Police were left "alarmed" after a baby was found in a car attending an illegal Waikato street race overnight.
Police made 12 arrests and issued more than 200 tickets after around 1000 "anti-social road users" showed up to races in the region.
According to Inspector Will Loughrin, roads were blocked and "unsafe driving behaviour" was witnessed.
"Alarmingly, attending police found a baby in one of the vehicles driven by a group of teenagers believed to have travelled from out of the district," Loughrin said.
"The vehicle was subsequently impounded."
Police were clamping down on illegal street racing as part of Operation Shadow.
Of the 12 arrests made overnight, seven were made for excess breath alcohol, two for disorder, one for driving while suspended, one of a breach of home detention, and another over an existing warrant for arrest.
Police said around 220 traffic infringements and a number of infringement notices to bystanders who were consuming alcohol within liquor ban areas were also handed out.
Three people had their licenses suspended.
"There were numerous instances of people blocking intersections – both pedestrians and vehicles – a number of vehicles with no number plates and people wearing balaclavas in direct attempts to hide their identities, and people seen hanging out of windows of cars driven at speed," Loughrin said.
As well as the baby found in a car, police said many children had also been brought along to the races.
Two people were also stabbed on State Highway 27 in the Matamata area, shortly after 12.30am.
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