Police Snippets

 

Thefts concern
Mangawhai police say there has been a string of thefts over the last two weeks with a variety of property being stolen. A women’s watch was taken from the Mangawhai Heads surf beach changing area on January 16 while the owner was having a shower. On January 21, a Holden ute was broken into on Moir Street with the thief making away with an assortment of building equipment including power tools, a nail gun and a tool belt. During a wedding reception at Mangawhai Library Hall on January 22, a handbag with phone, wallet and accessories was taken along with a man’s jacket. Thieves made away with an impressive haul when they gained access to a black Subaru on January 28. A range of brand new diving equipment and a woman’s bag containing personal items was stolen as well as the keys to the car. Police suspect the perpetrators may have seen the owners with their vehicle and dive gear, followed them to the beach and stole the keys when they went swimming. “It’s a real problem with keys when you’re at the beach, not sure as yet how to deal with the situation,” Constable Dale Wewage says. “But if you have to leave valuables inside a car, make sure you cover them with a blanket or better still lock them in the boot.”

Rubbish dumped
The owner of a property on Pritchard Road discovered his land was used as a rubbish dump on January 20. General household items, toys, bits of timber and chilly bins were among the debris that was left at the address as well as personal papers which may help to identify the litter bugs. “It look like someone has had a clean out over the holidays and decided to not pay the tipping fees at the transfer station,” Cst Wewage says. Water stolen? A Hakaru resident returned home on the weekend of January 15 to find 7000 litres of water had been drained from the property’s holding tanks. Sergeant Geoff Medland says although there has been a report of theft, the owners are still seeking confirmation on whether a leak is not to blame. “We have a file and at this stage it is an ongoing investigation with further action taken if necessary,” he says. If the cause of the missing water is through theft, the people responsible would have had knowledge of the resident’s whereabouts and access to a suitable water-carrying vehicle.

Booze bus
The police ‘Booze Bus’ was in town on January 6 and picked up seven intoxicated drivers along Molesworth Drive within a two hour period. “Not a good start,” Sgt Medland says. “A good mantra to go by is ‘If driving don’t drink, if drinking don’t drive’. Low alcohol beer is becoming more popular he says especially in Auckland bars and is a wise option when people are out socialising but people do still need to organise a sober driver before heading out for the night. Drivers snapped Sergeant Medland says Molesworth Drive is still a hot spot for fast drivers, with a speed camera clicking on 480 speedsters around the Mangawhai Activity Zone on January 13. “Those numbers are up there with Auckland’s, I would have expected the camera to pick up maybe 60 cars but not that many,” he says. “The drivers weren’t going just over the limit either but speeds up to 60 -70 kmh, past an area where children cross the road to get to the playground… it’s quite shocking.” Medland also wants to advise drivers to take extra care on the roads. “People need to be aware that after a long dry spell and then rain, roads become more oily and slippery,” he says. “Please drive to the conditions.”

- Reporting/Julia Wade