NSW: Highway Patrol now seperate from LACs

AWD Chaser · 20-12-2011, 01:09 PM

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/new...-1226226502183

Quote:

POLICE Minister Mike Gallacher has authorised the separation of highway patrols from the existing local area command structure as part of his deconstruction of the state's policing model.
Mr Gallacher, who worked briefly as a highway patrolman, has now delivered on his list of pre-election promises after eight-months in office.
"The NSW Government believe that having more police out on the roads is the best deterrent to dangerous driving," Mr Gallacher said.
"One of the key changes is the removal of Local Area Commands boundaries for the purposes of deploying Highway Patrol Officers.
"Road tragedy has no boundaries and that is why the Government has decided we need to move away from the LAC based approach to Highway Patrol deployment."
Mr Gallacher said the new highway command would be headed by Assistant Commissioner John Hartley.
"Our new structure will still ensure that officers are available to attend to urgent or life-threatening situations, but there should be less diversion of highway patrol officers to general duties," he said.
"Many highway patrol officers will continue to be physically located in LAC's, but their taskings will now be coordinated by the new traffic and highway patrol command instead of by LACs."
To support the new highway patrol command, Mr Gallacher has authorised 100 additional officers and 50 new vehicles.
Mr Gallacher said the new highway patrol command would see fewer officers being diverted to general duties and promote a strategic approach to the deployment of patrol cars.
The announcement comes a week after he released the 22 recommendations from the police resources audit completed by retired Assistant Commissioner Peter Parsons.
The Parsons audit called for the abolishment of the LAC structure, which was established 15-years-ago.
Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione last week authorised the deployment of a record two-thirds of recruits from the graduating December class to regional outposts after years of neglect.
Mr Scipione said he had worked with senior police in recent months to ensure that the command was in place before the busy Christmas period.
"We trialled this new command operational structure over the Easter long weekend and following evaluation of this trial we are now in a position to make the structure permanent," Mr Scipione said.
"Staff consultation will start immediately, but will occur in earnest after the completion of the two major Christmas and holiday road safety traffic operations in December and January."
Mr Scipione said the new model would allow LACs to log road safety issues and seek additional highway patrol assistance as required.
The highway patrol command will be fully operational by 2014

**redxm** · 20-12-2011, 01:27 PM

What a great idea. More HWP out there getting the message across instead of dealing with idiots and drunks

**Burnout** · 20-12-2011, 03:21 PM

The wheel turns full circle - this happened years ago when the old STP was deleted and NSW got the HWP.

Bossxr8 · 20-12-2011, 08:54 PM

More opportunities to chase revenue thinks the cynic in me. The budget must be a bit low.

But better to have the marked cars out on the road serving a purpose then speed cameras you don't even see.

**GasoLane** · 20-12-2011, 09:04 PM

Anybody who's had, or listened to, a scanner in the last 20 or so years would know that the NSW HP have always thought themselves to be a separate Police force from the General Duties section.

Paxton · 20-12-2011, 09:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GasOLane

Anybody who's had, or listened to, a scanner in the last 20 or so years would know that the NSW HP have always thought themselves to be a separate Police force from the General Duties section.

You don't need a scanner to know that.

bigsta · 20-12-2011, 11:36 PM

most cops are alright but the HWP are a bunch of dochebags, these are the kids that got beat up in school reaping their revenge on society.

Got a few mates who are coppers none of them like the HWP guys.

falconnut · 20-12-2011, 11:55 PM

Doesnt change my opinion of the HWP, hopefully this movement will collapse in on itself like red said happened to the last one.

Only met 2 nice HWP, the rest where douchebags, they want to get you for anything and everything.

wrongwaynorris · 21-12-2011, 04:57 AM

Most HWP coppers are decent blokes but it's hard to see past that when , A , they have to enforce ridiculous laws and B , have quottas to meet . The few times I have been pulled up it was totally deserved but on more ocassions than not they wrote me up for the next speed band under the one thay actually should have . I think a lot of it is dependant on the attitude you approach them with .

bigsta · 21-12-2011, 11:03 AM

They choose that type of policing though as a general duties officer can decide which way he wants to go, HWP officers have to complete another course as well as advanced driver training before they are given the keys to the SSs

No.6 · 21-12-2011, 03:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigsta

They choose that type of policing though as a general duties officer can decide which way he wants to go, HWP officers have to complete another course as well as advanced driver training before they are given the keys to the SSs or xr6t's and f6310's!

fixed.

X000BOSS · 22-12-2011, 11:03 AM

woohoo, so if ive got a smackie breaking into my house, i have less chance of police rocking up in time to save me from him, because the HWP will have to stay hiding under the overpass down the road from my house.

falconnut · 22-12-2011, 06:38 PM

hwp never comes anyway.

EDManual · 23-12-2011, 10:23 AM

So if you are being robbed on the same street that they are pulling someone over for doing 10 over, they wont come and help! Typical!
I have Less and less respect for them. The highway patrol is a tax collection service, thats all.
As we know, speeding does not kill many at all. Under 2% of the deaths are cos of dangerous driving (including over the speed limit)
I would credit the highway patrol with killing more people than it helps, as they create the mentality to drive at or under the speed limit and forget about conditions that gives rise to mistakes and non concentration and the fatigue that, and we know kills lots more than speeding over the limit ever would. Sure they may go clean up the pieces of a crash, but the GOVT cause it in the first place causing people to not concentrate on the roads.

vhcbm · 23-12-2011, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wrongwaynorris

I think a lot of it is dependant on the attitude you approach them with .

Agree.

When they approach you (say if they pull you over for speeding) they seem to say hello this is (insert name and rank) from (location) highway patrol. Been doing it for a while so don't know how new this all is although as said above they may just think there another section of the force.

Keepleft · 23-12-2011, 09:12 PM

The move was advocated before the last election, many years ago international bolshie agenda bought a few changes to NSW Police (among a few others). What was once the "NSW Police Force" was changed to "NSW Police Service", the politically correct removal of the word "Force" was the start of declining attitudes to police.

We then saw HWP cars simply marked "Police" removing the words "HIGHWAY PATROL", though officers did exist, they were NSW under LAC control and couldn't venture too far. The exception being when RTA took over key speed enforcement programs, when, from RTA budgets, would then pay HWP to carry out targeted 'blitz' traffic enforcement programs.

I have always supported a dedicated highway patrol, one focused on ALL driver errors, and not just speed, and one indepndent if both public servant -RTA control, and freed from Local Area Commander structure. We will see this develop over the next two years. The changes, mildly a case of back to the future, are to address the dreadful standard of NSW driver behaviour.

What I see daily is utterly appalling, as many folk know all too well, the chances were pretty small of seeing an HWP. The NSW HWP, increasingly free, will be visible - much more than in times past.

wulos · 23-12-2011, 09:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keepleft

What I see daily is utterly appalling, as many folk know all too well, the chances were pretty small of seeing an HWP. The NSW HWP, increasingly free, will be visible - much more than in times past.

I would disagree with this most strongly. Ultimately it depended upon what road, and what time. The HWP were most certainly out there, patrolling their "WELL KNOWN" blackspots, with Lidar yet completely? ignoring other road offences.
The cynic would say that their agenda - or paycheques were being financed by the fines they rake in. Policing a simple? speeding fine, with a yes / no result on a led display, being far easier to 'enforce' then other potentially more dangerous driving behaviours.

Whether the HWP, and other police are suddenly more visible, or have changed what they are targeting, is something which I can't say has changed one little bit. As recently as yesterday morning, I witnessed 2 officers on the small section of freeway from the Jolls Bridge - Hawkesbury river bridge (1 southbound, and 1x northbound) in addition to the 2x fixed speed cameras.
To my way of reckoning that is at best a 'duplication', at worst a blatant waste of resources. Of course I will be told that the radar units being pointed out the window, were to 'disguise' the other activities the officers were monitoring?