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What is the legal issue pertaining to the use of segway and New Zealand police?

WELLINGTON – POLICE in a New Zealand town have been forced to resume foot patrols after their futuristic Segway scooters were deemed illegal, reports said on Thursday.

Police in the North Island town of Taupo had enthusiastically embraced the electric-powered devices but had to abandon them after finding it was against the law to use them in public areas, national news agency NZPA reported.

The local Rotary Club purchased two of the Segways, which were then loaned to police to make it easier for officers to conduct patrols.

The two-wheeled scooters, which use gyroscopes and computers to remain upright and can reach speeds of up to 20kmh, had proven popular with the community, Inspector Steve Bullock said.

‘They are a novel vehicle, I would liken them to a modern-day horse because they engender curiosity and people want to talk to you about them, which is what we want as a police organisation,’ he told NZPA.

‘We want to be more engaged with our community and be approachable and be a person rather than just a blue shirt.’ Mr Bullock said that because there was no separate vehicle classification for Segways, they fell into the same category as cars and had to be registered as roadworthy for use in public areas. — AFP

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