Reading this article... http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au...t-day/2130673/

In summary...fine for leaving the car window open a bit.

Can police really issue a fine for this? What happens if you drive a convertible and the whole roof is open when parked.

On what grounds could the fine be issued?

JAT... The father is 21 YO, I wonder if Albany Creek is a one hick town and the driver a known trouble maker from the cops point of view. ?

Could be the cops playing tough with the local smart arse ?

Shouldn't happen even if he is.

Seems odd but this is Australia, so there may be some regulation against it

This guy should opt to go to court. I'm sure the cops would back down in that case and cancel the fine

Can't comment on QLD but in NSW it is an offence to leave your car unlocked/unsecured.


S

It's a busy Brisbane suburb, no more of a hicktown than say comparing it to Coburg in Melbourne. I think it's probably just police making an example of him knowing it will make national headline news and thereby discourage many more from leaving windows down.
The simple answer is that Yes it's illegal to leave your vehicle unsecured. In Qld that means a window gap of less than 5cm in NSW & Vic the gap is only 2cm.
There's a link to a Ch 10 local news vid here that explains a bit more both about the story & the law.
Pedantic? Yes I think so. The RACQ advise returning to your car 5 mins early to open doors and let it cool down i.e busy mums with small children in tow are expected to stand in full sun for 5 mins & let a car cool down while stopping kids from straying in a busy car park. What kind of moronic advice is that!

Pointless over-regulation.


S

Another way for an a*se of a cop to use a petty rule to alienate the majority. He may be factually right, but it shows what an idiot the cop is.

If the driver leaves his window open and stuff gets taken, then it is his loss.

The same if I leave my house door open, but I expect there is a law against that too.

Why not leave a note identifying his action leaves him open to theft? This would be active advice, without causing indignation/loss. It might even help to reconnect the police to the general public, who after all, they are supposed to serve, not cower.

Then again this relies on some common sense and judgement, the omission of which seems to be a prerequisite for joining the police.

TD

Maybe that was what the cop was thinking when he alledgely said this.........
"the policeman suggested in future he leave "where he is half an hour early to unlock the car and let it cool" in the future." By my reckoning that smells like entrapment....

..... and to top it off, the wally of a cop put the wrong date on the infringement notice......

From the Courier Mail Aug 28 2011

"BRISBANE residents who don't sweep the footpath outside their homes every day before 8.30am can be slapped with a $5000 fine.

That's one of many curiosities among state laws and council by-laws which are no longer enforced but have not been removed.

Under Brisbane City Council's Streets, Bridges and Culverts by-law, homeowners or occupiers must "sweep and cleanse" the footpath outside their property once a day before 8.30am, except on Sundays or public holidays, or risk a fine up to $5000 and another $500 for each day the offence continues.

Annerley mum Anna Speers said she had never heard of the "ridiculous" requirement.

"It's obviously one of those laws that were made for some reason, but they're not enforcing it any more," Mrs Speers said.

A council spokesman confirmed no fines had been handed out for the offence in recent years.

The legislation also makes it illegal to camp overnight in a car on a road in Brisbane. Spitting on any Brisbane street can attract a fine of up to $5000 - but no one has been fined recently.

While it is illegal to set a booby trap designed to injure a person, you are permitted to set a "spring gun or mantrap" at night inside a home to protect it from intruders.

In Queensland, drivers are also allowed to assault their passengers or nominate another passenger to administer the beating, as long as it is reasonable and necessary to ensure "good order" is maintained.

University of Queensland law professor Andreas Schloenhardt said the state's criminal code was in dire need of reform.

"We have a lot of very obscure offences in the Criminal Code that on the face of it are quite ridiculous and many of them relate to protection of property," Prof Schloenhardt said.

"It was written at a time when Queensland had 60,000 inhabitants, most of them working in agriculture and fishing."

From

Apparently they are within their rights to re-issue a new fine notice with the correct details on it - there are no 'abuse of process' provisions that nullify the validity of the ticket if the issuing officer makes a mistake as there are elsewhere.


S

Rule 1. Do as I say, not do as I do........

Rule 2. If in doubt refer to rule 1........