Tickets go high tech in region
Jonathon Naylor
Editor
Getting a speeding or traffic ticket is now more convenient but no less painful for northern Manitobans.
The RCMP’s Northern Traffic Services unit has begun issuing electronic tickets that are printed roadside at the time of the offence.
“Traffic stops help keep our communities safe, and e-ticketing will help our officers make more traffic stops,” said Assistant Commissioner Kevin Brosseau, commanding officer of the RCMP in Manitoba.
“Police will be able to stop more drivers, and police traffic stops reduce crime. Not only do they take dangerous drivers off the road, but police also apprehend travelling criminals, stop the illicit movement of drugs and other contraband, and remove unsafe vehicles from the road.”
During a traffic stop, an officer will swipe the driver’s licence through an electronic card reader. The officer then adds the offence information.
An e-ticket is printed onsite. Data from the
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ticket is immediately provided to police databases before the information is sent electronically to Manitoba Justice.
Redundant data entry is eliminated, and both the RCMP and Manitoba Justice receive accurate, immediate information.
Many RCMP cruisers across Manitoba are now equipped with software and printers that allow officers to issue e-tickets. That includes two (soon to be three) vehicles with the Northern Traffic Services unit.
The unit, based in The Pas, conducts regular traffic patrols across northern Manitoba, including the Flin Flon-Cranberry Portage region.
General duty Mounties based in Flin Flon and Cranberry Portage do not have e-ticketing capability at this time, but that will eventually change.
Outfitting all RCMP vehicles will take “some time,” said RCMP spokesperson Tara Seel, as equipment such as driver’s licence scanners and printers are required.
“We are rolling this out [across Manitoba] as we are able,” added Seel.
Each year, Manitoba RCMP officers stop more than 50,000 vehicles and write about 34,000 provincial offence notices.
The RCMP said e-ticketing will increase public and officer safety by cutting time spent on the side of the road, reducing the amount of “spoiled” tickets, improving the accuracy and timeliness of road safety data, and enhancing enforcement analysis.
