Kia ora Wānaka.

Welcome to the new world of Orange lights and vaccine passes.

I’ll start on that topic and a pat on the back to the businesses that I visited over the weekend who were proactive and organised in managing the vaccine pass requirement.

There was an incident on Friday where a customer was threatening after not being allowed access to a recreation venue. A reminder that anger towards businesses who are following the rules will not be tolerated by police.

Traditional policing wise we had a mixed bag this week.

During the week some high speeds were reported on the newly sealed section of Ballantyne Road. Police will be enforcing this new 60km/h speed limit, despite the protests and opinions of some of these drivers.

A reminder that over 100km/h on that road will lead to an instant licence suspension.

On Thursday a disorderly man ranted racist remarks and abused staff and patrons at the Wanaka Library.

Again, another example of people directing their anger inappropriately towards people just doing their job. Police are working to identify this person.

On Friday a scam was reported to police which saw a loss of $6500 to the victim. It resulted from a business having their computer systems hacked and sending out fraudulent invoices. The only lesson is for businesses to ensure their systems are up to date and secure, to prevent their valuable customers being defrauded.

A member of the public alerted us to a jet boat being driven dangerously in the swimming area near the Watersports Facility and the Wanaka Tree. Jet boats drivers, and that driver in particular, need to ensure they are driven in a safe manner and not greater than 5 knots within 200 metres of shore.

On Saturday a man was arrested for multiple shoplifting incidents at Mitre 10 MEGA and will soon be appearing in court.

He will be joined in court by a freedom camper who, on Sunday, was charged in relation to diverting electricity from a council facility to his van after being asked to stop.

Wānaka police attended a number of family harm incidents over the weekend, some involving violence. It is not what we want to be attending so frequently, but rest assured we will be there day or night if you are in need of help in your own home.

Looking ahead, things will be ramping up for the festive season. We are aware that many will be involved in work Christmas parties to celebrate the hard work of 2021. Please ensure that you have plans to get home safely and expect to see the “Booze Bus” out in the coming week.

Stay safe.