Rego offences soar

There has been a dramatic rise in the number of unlicensed vehicle offences being processed through courts in the Great Southern.

Figures show almost 300 people were charged with driving unregistered vehicles between January 1 and July 28 this year compared to just 130 in all of 2009.

The increase comes less than two years after the State Government overhauled requirements for motorists to exhibit registration stickers on their vehicles.

The move in January 2010 was trumpeted as one which would create a more efficient licensing system.

But lawyers and prosecutors agree the considerable leap in offences, which are required to be dealt with by magistrates’ courts, could be more effectively dealt with if registration legislation was changed.

Legal Aid Albany solicitor-in-charge Graeme Payne said the implications of driving unregistered vehicles could have far-reaching consequences and supported the now abolished sticker system.

“We hear many stories from clients who didn’t receive the renewal notices for one reason or another,” he said.

“A lot of these people have never been charged with an offence before and are unlikely to re-offend.

“On the scale of things it is not a major matter that comes before the court, but it is certainly not a minor matter to the people that have to take a day off work, travel considerable distances or make arrangements for child care.”

Mr Payne said penalties ranging from $50 to $500, plus court costs of about $120 and mandatory court orders to pay half the annual vehicle licence fee could be avoided if registration stickers were reintroduced.

Albany’s chief police prosecutor Sergeant Ron Watkins said there was a risk the increasing number of registration-related offences heard in court could clog up the judiciary.

“The justices of the peace deal with most of these, but if you put them on a magistrate’s day you would certainly clog the court up,” he said.

Sgt Watkins said unlicensed vehicle offences were one of several that regularly appeared in the criminal court system that could be dealt with by other means, including infringements.

Acting Great Southern traffic Sergeant Drue Pardoe agreed legislation changes to allow police to issue infringements would free up time for policing.

“The legislation is currently in front of Parliament, but we don’t know how much the infringements will be or when they will come into effect,” he said.

Transport Minister Troy Buswell refuted the rise in the number of unlicensed vehicle offences may be linked to the changes to the registration system at the start of 2010.

He said registration stickers were withdrawn with police support, and attributed the increase in offences in the Great Southern to improved police monitoring technology.

But he was unable to explain a jump of 71 offences recorded in 2010 from the previous year, before Great Southern police received new speed monitoring and number plate recognition equipment.

He said car owners were responsible for ensuring registration was current, claiming the department was doing its bit by sending renewal notices to vehicle owners six weeks prior to expiration.

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