Government Announces 225 Strong Highway Patrol

Pre-Budget announcement on 8 June 2000.

A $152 million plus road package announced today will see greater emphasis on driver education and a dedicated traffic patrol on New Zealand's highways.

The package was announced jointly by Transport Minister Mark Gosche and Police Minister George Hawkins and includes $76.5 million to fund a 225 strong Highway Patrol to police New Zealand's state highways.

Minister of Police Hon George Hawkins said the Highway Patrol will mean a highly visible Police presence on New Zealand roads. "This Road Safety Package announces the Government's commitment to a visible approach to highway and traffic policing.

"A specialist Highway Patrol will be a deterrent to speedsters and will also provide targetted law enforcement designed to ensure our roads are well policed.

"New livery for Police vehicles is being designed and will be applied to new Police vehicles before this year's Christmas period. The vehicles will be clearly marked so that they can be easily seen," George Hawkins said.

This Road Safety Package includes plans for:

• A 225 Highway Patrol within New Zealand Police
• More money for community driver education initiatives
• Greater emphasis on Maori and Pacific Island driver education, as part of the Government's "Closing the Gaps" initiative
• More compulsory breath testing - particularly in high risk rural areas
• Tougher enforcement of speed restrictions and seat belt rules
• Providing safety information for those buying new cars
• Improvements to the monitoring of commercial vehicles.