SAPOL officers make errors in 13,000 on-the-spot fines in past three years

SA police officers made mistakes in about 13,000 on-the-spot fines in just three years, with an expert saying most errors aren’t found unless police review the fine.

Police are battling to catch up with clerical errors in 13,000 on-the-spot fines in the past three years.

The details have emerged in an FOI response to the state opposition, which has also asked if the errors were for dollar amounts charged or demerit points lost.

Opposition police spokesman Lee Odenwalder said: “It is clear that our police are overstretched and under-resourced, which is leading to these errors”.

“The government has cut more than $38m from SAPOL, and $11m worth of cuts are still to come in the next financial year,’’ he said.

“Our police officers have been doing an incredible job during this global pandemic but it has placed enormous stress on individual officers and unsustainable pressure on police resources.”

SA police officers during random roadside breath test operation for drug and drunk driving drivers on the Morphett St bridge in Adelaide.

Police Minister Vincent Tarzia said: “SAPOL has advised me that the clerical error rate identified from March 2018 to March 2021 is consistent with the error rate in the three years prior under the former Labor Government”.

“The Marshall Liberal government is proud of our hardworking SAPOL officers who continue to keep the community safe and strong,.” he said.

“Since coming into government, we have provided more than $170 million in extra funding to SAPOL.”

Traffic law specialist Karen Stanley – who has successfully voided hundreds of police traffic fines for clients – said the mistakes were one of the reasons her profession was so busy representing drivers.

She said the mistakes were identified only when police looked for errors, raising a question mark over the many hidden errors not looked for or detected.

“Police need to explain what these mistakes were, and whether they were for the dollar amounts they were charging, were they for the speed detected in speeding offences or were they other mistakes,’’ Ms Stanley said.

“Most importantly they should explain the mistakes that disadvantaged the driver and cost them more money or more demerit points.”

There are around 500,000 fines issued each year in South Australia.