Neil Mitchell exclusive: Speeding fines nearly halved since police two-up policy

NEIL MITCHELL EXCLUSIVE

Police are handing out 43 per cent less speeding fines since the controversial two-up policy was introduced.

The policy, introduced last year, stipulated that all police highway patrol units must have at least two officers aboard due to the heightened terrorism risk.

Now, the Neil Mitchell program has revealed the impact on road policing has been almost immediate.

Speeding has seen the biggest fall.

• Six months before two-up policy: 79,733 speeding fines
• Six months after two-up policy: 45,517 speeding fines

But Assistant Commissioner for Road Policing Doug Fryer told Neil it’s too early to determine if there’s a link.

He said the policy isn’t going anywhere.

‘We’re never going to trade the safety of our members to get more tickets issued,’ he said.

Click play to hear his interview

In the year before the policy came in, the highway patrol nabbed 165,797 motorists.

But since the two-up policy that figure has fallen to 117,002.

And all this as the state’s road toll – currently up 25 per cent compared to the same time last year – continues to climb.

Click PLAY to hear Neil Mitchell break the news