Fuelish Mistakes as Police Put Wrong Fuel in Cars 19 Times This Year

The New Zealand Taxpayers' Union is expressing astonishment at an OIA response revealing that police vehicles have been incorrectly fuelled 19 times in the past year, incurring costs of $7,570.48 for the taxpayer.

Oliver Bryan, the Investigations Coordinator at the Taxpayers' Union, said:

“Filling a vehicle with the correct fuel is a routine task accomplished daily by thousands of New Zealanders seamlessly. The fact that our police, expected to demonstrate meticulousness and thoroughness, have consistently stumbled in this fundamental duty is perplexing and, frankly, absurd.

“Police have spent the last couple of years spending taxpayer money on fitting “dieselhead” devices to their vehicles yet the misfuelling has continued. Either the modifications were ineffective and a waste of taxpayer money or those refuelling their vehicles showed a magnificent display of incompetence.

"This scenario would be laughable if it wasn’t taxpayers’ money. When taxpayers fund vehicles for the police, they expect that property to be treated with respect.

"Taxpayers are owed an explanation and a pledge to avert such preposterous errors in the future. That would seem an ideal New Year’s resolution for our Police Force.”