A large rise in the number of speeding tickets given to people driving between 1 km/h and 10 km/h over the limit has caused National to reopen the debate about whether police are instructed to meet a ticket quota.
Statistics released yesterday showed that, in 2000-01, 315 people
were ticketed for going 1-10 km/h over the limit. In 2005-06, 41 people were prosecuted for going 1-5 km/h over the limit and 34,651 for going 6-10 km/h over it.
National, which last year grilled Police Minister Annette King over whether police were set quotas of speeding tickets they had to issue, has used the new numbers to reheat the argument.
"In 2000, those tickets made up 0.04 per cent of the total number issued, but in 2005-06 they made up 4.9 per cent. That is a huge jump," National police spokesman Chester Borrows said.
"With the number of tickets for many other speed bands dropping, particularly for those 20km or more above the limit, down 35 per cent, you have to wonder if they are playing catch-up in the lower threshold range, and that raises questions about whether there is a government quota system."
When this issue was raised last year Ms King and Police Commissioner Howard Broad denied there was any quota system. Mr Broad said the very idea was offensive and police were not bounty hunters ticketing for ticketing's sake.
Yesterday, police said a crackdown on speeding outside schools was the main factor behind the surge in tickets issued in the 6-10 km/h bracket.
Superintendent Dave Cliff, national road policing manager, said 70,000 tickets were issued.
"That's just during the high-risk period between 7.30 and 9am, and 3 and 4.30pm, on school days."
Mr Cliff said ticket numbers this year were dropping, but many drivers had not yet got the message.
"One of the things that's not assisting is that it is an extraordinarily low fine for those speeds. It's only $30."
Mr Borrows said there seemed to have been a huge increase in tickets resulting from one single campaign.
"It seems huge to be put down to one brand-new initiative, and I will be asking further parliamentary questions to confirm that is exactly where this increase comes from."
