Kia ora Wānaka.

We’ve welcomed back our colleagues deployed to Wellington and we’ve all been busy with the day-to-day policing of the town.

On Monday last week there were some adverse weather conditions which led to two crashes on Cardrona Valley Road approaching the Crown Range summit. Both resulted in the single vehicle rolling after failing to navigate their respective corners. One driver was injured.

This road is not to be taken for granted when it is wet and needs more caution from drivers.

On Tuesday there was an overnight burglary where a residential house was entered during the night and a range of property taken. Thankfully this is not the norm in our town but is something to be wary of and to take the appropriate precautions with locking doors.

Police have noticed some rather high speeds on the newly sealed stretch of Ballantyne Road. We have been out to enforce this 60km/h limit and a few drivers have come precariously close to losing their licence instantly by approaching 100km/h.

Another focus has been the use of cell phones while driving. This is a clear danger on the road, so Wānaka police have been conducting operations to observe and enforce this. Has anyone seen us covertly watching lately, or been stopped and wondered how we saw them on their phone?

On Thursday there was another crash, this time on Ruby Island Road, where a single vehicle rolled after losing control on a corner. No one was injured on this occasion.

We also attended a building site after a new air-conditioning unit was taken from the building.

On Friday night Wānaka police joined the Otago Lakes Safer Roads Team to conduct checkpoints in Wānaka. Unfortunately, three drivers were quickly found over the limit and will have fines associated to their driving. This trend is disappointing and unfortunately regular. We will continue to put checkpoints anywhere at any time.

Over the weekend it was reported that the batteries were stolen from the traffic lights operating on the road from Makarora to Haast. This is long term road works and while I can appreciate it can be frustrating, stealing the batteries is clearly not the answer, and a criminal one.

Hope this week treats you well. If you see the Wānaka police out there, don’t be afraid to say hello.