KEY POINTS:
There are less boy racers on Christchurch streets today after a weekend police blitz saw a number of vehicles seized and more than 500 people facing prosecution.
Operation Hornet was a high profile campaign targeting boy racers on Friday and Saturday night, to coincide with a car show in Christchurch, Canterbury road policing manager Inspector Derek Erasmus said.
Police staff were joined by vehicle testing officers from Land Transport New Zealand and collections staff from the Ministry of Justice.
"The campaign was aimed at removing as many vehicles from the road as possible for unpaid fines or for being in a dangerous condition," Mr Erasmus said.
"We were very successful in this with 36 cars being seized by bailiffs for unpaid fines, and 30 cars written off the road because of their condition."
Unpaid fines ranged from $100 to $30,000. Those who could pay the fines on the spot were given that option, with $4800 collected, and those who couldn't had their vehicles seized.
Police concentrated on four streets in the central city, especially Bealey and Fitzgerald Avenues where business owners and residents have been subjected to high levels of vehicle noise.
"Many staff commented on traffic being lighter than at previous event weekends," Mr Erasmus said.
"This may have been due to publicity about police activity and the enforcement tactics used".
Results of the operation:
* 31 cars written off the road due to their condition
* 36 cars seized for unpaid fines
* 2 cars impounded for 28 days for sustained loss of traction
* 5 arrests and impounds for disqualified driving
* 16 drink drivers arrested
* 522 other prosecutions including 91 for speed, 129 for licence breaches and 49 for not wearing a seatbelt.
The boy racer blitz coincided with the death of a pedestrian and a stabbing in known boy racer areas of New Plymouth on Friday night.
Cain John Longstaff, 19, of New Plymouth was struck by a car and killed on Centennial Drive on the west side of the city.
He was killed at a site on the outskirts of the urban area, where boy racers regularly gather.
A 23-year-old New Plymouth man was arrested and charged with dangerous driving causing death.
About the same time a man was stabbed on the other side of town at a large gathering of boy racers in the Bell Block industrial area.
Police are still looking for his attacker.
- NZPA
