Police Beat – On Fools and 4WDs

By Senior Constable Mick EMERY

Technically speaking, ‘April Fool’s Day’ is only supposed to be commemorated on the first day of April – as in one day out of the month. Yet as April rolled on there seemed to be no shortage of fools on our beaches who seemed oblivious that their one special day had come and gone…

The term ‘foolish’ is defined as: ‘lacking good sense or judgement, unwise’ – a perfect description of the drink drivers, drug drivers and speedsters we spoke to during April.

With road safety one of our key priorities over Easter, we were fortunate to once again have the assistance of our colleagues from the Drug Testing Unit and Tactical Crime Squad – both of whom were kept busy with ‘clients’ prone to foolish behaviour.

Numerous drivers tested positive to drugs and alcohol, with an Inskip driver recording one of the highest readings in the state at .270 (at this level there is near total loss of motor function and control, and is over 400 times more likely to result in a fatal crash).

With Easter now behind us, we can look forward to some cooler temperatures – and hopefully some cooler heads too…

…This time of year can be prone to petty disputes – most of which shouldn’t require police to intervene. Like any small community, the words of Max Lucado hold true: ‘conflict is inevitable, but combat is optional…’ (just as relevant to all our relationships really).

For me personally, the month of May holds many things to look forward to: great beach weather, great fishing, and the release of a new Star Wars movie (I confess to being a Star Wars tragic).

It seems even the old Jedi master, Ben Kenobi, offers an insight into stupid behaviour: ‘who’s the more foolish – the fool…or the fool who follows him?’ (he could well have been referring to the multiple cars stuck at Mudlo Rocks over Easter).

May the 4th be with you…