A handful of thefts that occurred overnight on Monday (September 2) are a reminder that residents shouldn’t be complacent, Wānaka Police Senior Sergeant Fiona (Fi) Roberts says.

Several cars in and around the Kirimoko subdivision were targeted during the “really wet” night, with the thieves stealing a range of tools.

“Tools are concealable, removable, available, valuable, enjoyable and disposable,” Fi said. “Thieves take opportunities - my strongest advice is to remove the opportunity.”

She said tradies can make tools unattractive to steal by “engraving, recording, securing and reporting”.

“The tools are likely to be heading north; they are readily sold or traded through second-hand dealers, online marketplaces or traditional criminal receivers.”

She also said the incidents served as a reminder about “locking up stuff in general”.

“[If you have property stolen] the first thing the insurance company will ask you is ‘was it locked?’” she said, and valuables that are not secured are not likely to be eligible for a payout.

Fi said Wānaka Police are encouraging anyone who witnessed anything suspicious around the time of the thefts to get in touch. 

Over the past week Wānaka Police have also dealt with incidents such as family harm, drink driving and online scams.

Scams are popping up “every week,” Fi said. Pictured is a scam letter sent to the Wānaka Police Station. 

Two men were arrested for family harm incidents: in the first the man was arrested and charged with assault on a person in a family relationship; in the second a man was arrested and charged with two counts of wilful damage.

Fraud and scams, often online on Facebook Marketplace or via Tiktok Telegrams, are ongoing.

She said Wānaka Police received a scam of its own recently, with a letter sent to the police station purportedly from police commissioner Andrew Coster, making accusations of sex crimes.

The Impairment Prevention Team (IOT) was in Wānaka on Friday night (August 30) and two people were breath-tested who were over the legal limit for driving.

Another driver was caught driving without a license for the second time in two weeks.

The driver had been stopped by police in mid-August while driving a vehicle without a current license and advised not to drive until he obtained a license, Fi said.

He tried to avoid last Friday’s checkpoint but he was apprehended.

“He was located, his vehicle impounded, and he has a date in court,” Fi said.

Operation Hannah - a targeted operation to prevent harm on roads around the South Island and on ski fields - is back in the area this week.

“We will continue to have a presence at our ski field access roads to encourage drivers to adhere to the conditions,” Fi said.

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.