"What a joke" – police officer caught breaking road rule
A picture of a police officer on her mobile phone while she is behind the wheel has sparked outrage – but the rules actually show she hasn’t broke any road rules.
The image, taken around 9.30am on Wyong Road in NSW’s Central Coast, was uploaded by an angry commentator who wrote: “Just seen this on Wyong Road. What a joke.”
Thousands of people commented on the photo demanding the officer lose her job.
“Everyone else has to abide by the law besides police,” wrote one commenter. “I hardly think that’s fair or just to be honest.
“Just because you’re a police officer it doesn't mean you’re a better driver than the rest of us. “You being on the phone is putting everyone in harm’s way and you should be fined. Same as speeding, unless it’s for catching someone, or going through a red light with your sirens on just because you don’t want to wait for the light to go green.”
“Police are human beings just like us,” wrote another commenter. “If a child ran out in front or a car hit the brakes there is no way she would have control of the car and therefore cause a massive accident.”
NSW Police did not comment specifically about the incident but a spokeswoman told news.com.au that police officers in the state are exempt from the laws which punish ordinary drivers for using a mobile while driving.
“In NSW, drivers of police vehicles are exempt under Rule 305 of the Road Rules 2008,” the NSW Police spokeswoman said in a statement. “Police officers may need to receive information about a job over their mobile phones for operational reasons, just as they might need to increase their speed to get to jobs without activating warning devices.
“They are also rigorously checked against our Safe Driver Policy.”