Waiouru Police file

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 9, Issue 393, 2 July 1991, Page 10

Waiouru Police file

BY CONSTABLE CHRIS SCALES Pat Tasker and I have been busy over the last week or so attending a series of burglaries and dishonesty offences. • On 15 June the Waiouru rugby club rooms were entered and about $1,000.00 worth of shoes and cash were stolen during the Satardays game. To date, one offender has been apprehended and some property recovered. One oi the items recovered was a Citizen analog/digital divers watch. This watch was not reported missing with the other items stolen so if it is yours please give us a ring so we can return it. • Also at the rugby club rooms, a burglary occured in which the fridge/freezer outside was broken into and a quantity of alcohol stolen. Due to information recieved a 17 year old local youth, responsible for the burglary, was arrested and he will appear in the Taihape District Court next month. • During the week, three people stayed at the Oasis Hotel and left the next morning without paying. During their stay three videos were hired from Spacies and

never retarned. A unit belonging to the hotel was also burgled and we believe the same people were responsible. Again with the support of the local community, these people have been identified and inquiries are continuing. • On Friday night a vehicle left one of the service stations without paying for petrol. The vehicle drove towards Ohakune and in their haste to get away, the driver lost control of the vehicle and collided with a fence line about 2 kilometres from Waiouru. The offenders fled from that scene and were pursued by Police until being stopped by Ohakune and Raetihi Police. The occupants were arrested and will face various charges. • Stolen from the SERCO lines in the Military Camp was some clothing, including an expensive jacket. Anybody with any information that may assist us in apprehending an offender is asked to give us a ring. • Another theft from a drying room, this time in the SERCO Hostel in the Military Camp occured and again clothing was taken. We urge people in the Military area

to take extra care when placing items in these drying rooms. All items should be named and easily identifiable. • Now that the wintery weather is upon us, accidents are starting to occur on the roads. We attended an accident on Mulvay's corner in which a vehicle lost control in the slippery conditions and left the road. Four persons were injured but luckily no one was seriously hurt. Unfortunately this accident was the culmination of alcohol and speed and now the driver may be facing serious driving charges. The fact must be brought home that drinking and driving do not go together especially at this time of year. • Another accident occured just south of Waiouru where vehicles left the road on two separate occassions. No one was injured but a 20 year old woman from Auckland was arrested for disqualified driving. • On a more serious note, Pat and Traffic Officer Mike Lenihan had a frightening experience late on Saturday night when they stopped a vehicle in Waiouru and were confronted with a man weilding a sawn-off

shotgun. Fortunately they were not harmed but it highlights the fact that even in a small community like ours violence can suddenly interupt what we think may be just an ordinary quiet day. Remember that Pat and I are normally able to be contacted 24 hours a day. If there is something happening in our community that you think we should be aware of, ring us at the Police Station on 56-884. Even if you think what you see may be trivial, it may be of great importance to us. If the Station is phoned and you strike the 'hated' answer phone, leave a message. The phone is cleared every few hours and your inquiry will be answered. If you strike the answer phone and believe that it is something of urgency or importance, you can phone the Taihape Police on 80-646 or Wanganui Police on 3454488 (collect).