Police catch people speeding every day - and those who do the crime, pay a fine.
Drivers clocked speeding more than 40km/h above the limit are served a hefty fine and sometimes lose their licence.
But what about those tasked with keeping our roads safe? When they catch their own officers speeding, fines sometimes go unpaid for months.
Internal police documents reveal some officers took as a long as six months to pay fines after they were caught at highly dangerous speeds - and some nearly ended up in court over massive speeding fines.
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These documents obtained by Newshub show six police vehicles have been caught in highly dangerous breaches in the last decade.
Three, including a prison van, were caught in Waikato between 40km/h and 50km/h above the speed limit.
Two in Auckland were 45km/h above, and one in the Bay of Plenty was 49km/h over. In each case, there was no legal reason to speed.
The documents go further, showing that in one case, police were unable to identify which officer drove at 93km/h in a 50km zone in Hamilton and had to pay the $510 fine on their behalf.
Emails show it took six months to pay as senior staff threatened to refer the matter to the Ministry of Justice, saying "the motoring public don't get this leniency".
"It's disappointing anytime you've got people who are involved in road safety who don't seem to be practicing what they preach," says ViaStrada Transportation Engineer Glen Koorey.
Experienced traffic lawyer Tony Bouchier says officers are risking serious consequences.
"One would expect that the officer would pay the fine immediately, because there are quite severe repercussions if fines aren't paid - it can lead to arrest," he told Newshub.
Police were also unable to find anyone for an interview, but released a statement saying police do 145,000 high-priority jobs each year. Sometimes they get it wrong, and when they do they are made to pay up.
But it appears police officers have been caught failing to meet the same standard they enforce for the public.
Newshub.
