The Government is injecting another $10 million into the National Land Transport Fund held by the New Zealand Transport Agency for road policing to prevent the loss of 26 non-sworn police vehicle safety officers (VSO).
The VSO’s are part of Police’s Commercial Vehicle Investigation Unit (CVIU) and are responsible for roadside safety inspections of heavy commercial vehicles; they are also called to inspect the aftermath of any crash involving a truck.
The New Zealand Herald is reporting that transport minister Simon Bridges and police minister Paula Bennett approached finance minister Steven Joyce last week with a request for more funding to prevent losing the 26 VSO’s through a proposed Police restructure.
Police told the road transport industry in March that they were proposing to scrap the 26 safety officers as part of wider cost-saving measures to stay within NZ Transport Agency’s road policing 2015-2018 budget of $960 million.
Bridges says he and the NZTA board had agreed to the extra funding because of the safety concerns aired by the Police Association, the Road Transport Forum, the Automobile Association, and other parties.
“Road safety is a bottom line, and it became apparent Police required more to fulfil what is necessary,” says Bridges.
He says the extra funding is additional to the allocated $960 million but was still within the wider band estimated for road policing in the National Land Transport Fund.
The Road Transport Forum says it is convinced of the need for sustained effective policing of heavy motor vehicles from both a road safety and commercial neutrality perspective.
“The rules and permitting regimes around heavy vehicles are incredibly complex, and the Forum believes that the possible disestablishment of the VSO’s will leave a dangerous vacuum of knowledge and talent,” says Road Transport Forum chief executive Ken Shirley.
