http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/sub/topstories/story/0,5562,283453,00.html
Nov 6, 2004
Police in unmarked cars nab rogue drivers
Plainclothes officers target speeding, inconsiderate and reckless drivers
By Ben Nadarajan
UNMARKED police cars have begun patrolling areas like Orchard Road and Geylang, to keep careless, inconsiderate and dangerous drivers in check.
Police in unmarked cars nab rogue drivers
The results are starting to show: More than 300 motorists have been caught since mid- August as a result of these new tactics.
Many of these drivers were caught either weaving recklessly in and out of traffic, not signalling when switching lanes or causing another driver to jam his brakes.
Officers also keep an eye out for those who speed, use their mobile phones when driving, or drive when they are drunk.
The cars - which look every bit like civilian ones - are driven by officers in plain clothes, and there is no way to tell them apart from other motorists.
The vehicles used are of various makes and colours, and their licence-plate numbers are similar to those of ordinary cars.
Every little detail has been checked to make sure the cars look like any other on the road. Even parking labels which bear the police logo are kept away before they are sent out on patrol.
The cars have been deployed to 'problem areas' where the incidence of inconsiderate or dangerous driving is high. These include crowded areas like Orchard Road, as well as deserted stretches like Lim Chu Kang.
Once the plainclothes officers spot an offender, they will trail the vehicle and record events as they unfold with a video camera. Officers also narrate what is happening.
No summonses are issued on the spot. Instead, they are sent out once the recordings have been reviewed.
The reason for this: Police do not want to stop drivers on the roads because of the need to keep the squad of unmarked cars inconspicuous and unrecognisable to the public.
In some instances, however, normal patrol cars are alerted to intercept the offenders.
Traffic Police commander Teo Kian Teck said the areas selected for patrols are based on public feedback and complaints.
In Orchard Road, for example, 166 traffic summonses were issued in the first nine months of this year, almost five times the figure for the same period last year.
Addressing some motorists' concern that the new move was 'extreme', AC Teo said most drivers had nothing to fear.
He said: 'This tactic is targeted at those motorists who do not drive responsibly and endanger the safety of others when they think that uniformed officers are not in sight.
'They will now have to be on their toes constantly, because they never know when we are watching them.'
Police have noted a tendency among drivers to toe the line when they see the law-enforcers but floor the accelerator or drive recklessly when they think no one is watching them.
The chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Home Affairs, Ms Indranee Rajah, said the latest initiative might inculcate in motorists a habit of driving safely even without police presence.
Nov 6, 2004
Police in unmarked cars nab rogue drivers
Plainclothes officers target speeding, inconsiderate and reckless drivers
By Ben Nadarajan
UNMARKED police cars have begun patrolling areas like Orchard Road and Geylang, to keep careless, inconsiderate and dangerous drivers in check.
Police in unmarked cars nab rogue drivers
The results are starting to show: More than 300 motorists have been caught since mid- August as a result of these new tactics.
Many of these drivers were caught either weaving recklessly in and out of traffic, not signalling when switching lanes or causing another driver to jam his brakes.
Officers also keep an eye out for those who speed, use their mobile phones when driving, or drive when they are drunk.
The cars - which look every bit like civilian ones - are driven by officers in plain clothes, and there is no way to tell them apart from other motorists.
The vehicles used are of various makes and colours, and their licence-plate numbers are similar to those of ordinary cars.
Every little detail has been checked to make sure the cars look like any other on the road. Even parking labels which bear the police logo are kept away before they are sent out on patrol.
The cars have been deployed to 'problem areas' where the incidence of inconsiderate or dangerous driving is high. These include crowded areas like Orchard Road, as well as deserted stretches like Lim Chu Kang.
Once the plainclothes officers spot an offender, they will trail the vehicle and record events as they unfold with a video camera. Officers also narrate what is happening.
No summonses are issued on the spot. Instead, they are sent out once the recordings have been reviewed.
The reason for this: Police do not want to stop drivers on the roads because of the need to keep the squad of unmarked cars inconspicuous and unrecognisable to the public.
In some instances, however, normal patrol cars are alerted to intercept the offenders.
Traffic Police commander Teo Kian Teck said the areas selected for patrols are based on public feedback and complaints.
In Orchard Road, for example, 166 traffic summonses were issued in the first nine months of this year, almost five times the figure for the same period last year.
Addressing some motorists' concern that the new move was 'extreme', AC Teo said most drivers had nothing to fear.
He said: 'This tactic is targeted at those motorists who do not drive responsibly and endanger the safety of others when they think that uniformed officers are not in sight.
'They will now have to be on their toes constantly, because they never know when we are watching them.'
Police have noted a tendency among drivers to toe the line when they see the law-enforcers but floor the accelerator or drive recklessly when they think no one is watching them.
The chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Home Affairs, Ms Indranee Rajah, said the latest initiative might inculcate in motorists a habit of driving safely even without police presence.
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