Waiouru Police file

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 9, Issue 416, 10 December 1991, Page 6

Waiouru Police file

BY

CHRIS

SCALES

Santa has come early for us here, as the Waiouru Police Station renovations have now been completed and we are back to normal operation. Sometime this week we should also take possession of a new police vehicle. Ministry of Transport Officer Mike Lenihan should also move into the Police Station during the week, and will retain his same telephone number. • Last week saw a two-day drug operation involving the recovery of cannabis plantations by air, and search warrants being executed on a number of residences and properties. This opera-

tion resulted in the arrest of 10 people, all facing drug related charges ranging from the cultivation of cannabis, possession of cannabis leaf, seeds and cannabis extract, to several of them also facing firearm offences. They will appear in court this week. Information is still coming in about cannabis plantations in our area. Please keep the information flowing, and if you are out hunting or tramping keep the eyes peeled. • Two people are facing court action over drink driving offences. We were utterly astounded to see that one of these people stopped was driving his friend's

car, full of people including the owner, all intoxicated, and a sober person sitting in the rear. This type of action is totally irresponsible, and puts lives at risk, especially at this time of year when more cars than usual are on the road. The rules are simple, DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE and become another statistic on the road this festive season • After discussions with the Commander ATG, the curfew will shortly be lifted. Petty offending, burglaries, and dishonesty offences have virtually been reduced to zero, and I believe that this can be directly attributed to the imposing of the curfew.

The curfew will be lifted on a temporary basis, but the Commander has indicated that if there is an increase in crime in the defence area, he Will have no hesitation in restoring the curfew and its conditions immediately. I thank the community, especially parents, for the support they have given the commander and police throughout the time the curfew has been imposed. Although a harsh measure to take, it has been extremely successful, which is obviously reflected in the drastic decrease of crime in

Waiouru. • As I said in my last column, those who are going on vacation this Christmas should now be thinking about the security of their property. Let a neighbour or somebody know that you will be away, and provide them with a contact address or number, so that you can be contacted for any reason. • Only one burglary reported. The lodges at the Tukino ski field were broken into and the food stocks cleaned out. The offenders also stole videos and televisions from the premises.