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Police are investigating after a newly-installed speed camera on an Otago highway was knocked to the ground and caught fire, in a suspected act of vandalism.
Police were called to the stie on State Highway 1 in Allanton, south of Dunedin, about 2.55am on Saturday morning.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand said a volunteer crew from Outram attended to a “small electrical fire”.
The site has been forensically examined, as part of an inquiry into the suspected crime.
The New Zealand Transport Agency’s head of driving regulation Chris Rodley said: “Intentional vandalism of NZTA property is a criminal offence… The camera is an average speed camera and was installed in the past week, but was not in operation yet.
“We’ve secured the site and are working to repair the camera and pole.”
He also said: “Vandalism of safety cameras is not only extremely disappointing and costly, it puts road users at risk.
“The risk of crashes is significantly reduced if more people drive to the speed limit. By installing average speed safety cameras, we are reducing that risk.”
The camera remained beside the highway, this afternoon, when 1News visited.