Vehicles joined a gigantic queue to get back into Auckland on Sunday with some waiting up to 10 hours to make it through the Covid-19 checkpoints. Video / Kahu Rangiuia / Supplied
NZ Police are redirecting people to its website or the all of government Covid-19 website after its 105 non-emergency phone line was overwhelmed as people sought clarity over Covid rules - or to report possible breaches.
Police shared a message on various NZ Police regional Facebook pages saying the 105line was experiencing high demand and redirecting people to use the 105 online service where possible.
A Police media spokesperson said NZ Police 105 non-emergency received 3746 calls on Sunday - approximately 1000 more calls than usual.
The higher than normal volume of calls were mostly Covid-19 related and followed the Government's announcement on Saturday night that Auckland would change to alert level 3 and the rest of the country would be at alert level 2 from 6am on Sunday.
People were seeking COVID-19 information about travelling home after the Six60 concert, travel permissions and child custody arrangements.
Some calls were to report a possible Covid-19 breach. A further 250 Covid-19 breach online forms were also submitted.
"Monday is our busiest day. To minimise waiting times we are proactively informing the public that they can report a non-emergency matter through our online form anytime, anywhere – www.police.govt.nz/105support."
Police were also reminding New Zealanders that the best source of information for NZ COVID-19 is www.covid19.govt.nz.
However, people still needing Police assistance in an emergency or if they were in danger should still call 111.
