237 Wellington police caught speeding

BLAIR ENSOR
POLICE REPORTER

Last updated 05:00 01/08/2012

Nationally, nearly 2000 police vehicles were snapped speeding in 2010 and 2011.

Relevant offers

More than 230 police vehicles in Wellington were caught speeding in 2010 and 2011 - 47 per cent more than in the two previous years.

Figures provided under the Official Information Act show 237 police vehicles were snapped speeding in Wellington campared to 161 in 2008 and 2009.

It's probably not the result police were hoping for when they cut the speed tolerance on public holidays.

Nationally, nearly 2000 police vehicles were snapped speeding in 2010 and 2011 - 60 per cent more than in the two previous years.

Of the 1856 police vehicles caught, 927 fines were paid. Nearly all other tickets were waived.

The 10kmh tolerance allowed on the top speed limit of 100kmh was cut to 4kmh at Queen's Birthday Weekend in 2010, and has been used for all holiday weekends since.

Since then police have said: "There are many factors involved in reducing fatalities on the roads but this is one thing that we can do that is making a difference.

"If you make the decision to break the road rules, then you lose your right to complain about the consequences."

In the information released last week, acting Superintendent Rob Morgan says the rise in the number of police being caught "is due to the introduction of lower speed tolerances over holiday periods and is in line with the increase in the number of lower-level speed offences across the general population".

National road policing operations manager Inspector Peter McKennie said it was inevitable that some staff would be caught speeding, but "on the whole our officers are very safe drivers".

Transport Ministry figures for 2009 show speeding was a contributing factor in 100 fatal crashes, 361 serious injury crashes and 1274 minor injury crashes.

In February, police said crashes during holiday periods had fallen 46 per cent since the lower tolerance was introduced.

Mr McKennie said the latest figures showed police staff were not immune from the law. If an officer was caught speeding, they had to provide a valid excuse otherwise they were fined just like other members of the public.

However, police owned more than 3000 vehicles that spent a lot of time on the road, and it was inevitable some would be caught speeding.

SPEED STATS

The top 10 police vehicles caught speeding in the last five years.

Ad Feedback

In all cases the vehicle was used by a police officer "engaged on urgent duty" and the fines were waived.

District Speed (kmh)