Traffic cop calls for aid after driver gets angry

Police are right to call for back-up when situations become heated, road policing manager Andrew Burns said after a traffic stop flared up in Dunedin.

On Tuesday, Dunedin Constable Jack McGilbert radioed for assistance when a motorist became angry and refused to accept an infringement notice.

"Things can flare up in an instant. It's one of the hazards of the job," Insp Burns said.

"To protect himself and the other person he called for assistance. I fully support what was done."

Const McGilbert said he had just finished school traffic enforcement duties when he decided to monitor the intersection of Dundas and Clyde Sts late on Tuesday morning.

A motorist pulled over for allegedly failing to stop at the stop sign on Clyde St became agitated and tried to stop him writing the infringement notice, he said.

The man's yells drew the attention of two Campus Watch personnel who watched from a distance until another policeman, requested by Const McGilbert, arrived.

By that time, the motorist had phoned another person who arrived to act as an intermediary and translator.

Eventually the motorist reluctantly took the infringement notice, which had been placed under a windscreen wiper on his vehicle and drove off.

The "vast majority" of drivers "accept they have made a mistake and receive an infringement notice", Insp Burns said.

"Only a small proportion do have issues with it.They are generally few and far between."

Traffic enforcement at intersections had a high priority in Dunedin, he said.

"About 30% of injury crashes in Dunedin occur at intersections.

"We task the staff with looking at intersections very often because they are such a danger area for us."