Between 2005 and 2009 police recorded 2874 speed camera offences, with 1251 fines paid and 1623 waived.
Road policing national manager Superintendent Paula Rose said the number of speed camera notices issued to police had increased 64 per cent when compared with the average over the previous five-year period.
"This bears some relationship to the almost 100 per cent increase in the number of speed camera notices issued nationwide in 2010."
Last year the public recorded 628,000 infringements, nearly twice as many as the previous year.
Rose said those increases could be attributed to a lower speed tolerance over holiday periods and more effective deployment of digital speed cameras to address road safety risks.
She said speed was the most important determinant of road safety. Over the past decade there had been a drop in the mean speeds and the percentage of drivers exceeding the speed limit, and that had resulted in fewer fatal and serious injury crashes.
"Police are committed to maintaining and improving that trend."
There were provisions under the Land Transport (Road User) Rule (2004), for the drivers of emergency vehicles and enforcement officers to carry out urgent duties.
Defence for police included when "engaged on urgent duty and compliance with the speed limit would be likely to prevent the execution of the officer's duty".
That defence was not likely to extend to any dangerous or reckless driving, she said.
"Police officers are required to provide an explanation for speed offences and are held accountable for any breaches of speed-related legislation for which there is no justification or legal defence."
- OTAGO DAILY TIMES
