A NSW Police highway patrol officer has revealed the little-known reason officers tap a car after pulling a driver over.
Sergeant Steven Planinic, who has served with NSW Police for 20 years and works in the Auburn Highway Patrol, appeared on Fitzy & Wippa with Kate Ritchie to promote a Beat The Blue event, an initiative aimed at reducing road trauma by educating car enthusiasts.
In the lead-up to the event, Sergeant Planinic took the opportunity to bust some common myths about driving rules.
One caller, Gemma from Parramatta, asked a question many Australians have long wondered about.
“I’d like to know why is it, when you pull someone over, that you tap the car and leave your fingerprints as you walk off back to your police car,” she said.
According to Sergeant Planinic, there’s a reason for it, but it’s not something police often publicise.
“We don’t really like to tell people why we do it, because of the reason why we do it,” he explained.
“And it’s about, like you said, your fingerprints on the car. So I will let you use your imagination as to why we’d leave bits of ourselves on someone’s car.
“Because, if something doesn’t go well, and that person drives off, you’ve left a mark on that car that they can’t refute.”
When Wippa asked if it was deliberate, Sergeant Planinic confirmed it was “very much deliberate”.
“It’s a couple things, it’s making sure the boot is secure, so no one jumps out of it, and leaving a marker on the car.”
He added that NSW Police’s Highway Patrol unit has many similar safety procedures, with “extensive” training designed to ensure officers return home safely.
The revelation left social media users surprised.
“I was today years old when I learnt this,” one person wrote.
Another added: “Police over here in the UK are quite open why they do it. If they, god forbid, were to be shot in the line of duty while carrying out a check on a vehicle. It’s so if they catch the offenders in the car, they have the police officers fingerprints, and DNA on the back of the car.”
“I never knew this never took any notice but there you go you learn something new everyday,” another said.
Outside his police work, Sergeant Planinic is also the president of Beat The Blue, founded in 2016. The organisation’s fifth event will take place on August 9, with 99 civilians facing off against NSW Police officers on a wet skid pan.
Over the past five years, officers have won 80 per cent of the match-ups, highlighting the importance of safe driving. All proceeds from the event will go to NSW Police Legacy.
Images: Shutterstock/TikTok
