone behind a steering wheel is collectively guilty – including mum, dad and the kids, heading up to Coffs Harbour. Now NSW Fisheries are pulling the same type of stunt. Making all fishos collectively guilty for the actions of a tiny few. And once again, it’s about gotcha publicity for the Minister and a few public servants. Free feed for the media, pics supplied by Fisheries. Just change a word or two in their press release and there’s an easy story done. Lads, if we don’t start fighting back this will get so out of hand in coming years. While Tritton’s Rangers are scoring triple time busting a bloke with too many set lines on the Murrumbidgee, shamateurs are slamming Browns without any inspection whatsoever. It’s just like the Kempsey rest area, versus out on the motor way. The easy buck and the easy photo op are more important than busting serious offenders:
Posted on: Tue, 09 Sep 2014 10:59:51 +0000
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