Victorian police officer gets car impounded for hooning and no rego | Car Advice

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Victorian police officer gets car impounded for hooning and no rego

By Brett Davis |

A Victorian police officer has had his car impounded for 30 days under the new anti-hoon laws after being fined for not having proper control of the vehicle, which was also found to be unregistered.

The 42-year-old detective senior constable wasn’t on duty at the time of the incident, which occurred on Main Street, Mornington at 11pm on Saturday night, but police impounded the officer’s car on the spot for 30 days under the new laws which kicked off on July 1.

These new anti-hoons laws have only been in place for a few weeks yet irresponsible drivers continue to demonstrate a total disregard for their own safety, as well as the safety of other road users.

In May earlier this year, Victorian Roads Minister Terry Mulder announced the new laws would give police the power to impound cars of first-offenders on the spot for 30 days, up from the previous 48 hours. Mr Mulder said upon the announcement of the new laws that,

“It’s going to hurt their pockets, it’s going to have them on the footpath walking rather than driving, but we’re determined to get on top of this.”

It’s unknown what the officer was doing with the car exactly at the time of the incident. A police spokeswomen has said failing to have proper control of the vehicle normally involves “spinning of wheels” to some degree. She said the officer would receive a court attendance notice for the fines.

The officer is also under investigation by the Victoria Police Ethical Standards Department.

What do you think though, should officers be punished more harshly for setting the wrong example? Or should they be subjected to the same punishments as the rest of us? Tell us your thoughts below.


 
  • Stooge

    Sack him.

    • Camry lover

      I read this article with sincere disgust. I told my wife and she feels let down by what is supposed to be a societal role model representing the epitome of morality. It’s a shame that the officer on duty had to let his law enforcement team down by engaging in such a deplorable crime. The officer should be asked to apologies to his colleges to redeem himself. My wife is even considering contacting our local talk back radio station so disgusted she is over this matter. What if an innocent citizen was injured during this heinous stunt?

      This dangerous and menacing act on our roads has no place, bolstering the rationale behind replacing dangerous rear-wheel drive automobiles with safer vehicles such as the safe Toyota Hybrid Camry. With its voguish styling, powerful engine and safe but athletic front-wheel drive dynamics, I believe such a prestigious vehicle would be an ideal choice. As mentioned above, the Hybrid Camry offers a surplus of power courtesy of the environmentally sustainable propulsion method. Both my wife and I have to take extra care as the surplus of power makes exceeding the safety of the posted speed limit an easy occurrence.

      • chook

        Why do you think that the premium brands all use rear drive or all wheel drive ?? ,because front drive on its own is the way to cut corners on production costs and then theyre market the things to a naieve customer on the basis of minor savings in fuel usage !! . Try telling Aston Martin or Rolls or Ferrari or Porsche to build their cars in front drive so they can have the dynamics of your camry !!!! . We here still have the choice of rear drive dynamics in the other aussie built models for less than 40 grand without having to buy a cardigan wearers car !!

  • Thrillhouse

    This does not surprise me in the least. Mornington peninsula cops are animals.

  • charger

    i am worried about how open to interpretation spinning of wheels” to some degree is.
    Any older RWD car that doesnt have traction control etc in the rain spins it wheels does that mean they can be pinged?

    i totally understand a burnout etc but i think its to open ended and allows it to be abused by jerk coppers

    • f1worldchamp

      I am also worried by the phrase “not having proper control of the vehicle”. How is ‘proper control’ defined? Is it left up the cops to decide? One could argue a perfectly executed drift requires proper control.

      • Frostie

        A perfectly executed drift shows that the driver has great control of the car, and a drift can also be useful at times if you take a bend too fast because when you drift your velocity points to the apex of the bend, rather than a ditch next to the corner exit when grip driving.

    • Nissan S15

      As far as i am aware over in NZ to be fined under “sustained loss of traction” which is part of our Boy Racer Act you must have lost traction for a period of over three seconds

  • Back Packer

    Hang him by the testes

    • Nath746

      That’s a bit unnecessary

  • union

    Just because he is a cop does not mean he should be treated any differently or more harshly.

    • cameron

      yea he should be punished worse cos if there going to make and enforce these rules and do the wrong thing, they should be punished worse then the average civilian

  • HJP

    A fair treatment. No one is above the law, even including police officers or politicians.

  • Ron

    Sack him now.

  • Don Quay

    Spinning of the wheels, eh? I think it would be very difficult to drive any car, any time, with the wheels stationary.

  • Car Fanatic

    Why sack him, he wasn’t on duty.

    Should your work sack you for things you do in private?

    • Vince

      Of course he should be sacked. If he can’t be trusted to follow the law off duty, why should he be allowed to uphold it on duty? Contradiction much?

      • MeestaNob!

        So if he crosses the road against the red man off duty he should be sacked?

        Course not, but it’s the same logic you’re using.

        • Vince

          While I see your point and I could give you another example as a retort but at the end of the day… Police is Police is Police. He should know better as it directly correlates to his daily occupation. It’s about setting an example. He’s 42 years old, not 18 and fresh out of the academy.

    • CRS200

      Gotta agree with the Fanatic man on this one!

    • nickdl

      So if you bring your workplace into disrepute by causing negative media attention you shouldn’t be sacked? What a joke. I suppose Ben Cousins should never have been sacked from West Coast or indeed the AFL for taking drugs then?

      This officer has completely embarassed the police, who really don’t need any negative PR, by breaking laws that they set out to enforce. If they didn’t sack him, that would be saying that they tolerate hooning amongst their own.

  • Jerrycan

    Quite reasonable for first offence.
    Any subsequent offence would bring his suitability for law enforcement into question.

  • Ron

    Car fanatic: He is a poor example for our community and driving an unregistered car. Sack him I say.

  • Tom R

    Car Fanatic, your work can sack you for things done in your private time. For example, a friend of mine who is a psychiatric councilor was recently severely penalized for being touchy and “unprofessional” with his partner in public.

    If a policeman is found to be flouting the laws he makes a living keeping, and then makes a fool of the police when the press gets a hold of the information, YES, he should be sacked. He’s clearly in the wrong industry to be hooning, and UNREGISTERED?

  • Car Fanatic

    Tom, your friend should take them for unlawful dismissal. My Sister had the same thing and was awarded $25,000 because her relationship with her husband in private is not directly linked to her job in the medical profession.

    The rest of you just want him sacked because he’s a cop that did wrong. He was dealt with according to the law. Had he done this whilst on duty or in a police vehicle then his integrity should be called into question and his punishment may well end in dismissal.

    So Ron and Tom, what do you do for a living and we will decide whether your private actions deserve dismissal from your jobs.

  • http://www.ss.com Tom

    When its there own they dont state what they do, every other hoon case reported by the media it is detailed almost to the point that we know what they had for dinner before the incident!

  • Car Fanatic

    What a crock. So what did the cops do to you that makes you so bitter?

  • Car Fanatic

    Wow, that’s something you don’t see everyday. CRS and I agreeing on something.

  • Karl

    Without knowing how ‘ticket happy’ this particular cop was before this incident, I hope he will think a little more carefully next time he decides to take someone licence away.
    As Charger said, the hoon laws are open to interpretation, so this may ensure that this cop uses the laws as they were intended (to curtail those who are a danger to society).

  • Car Fanatic

    It started he is a detective, so Tom should he still be sacked given his job is to catch violent offenders who may possibly harm the public, your family etc.

    • UMWHAT

      he was possibly causing harm to the public, he could have lost control and smashed into a family

      he should be given 10 years behind bars just for sh*ts and giggles

  • http://hilly78@bigpond.com.au Cobra

    Of all people, should be sacked.

  • aaaron

    As much as this cop was doing the wrong thing and recieved the correct punishment I really don’t like the execution of these hooning laws. It is still too subjective as to what can be defined as ‘hooning’ and to lose your car for 30 days is a very long time, especially if some dodgy cop decides to make you the victim of his bad day.

    The other problem I have is that even if you don’t own the car you’re driving, it will still be impounded for 30 days. I would never approve of someone ‘hooning’ in my car if they’d borrowed it, and for me to be punished is just complete bullsh!t. It’s already happened a lot since the laws came in, with a drunk girl caught hooning in her mother’s new Honda. Now the mother would not have wanted her daughter driving her new car, let alone shredding her tyres while drunk, so why is the mother then punished? If it was her second offence would her mother’s car then be crushed?

    Then we have the issue that a slight chirp of the wheels, something very common in the wet, can, and has, resulted in the loss of a car for a month. Surely there needs to be a review of what we can call ‘hooning’ and what is innocent, safe driving. I’m sick of state governments implementing these ‘tough’ laws to score political points. They just seem to get it wrong and end up punishing the wrong people.

  • scatman

    He should be sacked for this, its like working in a bank and stealing money. Doing the exact thing his job is mean’t to stop

  • Flying High

    The fact that one cop did this to another cop is to be applauded. However, I am not sure of the career longevity of the arresting cop.

  • http://FreelanceAgreement.com Jesse

    ok ya dont want to lisen when i said all cops break the law every day and what happens to them nothin they hoon every day and we pay for it they take your licence you lose your job your house and everything else you own and them they laugh in our faces it needs to be stoped there a joke and theres only one persons that can stop them us so sack them all and give hommer simpson there job ha ha ha suckers

  • http://MadnessWeb.com Connor

    ok ya dont want to lisen when i said all cops break the law every day and what happens to them nothin they hoon every day and we pay for it they take your licence you lose your job your house and everything else you own and them they laugh in our faces it needs to be stoped there a joke and theres only one persons that can stop them us so sack them all and give hommer simpson there job ha ha ha suckers

  • Car Fanatic

    It’s nothing like working in a bank and stealing money. He commited a traffic offence and was punished accordingly, online with the public.

    I’d you work in a bank and steal money you are commuting a felony which is more severe than a traffic offence of this nature. Besides until he was pulled over and identified as a policeman, no one would know what he did for a living. Like I said if he was in uniform or on duty, then sack him.

  • garrywhopper

    Agreed about the bank thing, its got as much to with the story as Car Fanatics sisters love of the sausage in public
    Medical profession, maybe she puts on strip shows dressed as a nurse

  • Torque

    It is all to easy to speculate, maybe he is some burnt out detective that needs help, maybe he has attended to gruesome car accidents, suicides, murders etc that have a huge effect on coppers. Maybe he is some ego headed belter that thinks he can do what he wants.

  • qikturbo

    Give him a medal!
    These type of laws have ALWAYS somebody making money out of them.The State Government,the tow truck drivers and the holding yards stand to benefit and yet these type of road violations will continue to occur.
    I have very little respect for the law makers because of their aggressive and tenacious stand on hoon driving compared to their sometimes rather soft approach to other more serious crime!

  • Al Juraj

    It goes to show that every car lover has a need for speed. These laws, unfortunately, are on a different page, hence even those who should uphold are prone to be violators. There will always be hoons up until the entire driving concept in Australia is fully rethought.

    The whole motoring system in this country only focuses on three things: money, cash and moolah. Training is so poor such that many licenced drivers are really ignorant and mindless of others. Roads that are hardly maintained also contribute to danger.

  • http://Facebook Jerome Jackson

    Cop or no cop, these anti-hooning laws are ridiculously excessive.

  • John Lanzer

    Car Fanatic says:
    July 26, 2011 at 4:20 pm

    “Why sack him, he wasn’t on duty.

    Should your work sack you for things you do in private?”

    Well, that depends on the acuteness of the misdemeanors I perform outside of work in contradiction to the morals my employer holds. If I undermine my company by being blatantly stupid and publicly doing something that goes against everything my company represents, and brings my company into disrepute, then hell yes, they should sack me. And they would have the right to.

    If I was the branch manager of the commonwealth bank and I was seen on television with a sign saying F**k Commonwealth Bank, how long do you think i’d last? And how long would I deserve to last?

    This officer was BLATANTLY and PREMEDITATIVELY doing something he KNEW to be wrong, he knew to be completely against the ethos of the Victoria Police. When, of ALL people in society, HE should be the person with the morals not to have done it. He undermined every single police officer who does the right thing. So any police officers here who are backing this man up are just hurting themselves by reinforcing the negative opinions of the victoria police force by the general public.

    Some of you are trying to downplay this as “Just a traffic violation” Well excuse me, but many people have lost their lives over “Just a traffic violation”. And this wasn’t a slip of the mind, a thoughtless mistake, this was PREMEDITATED. He knew what he was doing. You should be ashamed.

  • save it for the track

    Anyone notice how the majority of these ‘incidents’ over the years, be it drink driving or the like are detectives? No doubt aside from the charges he will face, he will face administrative action as well.
    .
    Strange how the reaction to Lewis Hamilton doing a burnoutin public was quite the opposite.
    .
    And to the person that claims the arresting officer has somehow hurt their career??? Seriously, this is not the 80′s or some crappy Aus Tv show. In any of these cases the officer doing the wrong thing is the one putting everyone in a tough spot. I have no qualms dealing with ANYONE I stop, regardless of their job. For some matters there is NO discretion.

  • young drivers

    We, the young drivers, are always to be blamed.

    This is a perfect example for “not-so-young” people of “hoist with their own petard”.

  • Car Fanatic

    John yet again you example is ridiculous. If he was in uniform and had a sign on the side of his car saying Victorian Police Detective, then I agree. Again if said Bank Manager was at a protest over banks not slashing interest rates, he wouldn’t be sacked as that would draw undue attention to the bank by the media asking, ‘ what do you have to hide?’

    As a result of this he is being investigated for his actions so why don’t you little princesses go back to your xboxes and leave the investigation up to the police.

  • John Lanzer

    “John yet again you example is ridiculous”

    Wrong. My example is perfectly acceptable. Why? Because this incident HAS made national news. And anyone with half a brain should have known that it would. He didn’t need a sign on the side of his car saying Victorian Police Detective. You and I found out what this man had done because he is a supposed Law enforcer who blatantly flouted the law. He should have used his brain instead of bringing the police force into disrepute in a choice he made to do the wrong thing.

    Your assertion that the bank manager wouldn’t be sacked is ridiculous, if it were the case that the bank decided not to sack him in order to forego undue media attention then that would be their choice, but that has nothing to do with the fact that it would be a perfectly acceptable reason to sack him, and they COULD do so if they wanted. And most likely would. But your whole statement is ludicrous, are you stating that this officer wont be sacked because the Victorian Police has “Something to hide” as you put it?

    You’re right, the officer is being investigated for his actions, by the police who watch the police. So obviously they have cause to think exactly the way I do.

    As far as your little insults go with the “Princesses” and “Xbox” jargon, please stop being so childish.

  • Car Fanatic

    John, you don’t even know the circumstances of his offence only that he was booked and car was confiscated. As I said let’s wait and see the outcome of the investigation.

    Until then keep your one eyed opinions to yourself.

  • John Lanzer

    Car fanatic, I don’t know all the specific circumstances of the offence. And I have never purported to have known. But I do know that he was booked for an unregistered car, for not having control of his vehicle and his car was confiscated, and those two facts are all i have commented on in relation to the actions taken by him.

    Your assertions that my opinions are “One eyed” couldn’t be further from the truth. I am open to any opinion, although they must not be ludicrous ones in order to be considered. Please understand this.

    • garrywhopper

      Car Fanatic I wanna know what your sister did to get sacked in the first place, I saw this movie once called Naughty Nightshift Nurses, Im guessing it was something like that

  • Car Fanatic

    You assume because she works in the medical industry that makes her a nurse!

    Again Garry you sad little man, you are wrong.

    How many tricks did your missus turn last night on the GWH?

    • garrywhopper

      Just cause your sister is more popular than the VW Golf not need to get upset.
      Come on mate, what did she get upto, how many fellas were in the room when she was busted.

      • garrywhopper

        Now why is she like it, why does she gag for it anywere anytime
        Hosestly to get sacked for it she must be pretty loose
        Whats her number?

        • garrywhopper

          Hey dont get upset and post under my name, your the one that stated your sister was sacked for filthy acts
          I am just trying to find out what she actually did
          The $25,000 she received, was that for services rendered?
          Was it $100 per person?

  • Garrywhopper

    I get my rocks off on this stuff since I got out of prison. I like little boys

  • Garrywhopper

    I love to stick it to women. I’m on the offenders list you know!

  • Garrywhopper

    Oh and I live next to a sheep farmer, I go his sheep when he goes out.

  • Garrywhopper

    I also eat the little raisins I find in the sheep paddock, they’re a bit chewy but they taste okay.

  • garrywhopper

    Carfanatic, She didnt get caught serving it up to the caverders did sh?, to get sacked for it must be bad

  • Garrywhopper

    And speaking of Cadervers, I once did a dead sheep. It had only just died so it was still warm.

  • Union

    It’s Cadaver, learn how to spell Garrywhopper.

  • chook

    Hes just the cop who got caught !!! . How many other cops do it also and get away with it while also enforcing the very same thing !!

  • garrywhopper

    Now Car Fanatic

    No need for the awful comments above honestly
    I feel sorry for you, its the family that suffers in cases like this
    How did your poor old mother feel when her daughter got caught at a sausage sizzle during work hours

  • Garrywhopper

    Chook, you don’t know what you’re talking about, to busy tugga, tugga, tugga.

  • lolz

    i remember the days when catching a murderer was more important then defecting a commodore

  • garrywhopper

    Come on Car Fanatic, just tell us what your sister got up to at the hospital,what devious act could she have done to loose her job

    Takes a lot to loose a job these days, I imagine the words “she wont stop gushing” and “im full on the face” were used a bit

  • Dean

    I had jst lost my car for 30 days for hooning
    And this cop is sameone that sets an example
    So if a cop can hoon we can too.