Cop loses job for giving small fines

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A VICTORIA Police sergeant has been sacked for using his discretion to give speeding drivers smaller fines than the law required him to do.

The officer is believed to have booked about 500 people over two years around Avondale Heights, in Melbourne's west.

He reduced the penalty for drivers through means such as increasing a zone's speed limit on a ticket.

If a motorist was caught driving 80km/h in a 60km/h speed zone, the sergeant allegedly falsely increased the speed limit to 70km/h so the driver would be fined less and receive one instead of three demerit points off his licence.

A police spokeswoman said the officer had been dismissed following an Ethical Standards Department investigation into allegations of misconduct and perverting the course of justice.

Victoria Police argue that Deputy Commissioner Ken Lay sacked the officer because he had not been honest about what he was doing.

"All police officers are entitled to use discretionary powers when handling speeding offences, whether that be through the issue of infringement notices, cautions or other form of lawful action," the spokeswoman said.

"However we expect that the exercise of this discretion must be transparent and open to scrutiny."

The officer is appealing his sacking at the police appeals board with the support of the Police Association.