Crimeline has changed. The report is now based on a police media briefing, and is written by the Wānaka App.

The new senior sergeant for Wānaka Police will be taking over in about a month’s time.

Senior Sergeant Fiona Roberts is based in Wānaka but currently works in Dunedin.

She is “very experienced”, Acting Senior Sergeant Darren Cranfield said, having worked in the Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB) and as an Armed Offender Services (AOS) commander, among others. 

The week that was 

Local police say disorder events, drink driving, drivers licence suspensions and SAR callouts have taken place in the Upper Clutha over the last week.

Wānaka Police Constable Harmanjot Singh said there was also an incident where a child under 12 was left home alone for a period of around six hours and said it served as a reminder that it is an offence to leave children under this age alone.

Police attended and provided guidance and education to the parents, who had recently moved to Wānaka from overseas and had not been able to secure childcare.

“We understand but at the same time the safety of the child is paramount,” he said. 

Constable Singh said there were a few disorder events on Friday and Saturday night in the Wānaka CBD “mostly youth and alcohol” which police were able to manage. 

He said Wānaka Police were “still catching people making the bad decision” to drink and drive with two arrests for drink driving in the past week. 

There have also been a few drivers licence suspensions and Constable Singh said motorists not using their seatbelts was “one of the major infringements” driving down people’s demerit points and leading to suspended licences. 

“Lots of driving complaints” have been made, mainly on Cardrona Valley Road, which “continues to be a hotspot”, Constable Singh said. 

A car accident where the single occupant vehicle rolled towards the top of the Crown Range did not lead to injuries, but it serves as a good reminder to the public to adhere to the weather conditions “especially between Cardrona and the summit and then again going downhill”.

Go deeper: Car rolls on Crown Range

Acting Senior Sergeant Darren Cranfield said Wānaka SAR has been busy with multiple jobs in the last week, including a couple of “beacon jobs” in Mt Aspiring National Park and “some canyon jobs” on Friday. 

“A big thank you to our volunteer SAR group - they really do a great job,” he said.

Preparing for the A&P Show

Wānaka Police are now gearing up for a busy period with the Wānaka A&P Show taking place on Friday and Saturday (March 8 and 9). 

Darren said road policing and impairment teams were travelling to Wānaka for the event and there will be a police presence at the show during both days. 

He sought to remind show visitors that “it’s a family event, not a booze up”.

He also said anyone drinking should ensure they have a safe way to get home as there will be very limited taxis. 

To prevent issues that have come up in previous years with out-of-town taxis charging high fees, taxi users should confirm a price before they leave and double check that the price quoted is per trip rather than per passenger. 

He also asked show visitors to be respectful of security at the show.

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