Kia ora all.

After a run of nice weather the rain has cooled things down slightly just to remind us all that we are still in spring. While it might be a blessing for the gardens and water tanks, the rain has at times caused the roads to become very slippery.

Constable Harbison’s Wānaka “Blast” programme continues to gain momentum. There is an awesome group of young people who have been put through their paces at FIT Collective over the past two Tuesdays. Last week the group also received nutrition advice from Carolyn Cruden to help support them in their fitness journey.

Related: Police ‘blast’ young people into fitness

Operation Deterrence continues with a focus on restraints, impairment, distractions and speed on our roads. We will continue to conduct patrols targeting these driving behaviours.

Wednesday saw 14 tickets handed out in a matter of hours for drivers mostly on their phones or not wearing a seatbelt. A word of advice that some hands-free units come at a cheaper price than receiving an infringement.

A search warrant was conducted at a local address successfully locating a stolen stand up paddle board from Queenstown. This will be returned to its rightful owner.

On Wednesday night an alcohol check point was conducted on Cardrona Valley Road. One driver blew over the legal limit while one unlicensed driver was forbidden to drive. There was also a crash in Hāwea Flat where the driver swerved to avoid a rabbit and as a result put their vehicle in a big ditch narrowly missing a tree.

Related: Rabbit: 1; Car: 0

On Saturday police attended two single vehicle crashes. One on the corner of Riverbank and Cardrona Valley Roads where a streetlight was cleaned up. The other between bridge two and three in the Crown Range.

Both occurred as a result of the drivers not adjusting their speeds appropriately to the weather conditions.

Thankfully neither driver was seriously hurt, but one will have to explain their actions to the court.

On Sunday we had reports of a motorcycle being ridden around Albert Town in a dangerous manner with the passenger not wearing a helmet. They were spotted by police a short time later and signalled to pull over however failed to do so. The bike was found and impounded as a result and the rider has been referred to youth aid.

Ongoing scammers continue to look for opportunities and not always by emails, phone calls or online.

The latest scam is a flyer that has been distributed into mailboxes. While it looks pretty legit, the number you call connects you through to another suspicious number.

Remember if it looks too good to be true it probably is. Please continue to report this type of behaviour to prevent others falling victim to scams.

On the found property front, we have several bikes in a variety of shapes and sizes, currently being stored at the police station. Please come in if you think one might be yours.

Take care out there and have a great week.