Under what circumstances can a stolen vehicle be seized in your country?
Stolen vehicle located in public place in New Zealand. As with stolen domestic vehicles the New Zealand police would recover the vehicle. It is likely that the vehicle would be towed to a local storage facility.
Once police investigations concerning the vehicle had been concluded it is the responsibility of the owner or insurance company to arrange the final disposition of the car. This may mean transporting it back to the source country or arranging for it to be sold in New Zealand.
What channels are used to notify the owner of the vehicle’s location (Interpol or other)?
Stolen vehicle located at private address in New Zealand. The New Zealand Police are required to execute a search warrant to seize the vehicle. If the enquiry concerning the vehicle relates to criminal offending in New Zealand then domestic legislation allows the police to execute the search warrant. If the offending has no New Zealand aspect then the only way the vehicle could be seized would be pursuant to a formal request made under the criteria of the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Act.
Once the vehicle was in police custody it could not be disposed of until any criminal prosecutions in New Zealand were concluded or a New Zealand court made a determination as to ownership and directed the vehicle to be returned to its rightful owner.
Once again the responsibility for costs for the return of the vehicle falls with the foreign owner or insurance company.
Last update: January 2008.