Police pop 64 speedsters in school bag

Catching drivers speeding past Omarama School really is as easy as shooting fish in a barrel.

Last week, Omarama, Kurow and Oamaru police launched "Operation Barrel" - a speed campaign in an effort to get people to slow down past the primary school.

Police have been deployed around the school zone throughout the key risk times each day.

In the first week of the operation, 51 tickets were issued to speeding drivers. They were written out in about eight hours - averaging a speeding ticket every nine minutes.

The highest speed recorded was 90km/h in the 50km/h zone.

Not one ticket has been issued to an Omarama local.

Another 13 tickets have been issued this week, making the total 64 since the operation began.

Omarama Police Constable Nayland Smith said the results were not surprising.

Since being stationed in Omarama in August last year, he said he had been "astounded" by the number of drivers who speed past the township's primary school, putting children's lives at risk.

Operation Barrel was named as such "because getting tickets speeding past our school is as easy as shooting fish in a barrel", he said.

Hitting speeding drivers in the pocket would quickly send the message that racing past the Omarama School would not be tolerated.

"They'll say 'watch out for Omarama, there's always a cop sitting outside the school'. So hopefully the message gets out there," he said.

The area was well sign-posted, with 50km/h signs which measured about 1.5 square metres in size.

"So there's no excuse. If they can't see those signs, how can we expect them to see a wee kid run across the road?" he said.

"One of the biggest concerns is trucks that speed through there, they're the ones that really annoy me because they are so much bigger."

Between July 2011 and February 2012, Omarama's sole-charge police station had the second-highest offence rate of speeding past schools in the Otago rural area.

The New Zealand Transport Agency has identified the Omarama Primary School zone as an issue, resulting in warning signs being erected on the outskirts of the south side of the township recently. The signs warn motorists they are entering a 50km/h zone within 150m.

Omarama police have also been granted funding for the instalment of two speed feedback signs which show motorists the speed at which they are travelling.

More police officers will be deployed this week for "Operation Barrel", which runs until Friday.

Infringement notices will be issued to drivers exceeding the limit by more than 4km/h.