More than 4000 breach restrictions

More than 4000 people have breached lockdown restrictions and nearly 500 have been prosecuted, police have revealed.

Officers were now gearing up to target holiday hot spots over the upcoming holiday weekend, Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said.

He warned people not to be complacent as the country moved into level three next week, and said there had been more activity in recent days as some businesses prepared to open.

Of the 4452 recorded breaches, 423 had taken place in the previous 24 hours, he said yesterday.

The public had made 55,000 reports of bad behaviour, including about 1500 in the past day.

Coster urged people to stay home over the long weekend and said police would be establishing checkpoints on popular routes and hot spots to ensure all travel was for essential purposes.

‘‘This not a time for complacency ... Everyone needs to play their part.’’

Crime is falling overall, but police fear a post-lockdown surge. After an initial surge, domestic violence dropped back to levels that are similar to last year.

Coster also confirmed police won’t clamp down on community checkpoints. While they ‘‘don’t encourage’’ the barriers, police said yesterday they would work with locals to ensure they were ‘‘safe and not preventing lawful use of the road’’.

The National Party had called for the Government to offer clarity on the legality of the checkpoints. Iwi and hapu¯ in regions such as Te Tai Tokerau and Te Tai Ra¯ whiti are running checkpoints to restrict access to their vulnerable communities.

In a statement, police said that if checkpoints are deemed necessary, they will be operated by district police alongside community members and won’t restrict access for people moving through an area ‘‘for legitimate purposes’’.

They will continue in alert levels three and four.

Coster was joined at yesterday’s briefing by Civil Defence emergency management director Sarah Stuart-Black, who said people were growing anxious as the country prepares to move out of level four. There had been 1700 calls to the mental health line, and 17 per cent of callers had registered severe distress.

Superintendent Bruce O’Brien acknowledged that the lockdown could be a ‘‘honeymoon period’’ and the true effects may be felt down the track. ‘‘We initially thought we would see an increase in demand for mental health services but ... it’s remained pretty stable,’’ he said.

‘‘That’s not to say when we start seeing some of the implications of Covid that we may not see that increase in the future.’’