This weekend NSW Police will be working overtime to ensure their Operation Tortoise is a success and our roads remain fatality free.
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Locally this Easter weekend will see as major police presence at the intersection of the New England and Golden Highways near Whittingham.
More than 20 police officers from highway patrol, rural crime, ballistics, anti-terrorism and intelligence sections will be checking vehicles for defects, firearms, warrant checks, drug,s ensuring all dogs are microchipped in fact anything that's illegal will be detected in their stop and search operation.
Hunter Valley Highway Patrol's Sergeant Steve Mallam said the operation at Whittingham would be operation on Thursday and Friday from 6.00am to 8.00pm.
"At this time of the year with the four day Easter weekend many people head west to go hunting and camping and we want to ensure those people have fully compliant gun storage and licenses , " he said.
"Also they often take dogs with them on these trips and we want to make sure they are microchipped because if they are left behind we can find the owner.
"Our other target is locating stolen motorbikes and quad bikes."
On Thursday afternoon the police were busy checking various vehicles heading west.
The other part of Operation Tortoise was the double dermit points in force until midnight Monday.
Sgt. Mallam advised motorists to drive to the conditions and stay within the speed limits.
On the Golden Highway on Thursday afternoon motorists were reduced to a crawl as they approached the New England Highway intersection. The traffic was banked up for more than a kilometre at peak time.