NZ police get 2874 speed fines

It may be a case of `do as I say, not as I do' after revelations that New Zealand police officers had to pay over 1200 speed-camera tickets over the past five years.
Figures released to the Otago Daily Times under the Official Information Act show 2874 speed-camera offences have been recorded for police vehicles since 2005, with 1251 fines paid and 1623 waived.
Waitemata police topped the list, with 469 infringements in that period, followed by Wellington with 354 and Counties-Manukau with 318.
Southern (Otago-Southland) ranked ninth out of 12 police districts, with 203 infringements -- 101 paid and 102 waived.
Southern police district road policing manager Inspector Andrew Burns said if police exceeded the speed limit without a suitable reason, they would get an infringement notice, just like the public.
Staff who triggered a speed-camera flash on their way to a job could notify police communications to have it recorded.
``The nature of our job is that you have to exceed the speed limit sometimes,'' he said.
Roading police national manager Superintendent Paula Rose said under Land Transport (Road User) Rule 2004 there were provisions covering the driving of emergency vehicles carrying out urgent duties.
Police officers were required to provide an explanation for any speed offence and were held accountable for any breaches if there was no justification or legal defence, she added.