Checkpoint staff turn 114 cars back at city border

Fewer than 4 per cent of drivers were turned away at checkpoints across Auckland’s southern border after everywhere south of the city moved to alert level 3 at 11.59pm on Tuesday.

Of the first 3059 vehicles police stopped at five checkpoints, just 114 were turned away.

Among those were two men stopped at Mercer who said they wanted to head to Hamilton to buy facemasks. Police “pointed out there were a number of local places near their home where they could do so and they were turned around”.

The checkpoint at the State Highway 1 offramp near Mercer turned away the most vehicles — 49.

“These numbers show that by and large our community are doing the right thing and only carrying out essential travel and we want to thank the public for their co-operation,” said police commissioner Andrew Coster.

Some drivers were given warnings for undertaking non-essential travel and breaching the current restrictions in place, police said.

Such travel included people trying to leave Auckland to buy takeaways, or to pick up items bought online.

Police set up several checkpoints at the city’s northern border last night as Northland moved into level 3.

The northern Auckland checkpoints are at:

● SH1/Mangawhai Rd (Twin Coast Discovery Highway)

● Mangawhai Rd / north of Coal Hill Rd

● Black Swamp, west of Rako Rd

● Mangawhai Rd and Cames Rd

● Mangawhai Rd and Ryan Rd.

The southern Auckland checkpoints are at:

● SH1/Mercer off ramp — southbound traffic

● SH1/Oram Rd — northbound traffic

● Mangatawhiri Rd/SH2

● East Coast Rd — Waharau Regional Park

● SH22/Pukekawa-Churchill Rd and Logan Rd.

Meanwhile, as of yesterday, 155 people had been charged with a total of 166 offences nationwide since lockdown was enforced on August 19.

Of the charges filed, the most — 107 — were for failing to comply with the Covid lockdown order. Others included breaching the Health Act and assaulting an enforcement officer. In that time, 429 people were warned for 432 offences. Police had issued 2927 infringements nationwide.