On the night of 2 April 2010 between 8.00 pm and 10.00 pm I and my two sons were forced to park our cars along the roadside leading to the Spring as all the car parks were full that night. There were hundreds other cars parked outside.
It was the Good Friday night when many people went to the Spring after the prayers to do some shopping or to have some foods and drinks.
After food we returned and found that hundreds of cars were issued with traffic summons. My car and the cars of my two sons were also not spared.
Two days later I met my friend, a traffic officer who is the Head of Traffic based at the Police Headquarters, Kuching telling him of our little “problems” that we were forced to park our cars along the yellow line as the car parks were full that night.
“Why don’t you pass the summons to me so that I can help you reduce the fines?” the Police Officer told me.
Paying the fine is not a problem. It may cost us between RM50 and RM70 each.
“So why not!” I said to myself. After all, I know the Police Officer very well since the time he was still the Inspector.
Secondly, it has been a long time I have not stepped foot into the Police Headquarters where I worked for 22 years and 10 months. Going to the Police Headquarters would fill me with feelings of nostalgia.
Three days later I went to see him armed with a letter seeking for the reduction of fine. That was the usual practice.
After handing over the three summonses and the letter, he told me that he would keep them and let me know in a couple of days.
I would have thought my friend would state the amount on the summonses and return them to me for me to settle at the Simpang Tiga Police Headquarters.
I queried him why he has to retain the summons. His reply was that he has to enter into the system. During our time before, once the person brought the summon to a traffic officer, he would sign and state the amount in the summon. The officer would tell him to go to Simpang Tiga to pay the fines.
Three weeks later all the three of us received registered letters; two letters were addressed to our homes and another to son’s office as the car he used was the company’s car.
In each of the registered letters, there was another summon using Borang (Kaedah 5) accusing us “of reasonably suspected of having committed an offence under the Road Traffic Act 1987 (Act 333)” demanding us to pay the fines of RM30.00 within the stated time. We are again required to supply the driver’s particulars to the Police.
The letter was signed by Dato’ Abd. Aziz bin Yusof, SACII, Ketua Traffic Pasukan, Ibu Pejabat Polis, Bukit Aman.
Firstly, the Police Officer should not have sent the registered letter to the registered address of the car. In the case of one of my son, the address of the registered car is at the office where he works, because the car is a company car.
In that case, why should the Police demand us to give them the address stated in the driving licence?
Further more using registered letter will complicate things further. In my case, and in the case of my son, both of us were not in the house when the registered letters arrived. So the postman left note and asked us to pick the letter from the General Post office.
What the Police should have done is to send the letters using “On Government Service” envelopes. Common sense!
Any way let us learn two or three lessons from our experience.
(i) It is a waste of our time to appeal for the reduction of fines. Just go to Simpang Tiga and pay the fines whatever are the amounts.
It was the Good Friday night when many people went to the Spring after the prayers to do some shopping or to have some foods and drinks.
After food we returned and found that hundreds of cars were issued with traffic summons. My car and the cars of my two sons were also not spared.
Two days later I met my friend, a traffic officer who is the Head of Traffic based at the Police Headquarters, Kuching telling him of our little “problems” that we were forced to park our cars along the yellow line as the car parks were full that night.
“Why don’t you pass the summons to me so that I can help you reduce the fines?” the Police Officer told me.
Paying the fine is not a problem. It may cost us between RM50 and RM70 each.
“So why not!” I said to myself. After all, I know the Police Officer very well since the time he was still the Inspector.
Secondly, it has been a long time I have not stepped foot into the Police Headquarters where I worked for 22 years and 10 months. Going to the Police Headquarters would fill me with feelings of nostalgia.
Three days later I went to see him armed with a letter seeking for the reduction of fine. That was the usual practice.
After handing over the three summonses and the letter, he told me that he would keep them and let me know in a couple of days.
I would have thought my friend would state the amount on the summonses and return them to me for me to settle at the Simpang Tiga Police Headquarters.
I queried him why he has to retain the summons. His reply was that he has to enter into the system. During our time before, once the person brought the summon to a traffic officer, he would sign and state the amount in the summon. The officer would tell him to go to Simpang Tiga to pay the fines.
Three weeks later all the three of us received registered letters; two letters were addressed to our homes and another to son’s office as the car he used was the company’s car.
In each of the registered letters, there was another summon using Borang (Kaedah 5) accusing us “of reasonably suspected of having committed an offence under the Road Traffic Act 1987 (Act 333)” demanding us to pay the fines of RM30.00 within the stated time. We are again required to supply the driver’s particulars to the Police.
The letter was signed by Dato’ Abd. Aziz bin Yusof, SACII, Ketua Traffic Pasukan, Ibu Pejabat Polis, Bukit Aman.
Firstly, the Police Officer should not have sent the registered letter to the registered address of the car. In the case of one of my son, the address of the registered car is at the office where he works, because the car is a company car.
In that case, why should the Police demand us to give them the address stated in the driving licence?
Further more using registered letter will complicate things further. In my case, and in the case of my son, both of us were not in the house when the registered letters arrived. So the postman left note and asked us to pick the letter from the General Post office.
What the Police should have done is to send the letters using “On Government Service” envelopes. Common sense!
Any way let us learn two or three lessons from our experience.
(i) It is a waste of our time to appeal for the reduction of fines. Just go to Simpang Tiga and pay the fines whatever are the amounts.
(ii) The “new” Police traffic system will cause a lot of delays. No wonder there are thousands and thousands of unpaid traffic fines.
(iii) The “new” system makes small things big and troublesome.
(iv) It is high time that the traffic police use ICT so that traffic offenders can pay the fines “on line”. In this case, it is paperless.
(v) It appears that the Police are too detailed and concerned in dealing with minor traffic offences. There are bigger things they should do such as solving murders, robberies, snatching thefts, rapes, drug trafficking, and etc. - The Broken Shield
Source: www.thebrokenshield.blogspot.com
Source: www.thebrokenshield.blogspot.com
10 comments:
The government agencies are bound to follow the rules and regulations and adhere to administrative procedures to deal with their official functions.
Of course,not all of their actions can satisfy everybody, but the public has the right to criticise them if their services are not professional.
His is my story. Last year when I went to pay my road tax, I was told I couldn't because my car was black listed. I went to the traffic shop and was told I had 2 summons of amount rm450. My God, one of them was illegal parking and another fancy number plate. Illegal parking, ok may be I forgot but definitely no fancy. I asked for 'less lah, Tuan'. Tuan said 'ok lah, 300' so I paid the 300 and rushed to get my road tax renewed. I came home totalling up the traffic receipts, it was 250 only. One of these days, I will go back to the shop and ask 'what's fancy?'
Hiyah,Jetty,just pay the fine and don't let them help you becos latter they will come for some'donation' as they deem you have owe them a favor. I have come across this before. Once you ask them to help you, you forever owe them a favor and if they met you in the coffeeshop, you have to pay for their meals. Not worth it!
If you can pay your Road Tax at any post office i do not see any reason why fines cannot be paid at the post office or even at any BANKS. If you were to go to simpang tiga Police to pay the fine is like a mad house!!!! and cause all the parking problems again.
Bayar aja Pok. Kelak kena blacklist mun sik dibayar. Susah hendak renew driving licence dan roadtax.
lesson learned. Do not go spring when carpark is full...apalaa special sangat pergi spring...full pun maok masuk....park lagi yellow line. Banyak lagi tempat pergi makan kat kuching. Siap lagi ada idiot park depan rumah orang lagi.
less or more beaucratic?
Yesterday I went to Traffic Dept. of Police Simpang Tiga to pay the fine which will be due today (30 April 2010).
Upon reaching the office I saw a notice that their system is down. I asked a counter officer (a lady) whether I can pay the fine. She responded that I can pay anytime after the system is connected. She told me not to worry about the due date to pay the fine so long I settle it later.
Waa laww..... such a good system. But imd you, I am sure there are ways (options) for the police to receive my money and issue a receipt that day. Yesterday, the government have loose RM30 for rejecting to accept my money. If 20,000 persons of such situation, the government will loose RM600,000.
Don't tell me the system does not have contingency plan to continue accepting the settlement of fine.
So far traffic dept Simpang 3 is concern, you are makan gaji mentality and lazy, to be precise.
I had a different case. I was given a compound ticket for riding a motorbike (I was in Malaya then) without a valid licence in 1996 (the non-ICT era). I paid the compound at the DPO; tried in court and also paid another fines. My mistake was that I didn’t keep the receipts after all.
Nine years later (yes, it’s a nine, "bloody" years!), I got a message from Simpang Tiga, regarding my previous offence. I appealed; but to no avail (as I don’t have “the proof”). Not to waste my time and energy (again!; except the money for the repayment of fines), I just paid it – at a half price!
You have faith in our cops? You must be a first class sucker!
No offence intended. Just speaking my mind.
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