[MotherBear]

[size=18:e17e8b0082][b:e17e8b0082]Speed fine for police chief [/b:e17e8b0082][/size:e17e8b0082]

22 October 2005
By CHALPAT SONTI

New Zealand's top policeman has been fined for driving almost 30km/h above the posted speed limit.

Police Commissioner Rob Robinson was stopped after a police car going the other way clocked him doing 97km/h in a 70km/h zone at Maheno, south of Oamaru, yesterday morning. He becomes the third policeman in the present police executive ? known for its hard line on road safety ? to get a speeding ticket.

Mr Robinson was in a rental car travelling from Christchurch to a family function, believed to be in south Otago. The patrol officer immediately recognised him and issued him with a ticket. Mr Robinson said he had set the car's cruise control for the open road and did not see the 70km/h sign at the entrance to Maheno.

Mr Robinson ? whose salary of about $420,000 a year makes him New Zealand's highest-paid public servant ? was fined $230. He will also incur 35 demerit points. He said he was "gutted to have been so stupid" and regretted having put one of his staff in the position of having to give him a ticket.

A police spokesman said the exchange between Mr Robinson and the ticketing officer was "professional". Mr Robinson was given the top job in 2000 after the controversial retirement of his predecessor, Peter Doone. It followed an incident in Wellington in which Mr Doone's partner was pulled over but not breath-tested in Wellington in 1999 after Mr Doone spoke to the police officer. Mr Robinson led the inquiry into his boss' actions, and found them to be inappropriate.

New Police Minister Annette King said Mr Robinson's ticket was proof that "nobody is above the law". "Policing our traffic regulations must be fair and be seen to be fair". Mr Robinson is not the first senior policeman in recent times to be caught speeding. Two of his executive ? Central district commander Superintendent Mark Lammas and Eastern district commander Superintendent Grant Nicholls ? were caught speeding last year. Both men were in police vehicles.

In 1998 the police minister at the time, Jack Elder, was let off with a warning after he was caught doing 73km/h in a 50km/h zone in Petone.

Mr Robinson, 55, has said ? to counter claims that traffic police were "revenue-gathering" ? that he is in favour of wiping speeding fines if it means those caught speeding lose their licences. Mr Nicholls and Mr Lammas have also been outspoken about speeding. Mr Robinson said he hoped publicity from his speeding ticket would remind other motorists to slow down during Labour weekend. The incident ? his first speeding ticket in 40 years of driving ? comes just days after he announced his resignation as commissioner. He will step down in December.