Police blitz sparks student backlash | Bay of Plenty News | Local News in Bay of Plenty

The police are today under fire for delib
erately targeting poor students with old
cars at checkpoints outside Bay of Plenty
Polytechnic.

But police are making no apologies
and say they are simply doing their job
to make our roads safer.

The verbal stoush has erupted after
the most recent vehicle checkpoint on
Windemere Road on Tuesday, February
16 this year _ the start date of the new
term for hundreds of Open Polytechnic
students.

Rob Hereiini, from Bay of Plenty Poly
technic's student support service,
Student Worx, said police had been set
ting up the checkpoints since he joined
the polytech five years ago.

Each year the checkpoints resulted in
fines issued to students for infringements
including having no registration, no war
rant of fitness, or driving with the wrong
licence type.