A Taranaki police officer has quit the force and been convicted of drink-driving after crashing a patrol car.
A member the Highway Patrol, Constable Hamish Hardy, 29, took the car from New Plymouth police station early on Sunday morning four weeks ago.
He hit a power pole on the outskirts of New Plymouth after driving 60 metres on the wrong side of the road.
Rolling onto its roof, the car slid across the road and back before stopping.
On Thursday, he was fined $800 and lost his licence for eight months for driving two-thirds over the blood-alcohol limit. He had resigned last Friday.
