Police Snippets

 

Intruder nabbed in the nude
Police say they have had a good result concerning a naked intruder who invaded two Mangawhai Heads properties in the early hours of February 9. 

The offender was caught on CCTV footage moving around an outdoor area, showing him naked while inspecting a blow-up swan, and struggling to put his underwear and shorts back on before walking wandering away wearing a woman’s sunhat with the swan in hand. 

At one stage of his night prowling the offender gained access into a house and attempted to enter the bedroom but ran from the address when the occupant surprised and challenged him. The blow-up swan and a sunhat have not been seen since. 

New local Senior Constable Rob Cato says the community feedback to the crime was helpful with nominations of possible offenders and information. Due to the posts featuring on local facebook sites, the offender, a young local male, turned himself in to police and has since made a full admission.

“He said he wanted to get the incident sorted out… and we are now in the process of liaising with the victims. He has drafted up an apology letter and if he can pay reparations for what he took, we may not go through the courts,” he says. “He seems like the kind of guy who wants to do the right thing but got caught up in a peer-pressured situation. He’s not in a good home environment but is trying to get his life on track and just made another mistake. One of the victims is also willing to cut him a little bit of slack.”

Cato says while there is definitely a place for the court process, sometimes convicting offenders and putting them before the courts is not always the answer.

“People do have to be held accountable… however sometimes looking outside the square can be a better approach. A good thing about NZ Police in recent years is their use of alternative resolutions.” 

- REPORTING/Julia Wade