Deb Hann
Senior Constable Deb Hann – On the Beat
This week’s good catch story relates to a street robbery that occurred early last week. A teenager was walking in Leamington when he was approached by four youths in a vehicle. They stopped, got out and robbed him of some personal items. They drove off initially, then returned for a second time, and took further items.
Police were called and the vehicle was found driving not far away. Police stopped the vehicle and it along with the occupants were searched. The stolen property was recovered and returned to the victim. The youth are being held to account, including appearances before Hamilton Youth Court. Quick reporting by the victim with vehicle and offender details was key to ensuring a swift and positive outcome in this case.
On the topic of youth, it is the last week of term and school holidays are upon us. Keep an eye out for the younger members of our society who will be out and about, riding, scooting and walking on our roads. They can be unpredictable and don’t always have the experience or road sense of older peers.
With regard to those 16 years and older, we are regularly having reports of youth on restricted driver’s licences carrying their friends around as passengers. This is even more likely during school holidays. It is an offence for a restricted driver to carry any passengers unless they have a fully licenced driver – who has already held the full licence for two years – supervising in the front passenger seat. A restricted driver does not have the skills or experience to react in the same way to a traffic incident the way a more experienced driver would. With friends on board, there is a big chance of distraction or the driver feeling peer pressure to drive in a more reckless way than they normally would.
Both of these factors increase the risk of a driver engaging in dangerous driving and a traffic crash occurring. Whether young or old, we do not want anyone to end up as a statistic on our roads these school holidays. All drivers should follow the road rules, drive to the conditions and follow the two second road (four in inclement weather or any situation where it would take you longer to stop than normal). Be patient, allow plenty of time for your trip and take regular driving breaks. Have a good break and if you see any dangerous driving that is likely to cause a crash, call 111.
