31 Mar 2020

Nearly 10,000 reports of suspected lockdown breaches made

4:21 pm on 31 March 2020

Police have received almost 10,000 reports of suspected lockdown breaches.

A man in his 60s looks out the window through open blinds. The man is wearing a black t-shirt. His hair gray. Head turned in profile. Glance tense. He looks at what's going on outside the window. Close-up shot.

Photo: 123rf

A new website, which has been live since Sunday afternoon, serves as a place people can report businesses or individuals breaching lockdown protocol.

It was set up to divert traffic away from the 111 line after more than 2000 people called the police to report rule breakers last week.

  • If you have symptoms of the coronavirus, call the NZ Covid-19 Healthline on 0800 358 5453 (+64 9 358 5453 for international SIMs) or call your GP - don't show up at a medical centre

As of midday today, the website had clocked up 9600 reports after initially crashing just hours after it was launched.

The authorities are clear that if it's an emergency you can still call 111, but if you're contacting the police to alert them to lockdown breaches you must visit their website or call the non-emergency number 105.

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