Police spent almost $4 million fixing vehicles damaged in accidents last year, official figures show.
Stock photo. Photo: RNZ / Richard Tindiller
Figures provided to RNZ under the Official Information Act show that despite the national police vehicle fleet being slightly smaller than three years ago, costs for mechanical and accident repairs have gone up.
Police operate 3115 vehicles including cars, four-wheel-drives, vans, trucks and motorcycles which in 2016-17 were valued at $73.3 million.
Three years ago with 17 more vehicles in the fleet the bill for accident repairs topped $3m. In the last financial year that had increased to $3.85m.
Mechanical repairs to the fleet in the 2014-15 year cost just over $5m - a figure that has not changed much over the past three years.
Photo: Supplied / New Zealand Police
Meanwhile, fuel costs have dipped.
In 2014-15, it cost about $15.4m to keep the fleet running.
This dropped by $1m the following year, and was down to $13.3m last year.
Police national manager of infrastructure Andrew MacArthur said budgeting for fuel costs was tricky, because of the rapid fluctuations in price.
Mr MacArthur said the price changes were managed within the department's overall operating budget.
