Police say they'll continue to question motorists at the border to ensure everyone is keeping with the rules. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Police say they'll continue to question motorists at the border to ensure everyone is keeping with the rules. Photo / Michael Cunningham
A man who allegedly spat on a Whangārei Re:Sort Centre worker is one of multiple Covid rule-breakers on the police radar.
Officers continue to track down the man in his 30s after he reportedly spat on the Whangārei Resource Recovery Park worker's face around midday on Tuesday.
According to police, the staff member on the weighbridge had asked the man to wear a mask while accessing the waste facility on Kioreroa Rd.
When he refused, the staff member asked to him leave the premises to which the man responded by allegedly spitting at the employee and making threatening remarks.
The worker will undergo a Covid test as a result of the man's actions.
The incident prompted a stern reminder from police for people to follow the Government mandated rules around mask use - and not take frustrations out on businesses.
He was not the only rule-breaker clocking up police time as people continued to ignore restrictions at checkpoints between Northland and Auckland.
People aged 12-and-over are legally required to wear a face covering on public transport, inside retail businesses and at public venues.
On Sunday, a 29-year-old man, from Kaiwaka, was spotted by a pair of keen-eyed officers as he attempted to evade one of the northern checkpoints on foot.
The two officers spotted the man allegedly walking on the railway line just north of the Te Hana overbridge near State Highway 1.
When officers caught up to him, they found he was in possession of methamphetamine. Police did not disclose how much of the drug was discovered.
The man was arrested and issued with an infringement notice for breaching alert level 4 restrictions.
He is due to appear in the Whangārei District Court to face a drug-related charge on October 12.
In a separate incident, a 25-year-old man was arrested in Kauri after police discovered he was in breach of his bail conditions.
The officers stopped the man along SH1 where it was revealed he had driven through the northern checkpoints from Auckland into Northland by allegedly misinforming officers as to his reasons for travel.
The man reportedly told police at the checkpoint his bail conditions had changed.
He was charged with Failing to comply with the Health Order and will be appearing in the Papakura District Court on October 4.
As of midnight on Monday, a total of 102,075 vehicles had been stopped at the 10 checkpoints on Auckland's northern and southern boundaries since 11.59pm on August 31.
At the five checkpoints between Northland and Auckland, 18,743 vehicles have been stopped since Northland moved to alert level 3 on at midnight on September 2.
Of those, 295 vehicles were turned away for non-essential travel - including 32 on Monday alone.
At the five southern checkpoints, police reportedly stopped 83,332 vehicles - 972 of which were turned around for non-essential travel, including 131 on Monday.
A police spokesperson said there was no tolerance for people deliberately ignoring restrictions.
"If you are found to be deliberately breaching restrictions, prosecution remains an option for police. These attempts will also be incredibly frustrating for the majority of Aucklanders who are continuing to work hard doing the right thing."
