KEY POINTS:
The former head of road safety in New Zealand police has been killed after being knocked off his bike by a truck.
Superintendent Steve Fitzgerald, who spent five years as National Road Safety Manager until 2005, was riding in Petone, north of Wellington, when the accident happened last night.
The serious crash unit was investigating and a State Highway 2 on-ramp was closed.
Since 2005, Mr Fitzgerald has managed the police communications centre. He was promoted to the job to implement key changes in police call centres recommended in an independent report after the disappearance of Auckland student and model Iraena Asher in 2004.
A shadow was cast over his career two years ago when he was put on "special leave" after a complaint of "a serious nature" by another staff member. But he was reinstated a few weeks later. The nature of the complaint was not revealed.
Mr Fitzgerald's police career began about 41 years ago in Britain. He joined New Zealand Police as a recruit after immigrating in 1974. On graduation, he was posted to the uniform branch in Wanganui until 1978.
Between 1978 and 1983 he worked at Auckland Airport before moving to Wellington as a sergeant.
In late 1986 he became Lower Hutt's station senior sergeant until 1992 when he came to Police National Headquarters (now the Office of the Commissioner). He held a variety of strategic and management positions before becoming head of road safety in 2000.
