Wānaka Police Senior Sergeant Fiona (Fi) Roberts said incidents of note this week included a 53-year-old male being arrested and charged with breaching his bail (on Tuesday December 17).

The previous week (December 9), police were called to a non-injury motor vehicle accident on Mt Aspiring Road.

Festive season preparation

“The Wānaka Police wish all our community a very happy Christmas and New Year,” Fi said.

“The team will be working hard to ensure that we all enjoy it safely, on our roads, in the community and throughout the festive season.” 

Wānaka is starting to get busy for the festive season, and Fi asked that people “be respectful and sensible, look after your mates and ensure everybody stays safe especially in relation to functions”. 

Patience is key on the roads, she said. “Make sure you plan ahead, drive fresh, and your vehicle has been serviced. Drinking? Don’t drive. Have a sober driver organised or plan to use public transport. The risk is not worth taking.” 

She also advised people to prepare well when heading into the outdoors. 

“Whether you are exploring some of the finest tracks the country has to offer, or enjoying a day on the water, please let somebody know where you are going, when you’ll be back, and take the appropriate gear. Enjoy the holiday season, have a great summer, and remember to keep yourself and everybody else safe.”

Facebook scams continue

“This week a member of the public brought to our attention a scam that has been localised,” Fi said. 

The scam was hosted on the Facebook platform and is likely a duplication from an authentic site but purporting to being a local Wānaka retailer.  

“We can’t find any evidence of the business being legitimate and we have asked Facebook to remove it,” Fi said.

“We have referred the matter to our cyber-crime team who may be able to track down the owner of the site. My instincts tell me that this is one of many scams that have origins overseas.”

She said key red flags for people to be wary of are the recency of the account being ‘registered’ or created on Facebook, a local address with no number, fake reviews, and low trust score ratings.

“If you think it is a scam, do your diligence,” she said. 

Fi said Southern District Police have an Investigation Support Unit based in Dunedin that is inundated with “very believable websites which are popping up all over the show”.

If people think they or someone they know has been the victim of an online scam, fraud, abuse and harassment or other criminal activity online they can report online or call 105. Providing as much information as possible (such as bank statements, emails, texts, social media accounts) helps in processing reports. 

Find more information here.

Call 111 when you need an emergency response from police, fire or ambulance.

Call 105 to report things that don’t need urgent police assistance.

Call *555 to report road incidents that are urgent but not life-threatening.

To make an anonymous crime report contact Crime Stoppers.

PHOTO: Wānaka App