IR-01-22-30705
1982
27 October 2022
Vivienne Lewis
Act
[FYI request #20768 email]
Dear Vivienne
Thank you for your Official Information Act 1982 (OIA) request of 5 October 2022, where you
requested information regarding the recent reporting of an undercover Police window washer.
You asked the fol owing:
Information
Could you please supply, in full, the following (if they exist):
1.
Any advice the New Zealand Police receive about the legality of undertaking such
activities, especial y in relation to section 11.6A of Land Transport (Road User) Rule
2004.
2.
Confirmation if the officer was found to be in breach of the Land Transport Rule.
Police did not receive any advice therefore your question is unable t
Official o be answered under section
18(e) of the OIA, that the information requested does not exist.
Police advise that the Officer was not in breach of Section 11.6A as he was not washing windows. He
the
was standing on the footpath holding a squeegee but was not entering the roadway or approaching
motorists.
Police have however, acknowledged publicly that giving the appearance of a window washer was not
appropriate and staff have been instructed not to use this method for future operations. Please see
the media statement below:
under
Attribute to Counties Manukau Road Policing Manager Inspector Tony Wakelin:
Police can confirm a road policing operation was conducted recently at an intersection in Manurewa.
These types of operations are an important part of our prevention and enforcement activities on our
roads. On this occasion, Police were looking for motorists who run red lights or who were driving
whilst using their mobile phones. Both of these offences are causes of death and serious injury on our
Police
roads.
We would remind road users that using a mobile phone whilst driving, which includes when stopped
at traffic lights, is both il egal and dangerous. The use of a plain clothes officer to watch for these
NZ
offences is a standard operating tactic to prevent death and serious injuries on our roads. Of which,
there have been 20 deaths on our roads in Counties Manukau in 2022 to date. People who take the
risk to run a red light are put
by
ting not only themselves but the lives of innocent members of our
community at risk. It’s a risk that is not worth taking and Police regularly carry out operations targeting
red light runners because we know the danger this type of behaviour poses.
However, we acknowledge the officer dressing to appear as a window washer is not appropriate and
we wil be communicating with our staff this should not be happening in future. There are lessons here
for our staff on the appropriate way to conduct these operations in future and I wil be ensuring those
conversations wil be had.
Disclosed
Tamaki Makaurau – Information Request Team
Piki Ki Te Ao, 482 Great South Road, Otahuhu, Auckland
Telephone: 09 839 0634. Email : [email address]
You have the right to ask the Ombudsman to review my decision if you are not satisfied with the
response to your request. Information about how to request a review is available at:
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz.
Yours sincerely
L Cleaver
Senior Project Officer
by NZ Police under the Official Information Act 1982
Disclosed
Tamaki Makaurau – Information Request Team
Piki Ki Te Ao, 482 Great South Road, Otahuhu, Auckland
Telephone: 09 839 0634. Email : [email address]
