Kia ora Wānaka - Mānawatia a Matariki

As the school holidays wind down, we’ve had a nice long weekend to spend with the family. Most have taken advantage of this in moderation, and it was a great weekend in town.

In the past few days Wānaka has been hit by a spate of thefts and burglaries from residential properties.

There is at least one person actively offending in this regard, so police are following lines of enquiry and conducting increased night patrols. A majority of these thefts have been from vehicles parked on private property. The message to the community is a simple one. It is a must to lock your car! I know it’s Wānaka… but someone is not playing by the rules.

Earlier in the week, a thief attempted to steal two jet skis from a driveway. As an advertisement for good security, the security mechanisms beat the thief who spent considerable time and effort without luck. Perhaps for others to reconsider how secure their jet skis are.

Over the holiday weekend there was some unnecessary disorder at our local bars. Primarily it involved young people only just over 18 (and some under!). Hopefully some lessons learned for those involved and a bit more restraint used when consuming alcohol. Some alcohol-related tickets were issued as a gentle reminder.

Sadly, an ongoing trend continues, with another repeat shoplifting offender who was apprehended after 16 instances of shoplifting. They have a date with a judge coming soon and some more minor offenders have likewise been apprehended and received appropriate consequences.

Last weekend police apprehended a vehicle that left a local bar and used Lake Wānaka instead of Ardmore Street as a road. This was dangerous and needless, so was not tolerated. Nor was the high alcohol reading returned by the driver. He will have some explaining to do.

There were also a handful of drink drivers at a lower level picked up at checkpoints. Remember… anywhere… anytime.

Thank you to those who have taken the time to report suspicious behaviour at neighbouring properties. Whether related to our current burglaries or not, these are followed up and are extremely valuable for us in identifying suspects for other offences. If it’s suspicious, let us know via 105.

Police impounded a vehicle being driven by an unknown person late last week. We’ll let you in on a secret … we know who they are, they just aren’t keen to give us their name. Police occasionally deal with people who present ‘alternative law’ and don’t wish to comply with the basic laws that you do. I think we’ve seen it all now, but no tin foil hats on this occasion.

Lastly, a moped was stolen from the Upper Clutha Rugby Club on Saturday (July 15) night. We expect that alcohol may have been involved in this theft and hope that it will be found in the local area. Please keep an eye out for an abandoned moped so we can return it to its owner.

Enjoy the week and fingers crossed for some snow.