Northland police set sights on speedsters with new radar

Motorists feeling the impact of a speeding fine after driving on State Highway One in Northland recently probably didn't see it coming.

That is because a state-of-the-art Stalker dual radar in use by Northland's new highway patrol unit can be positioned up to two kilometres away from a speeding car.

Whangarei police Senior Sergeant Alastair Ward said the previous range of some police radar in use before the arrival of the highway patrol and Stalker had been about 300m.

"You won't even see us before you are picked up (with the Stalker)," Senior Sergeant Ward said.

The Stalker is also capable of picking up two speeding vehicles at once, and can detect speeding vehicles travelling toward and away from the patrol car.

After its launch on March 7, the new Whangarei-based patrol stopped 1197 motorists in its first week.

The patrol issued a total of 542 tickets, including 164 for speeding.

"The message really is get your speed down or suffer the consequences of a heavy fine," said Senior Sergeant Ward.

- NORTHERN ADVOCATE