The assistant police commissioner responsible for road policing in Victoria says he is deeply embarrassed and disappointed after being caught driving at almost 10km/h over the speed limit while on the way to a meeting.
Victoria police on Monday issued a statement confirming the assistant commissioner Glenn Weir was caught speeding on 29 February in Parkville, in Melbourne’s inner north.
They said a mobile speed camera detected Weir’s unmarked police vehicle travelling at 58km/h in a 50km/h zone on Manningham Street at 10.55am.
Weir told reporters he was on the way to a meeting in Brunswick and mistakenly believed he was in a 60km/h zone.
“I genuinely thought it was a 60km/h zone and, as always, I set my cruise control under the limit but I made a mistake and it was a 50km/h zone,” he said.
“It was the first time I’ve driven on that road in my life. It’s a salient lesson for everyone that if you’re unsure of your surroundings, it’s your responsibility to find out [the speed limit].”
While Weir was eligible for a warning due to his good driving record, he has instead chosen to pay the $337 fine, which he was formally notified of on Friday, and lose one demerit point.
He said there was “no excuse” for his speeding and he would be eating “low-carb, humble pie” for dinner.
“It’s disappointing, it’s embarrassing,” he said.
“As the head of road policing, I spend so much time and effort trying to keep people safe on the road and then this happens. There’s no excuse for it.”
He said in 2023, Victoria’s road toll was 296, the highest number of deaths in 15 years.
“I don’t want to go through what [we] went through last year in terms of road trauma,” Weir said.
Weir started with Victoria police as a cadet in 1981 and has worked in various positions. In 2021, he was transferred to head up the road policing command.
