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National | Checkpoints

Police warn Aucklanders after a 'weekend away' to expect to be turned around at checkpoints

Police are continuing to encourage Aucklanders to stay local this weekend and adhere to the alert level restrictions which remain in place.

"Our staff continue to operate 13 checkpoints across Tāmaki Makaurau and for any Aucklanders planning to leave the region for a holiday or short break over the weekend our message is clear: expect to be turned around," Assistant Commissioner Scott Fraser says.

He says police will continue to stop every vehicle to ensure that motorists are permitted to travel and have the appropriate documentation ready to show staff at the checkpoints.

As at 4pm on Thursday, police had stopped 125,800 vehicles at checkpoints across Tāmaki Makaurau. Of that number, 6,174 vehicles (or roughly one vehicle out of every 20) had been turned around.

This comes as police on Wednesday arrested a man after he allegedly attempted to evade a checkpoint at State Highway 1 in Bombay as he tried to enter Auckland.

Police say the man ignored the signage for all cars to use the left lane and instead allegedly drove into the truck lane in order to bypass the checkpoint. The man was stopped by police 500 metres north of the checkpoint and was arrested for breaching his bail conditions as well as breaching the regional alert level 3 restrictions.

He is next due to appear in the Manukau District Court on 3 September on a charge of obstructing or hindering a medical officer of health or person assisting a medical officer.

Information about travel exemptions is available on the Covid-19 website.