Mobile phone offences soar as 29 drivers caught in hour-long Tauranga police sting

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This comes as police figures show mobile phone infringements have risen sharply During the recent Tauranga operation, police issue ...

Police stats show mobile phone use while driving has increased across the Bay of Plenty over the past 15 years. Photo / NZME

Nearly 30 Tauranga motorists were caught using their mobile phones while driving during a one-hour police operation.

This comes as police figures show mobile phone infringements have risen sharply across the Bay of Plenty over the past 15 years.

During the recent Tauranga operation, police issued 29 infringement notices during a one-hour operation in Welcome Bay.

Road policing Sergeant Andrew Tarr said officers were alarmed by the behaviour they witnessed.

“We were seeing some people with no hands on the steering wheel blatantly texting, while others were trying to do it a bit more sneakily away from the window.”

Mobile phone offending has surged across the region over the past 15 years. Police data shows 278 mobile phone infringement notices were issued across Bay of Plenty districts in 2009.

By 2024, that number had climbed to 3347, an increase of more than 1100%.

The Western Bay of Plenty recorded the highest number of offences last year, with 1290 infringement notices issued, compared with 138 in 2009.

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