KEY POINTS:
New Zealand's busiest fixed speed camera generates more than 1000 tickets a month.
The camera - on East Coast Rd on Auckland's North Shore - was responsible for almost 9500 tickets being sent out to speedsters in the first nine months of last year.
The second and third busiest cameras in the country are both in the Counties Manukau policing district - one on Great South Rd in Otahuhu, the other in Mahia Rd, Manurewa.
The number of tickets issued last year from fixed cameras was the highest it has been in five years, although the growth from year to year was minor.
Police collect about $50 million a year from speeding fines, figures released to the Weekend Herald under the Official Information Act show.
More than a third of motorists drive over the 50km/h speed limit, and nearly 10 per cent speed in 100km/h zones.
As a result, more than 500,000 speeding tickets were issued nationally in the nine months to September - 16,000 up on the same period in 2007.
Most of the tickets issued last year were generated by police officers or speed cameras in the back of mobile vans.
Just over 72,000 came from fixed- or pole-mounted speed cameras, which are used throughout the country.
The 253,465 tickets issued from mobile cameras in the nine months to September was slightly down on same period the previous year, and 50,000 fewer than five years ago.
The highest number of tickets issued from mobile cameras was in Waitemata followed by Canterbury.
Waitemata Road Policing Manager Superintendent John Kelly said his district included part of Auckland's motorway system, so it was understandable the number of tickets issued would be high.
But too many motorists in the district also had an attitude that it was okay to speed.
"One of the things we are acutely aware of is that public opinion polls show very high levels of disregard for speed limits in the Waitemata police district, particularly in the urban areas," he said.
Officer-issued tickets - of which there were 243,641 - were up more than 17,000 on 2007, down 40,000 on five years ago. Officers in the Waikato and Tasman districts issued the most tickets.
Speeding motorists in the Waitemata district - covering the North Shore, West Auckland and Rodney - were hit the hardest, clocking up $2.17 million worth of fines between June and September last year.
Canterbury motorists generated the second largest amount of fines, $1.57 million, followed by Waikato with $1.27 million.
Auckland City motorists clocked up $970,000 in the three months, and Counties Manukau motorists generated $1.11 million.
Mr Kelly said police in the Waitemata district were trying to change attitudes to speeding, and if that meant issuing tickets "then so be it".
"'We are also acutely aware of the number of pedestrians we have, the number of school children and stuff like that, so it's a matter of dragging speed out of the system to make sure people are as a safe as they can possibly be."
Mr Kelly said the amount of money made from tickets was irrelevant.
"In terms of money, I don't give a damn. Money is absolutely irrelevant to police. It always has been and always will be.
"What you need to look at is what has happened to the road toll in the Waitemata over the past few years."
He said the district's toll had gone from 35 death a few years ago to under 20 last year as police officers targeted speeders, and that was all that mattered.
Police were criticised last year after the leaking of an email from Mr Kelly suggesting officers should be "turned loose" or organised into blitzes to meet ticket goals.
>>Officer's email suggests ticket quota blitz
The August 12 email set out ticket targets for his district's highway patrol officers in five "fatal" offence categories.
The categories included speeding, alcohol, restraints - such as seatbelts and child carseats - dangerous and careless driving and high-risk driving.
Each fulltime officer was expected to issue 1420 tickets a year, including 560 for speeding, the email said.
If the figures were applied to the 225 traffic officers on New Zealand roads, that meant 875 tickets should be issued to motorists throughout the country every day.
And the email pointed out in bold type that the figures were "the minimum expectation".
Police have consistently denied having quotas for traffic tickets.
But critics claimed the email was further proof of their existence.
National Road Policing Manager Superintendent Paula Rose said yesterday police made no apologies for the number of tickets issued, despite the criticisms.
"The only people who are issued with speeding tickets are those that choose to speed, and we will continue to target high risk drivers who put the lives of others and themselves at risk."
"The only person who can change their behaviour is the person who is behind the wheel.
"Our job is to take action to save the lives of others."
Mrs Rose said issuing tickets was an effective way of deterring people from speeding, and had nothing to do with raising money.
Figures for nine months to September 2008:
72,062 tickets from fixed cameras
253,465 tickets from mobile cameras
$52.7 million in fines
34% of drivers speed in 50km/h zones
