Police Commissioner Andrew Coster:
As we head into the weekend, Police are reminding New Zealanders that we
remain at Alert Level 4 and non-essential travel or activity is not
permitted.
There are no borders in place and people should remain at their primary place
of residence.
For the safety of our communities it is absolutely vital that everyone
continues to adhere to the restrictions in place.
That means exercise should be in your neighbourhood only and any recreational
activity that could lead to a rescue or emergency response is not permitted.
That includes, but is not limited to, activities such as surfing,
snowboarding, tramping, fishing and whitebaiting.
Should you run into trouble with weather or injury and require help, you
immediately put others in danger. Don’t be the person who sparks an
emergency call out, when you shouldn't be out in the first place.
Police will be taking an education-first approach to the restrictions,
however, quick and decisive enforcement action will be taken where necessary
for the safety of everyone.
The majority of New Zealanders continue to do the right thing, avoiding
non-essential travel and keeping themselves and their whanau safe by staying
at home.
Since the beginning of Alert Level 4, 12 people have been charged in relation
to breaching COVID-19 restrictions, the majority of those relating to protest
activity. There have been two prosecutions in Northland, five in Auckland
City, two in Bay of Plenty and three in Canterbury.
Police have also issued 20 formal warnings to people in breach of the
rules.
Between midnight on 17 August and 5pm yesterday (19 August), Police have
received 1,869 Online Breach Notifications. 607 of those reports are from
Tamaki Makaurau. Of those reports, 984 were about a gathering, 742 about a
business and 143 about an individual.
Police remain out and about in our communities conducting reassurance visits
and compliance checks.
In Tamaki Makaurau today Police have been carrying out random pop-up
checkpoints to ensure compliance with restrictions.
The public will continue to see a visible Police presence in the Rodney area
between Auckland and Northland, with officers actively stopping vehicles to
ensure motorists have a legitimate reason for movement through the region.
We expect high volumes of traffic to continue around testing centres across
Auckland and we ask everyone to remain patient if travelling to these
locations.