Road Traffic Act 1961

A prescribed police officer may close a road to enable an aircraft to use the road in response to an emergency.

For the purpose of closing a road and enabling its use by an aircraft under this section, a prescribed police officer (or a police officer acting under the direction of a prescribed police officer) may—

install or display traffic control devices on or near a road; or

give such reasonable directions to—

the driver of a vehicle on a road; or

the owner or person apparently in charge of or with care or custody of a vehicle on a road; or

a person who appears to have left a vehicle standing on a road (whether or not the vehicle is attended by another person); or

a pedestrian; or

the pilot of the aircraft, as are, in the opinion of the police officer giving the directions, necessary for the safe use of the road by the aircraft or the safety of other road users.

A police officer must, in exercising a power conferred by this section, comply with such procedures and requirements as may be stipulated by the Minister by notice in writing to the Commissioner of Police.

A person to whom a direction of a police officer is given under this section must forthwith comply with it.

If a direction is given under subsection (2)(b) to a person who appears—

to have charge, care or custody of a vehicle on a road; or

to have left a vehicle standing on a road, that person is not guilty of an offence against this Act of failing to comply with the direction if it is proved that the person did not have charge, care or custody of the vehicle and did not leave the vehicle standing on the road.

If action is taken under this section by a police officer to close a road or enable an aircraft to use a road—

nothing in this Act is to be taken to prevent the use of the road by the aircraft; and

the aircraft is not to be taken to be a vehicle for the purposes of this

no liability will be incurred by the police officer or the Crown in respect of injury, damage or loss arising out of the use of the road by the aircraft.

The powers conferred by this section are in addition to and do not derogate from any other power conferred by this or any other Act.

A road closed for the purposes of enabling an aircraft to use it in response to an emergency must be re-opened for ordinary traffic as soon as practicable after the road is no longer required for that purpose.

In this section—

in charge of a police station; or

of the rank of inspector or above;