Mount Maunganui police operation: Maunganui Rd and Puriri St reopened

Polic closed two Mount Maunganui streets earlier this afternoon.

The Puriri St and Maunganui Rd intersection, which was closed for just over an hour because of a police operation, has been reopened.

The two streets intersect next to the Mount Maunganui library and the area is mainly residential.

A police spokeswoman sent a statement confirming the reopening and thanked motorists for their patience.

She said she was unable to confirm whether anyone had been arrested or taken into custody as a result of the operation.

A police statement issued about 3.40pm said diversions were in place and motorists were advised to avoid the area if possible.

Police told the Bay of Plenty Times the operation relates to a pre-planned search warrant.

The police spokeswoman would not give any further details about the reason for the planned search.

Lois Hellings, who owns Vogue Lighting in Totara St, told the Bay of Plenty Times she was unaware of the police presence until 4pm.

“But when I walked down the end of our road, I could see several police at the blocked Puriri St and Maunganui Rd intersection, I don’t know exactly how many exactly but I saw at least two or three armed police and two police vehicles.”

She said there was lots of congestion on the roads, including at the intersection of Puriri St and Tawa St, and motorists turning out of Tawa St were being diverted, including a bus with several passengers.

“There’s definitely quite a lot of congestion around Tawa St but traffic is still moving slowly on Totara St. Obviously any traffic heading to Maunganui Rd will be affected. I have no idea what this is all about or how long it’s going to take.”

Hellings said she was due to finish work at 4.30pm and head to Bayfair but her trip would clearly be delayed by the police operation and the congestion.