Where is our traffic enforcement?

Having spent 20 years in traffic enforcement I'm always curious if I will see any of it being done when I travel on our highways. Unfortunately I have to say that I very rarely see a police vehicle in my travels, much less one stopped at the side of the road dealing with a driver. The erratic driver I saw this morning brought the question to mind "where's a cop when you need one?"

Photo: Castanet Staff

At my last posting we typically had three dedicated traffic enforcement personnel on shift at any one time, assuming no one was taking time off, sick or in court. We three could be anywhere on literally hundreds of kilometers of highway within our patrol district. It's not a surprise that you could drive and not meet up with one of use on any given day.

The Ministry of Justice's documents show 396 dedicated provincial traffic policing positions in 2010. What isn't shown is whether these positions are actually filled with officers who are fit for duty and on the job. If they are not full, this may explain why I'm not seeing active traffic enforcement around me when I drive.

When I consider that I am more likely to suffer financial loss, injury or death in the operation of my vehicle than I am through all other criminal causes combined my perceived lack of enforcement is distressing. Yes, I may just be in the wrong place at the wrong time to not see policing in action. Not seeing it on a continual basis cannot be a good thing.

The author is a retired constable with many years of traffic law enforcement experience. To comment or learn more, please visit www.drivesmartbc.ca.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.