Prosecuting Zeal Suspected

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30401, 28 March 1964, Page 19

Prosecuting Zeal Suspected

• "I would like to know if the City Council’s - traffic officers are judged as officers by the . number of cases they bring forward for 3 prosecution,” said Cr. A. E. Armstrong at a : meeting of the Christchurch City Council.

i Cr. Armstrong was speaking in favour of kerbside payment of fines, and in support quoted his own case, where he waited at Court for Six hours for his case to come up, along with about 120 other accused persons. “There is no doubt in my mind that they should never pave been there if there had been proper liaison between the traffic department and the public,” said Cr. Armstrong.

’ “They should have been at their work. There were girls and boys, company managers, company foremen, a minister of religion. “Are we creating the incentive among officers that if they don't bring forward 40 or 50 persons to court there’ll be no promotion? I saw where some of them brought 50. 60 and 70 prosecutions a month. “I feel there’s a greater job to be done than hunting people. I’m satisfied that there are so many cases where if the person is wrong he will pay on the spot.”

Cr. H. E. Denton said it disturbed him that a traffic offender had to wait two months and a half to know if he had to “face the music”

without any information that he was to be prosecuted at all. “There is something wrong there,” said Cr. Denton. “A defendant should be notified in a very short time that he is to appear in Court. “If there was kerbside fining more time could be put into watching traffic at intersections and other more serious things. There are too many petty offences and not enough of what counts. “Can’t we develop a system where the defendant knows that he is to be prosecuted?”