This article was first published in January 2020.
A helpful police officer has been praised on social media for pruning a roadside bush in Otago that was reducing visibility rather than ticketing drivers.
A photo of the policeman was posted to Reddit on Tuesday, captioned: "Top cop 2020 contender."
"[The police officer was] spotted cutting a bush obscuring the view of oncoming cars from the intersection at the bottom of the Crown Range instead of giving tickets out."
Commenters praised the cop, saying it showed that police care.
"Prevention first. Nice," wrote one user.
"Bloody legend" said another.
The officer told Newshub he was trying to make his community safer.
"I noticed the bush was reducing visibility around that corner a couple of days ago while out and about," Senior Sergeant Glenn Wilkinson told Newshub.
"So I grabbed a pair of secateurs from home and went out there yesterday."
"It's a busy intersection at this time of year and anything that gives motorists an extra couple of seconds of visibility is a good idea."
He says he hopes his gardening makes the road easier and safer for motorists.
"It might mean we don't have to attend a serious crash at the intersection further down the track."
