Surfboard cop out to catch new wave of boyracers (+video)

A police officer accessorising with a surfboard and swimming togs is part of a new viral video reaching out to the public about boyracers.

The clip stars Andy Clinton, of the Eastern District Road Policing team, and was shot "in-house" on basic equipment.

Just hours after being loaded to the Hawke's Bay Police Facebook page yesterday it had garnered 455 "likes", 28,000 views and had been shared 379 times.

Andy Clinton hits the beach running in a viral video.

A camera follows Mr Clinton from beautiful vistas of Te Mata Peak, to the beach, then a series of spots where blackened tyre marks weave across the road's surface.

"Even though we live in paradise I have noticed recently, and have been told by various groups about a scourge that's appearing on Hawke's Bay roads - I'm talking about the actions of a group commonly referred to as boyracers, I prefer to call this group anti-social road users," he said.

Mr Clinton cites a cost of up to $5000 for the Land Transport Agency to fix damage to highways from burnouts and the like: "I think you'll agree with me that's money best spent elsewhere".

It was the second attempt by local authorities at informing the public through social media with a relatable video - the first was a skit-like segment featuring Hawke's Bay road-policing manager Senior Sergeant Greg Brown. It has been watched by 40,000 people and shared more than 500 times.

Amusement aside, the core themes are important and this new genre has people paying attention.

"We are trying to modernise the way we are getting our messages out, that's what young people do, it's getting it out there to the young people we are trying to connect with," Mr Brown said.

The road-policing team focused on facts and realities they had seen on the highways and urban areas in the region.

"For Andy, in particular, he was dealing with boyracers on SH50 [in August]. Within 24 hours he was standing at the scene of a fatal on Farndon Rd.

"That wasn't directly related to boyracers but it did involve young people and fast cars - he wanted to make a clip on that."

Mr Brown encouraged parents to advise their children about driving safely and responsibly.

The prevalence of boyracers had increased markedly in the past six to eight weeks and there had been complaints, particularly around known local haunts.

In the video, Mr Clinton urges the public to take note of what they saw and get in touch to help police get the issue under wraps.

"Call us, even better if you get a registration, that's great ... everyone's got one of these these days [a smartphone], a video of something like that is like gold to us.

"People that drive in a manner that you have just seen are a hazard on our roads, together we need to stop them driving like that."