Warnings to southern kids about sextortion and sharing intimate images online, burnouts in Mataura, fleeing drivers, a commercial burglary in Gore, a speeding Aucklander and tourists in a van near Milford escaping a nasty drop off The Divide, have all kept Southland Police busy lately.

Inspector Stu Harvey is urging young teens in local high schools to “tell someone” when what has seemed like an innocent mistake sharing intimate photos turns into a serious case of sextortion and blackmail.

He says parents need to be very aware of what their kids are doing online, but it’s not a problem reserved to young people. “We get cases like this happening to people of all ages and it can be very difficult to detect and hold the offenders accountable as they’re often offshore,” Harvey says.

“The majority of offending targeting young people in their teens tends to be by somebody they know.”

Teenagers and others are either falling victim to, or self-circulating sexually explicit images and videos of themselves or others and Police warn that this can be a very serious criminal offence.

In other cases, these predators can befriend children and young people online, gain their trust and coax them into sharing an intimate photo, which then grows to many, that these offenders threaten to share with all of the victim’s family and friends if payments are not made – blackmail.

In the worst-case scenario, Police say they see online extortion groups trying to persuade children and young people to record self-harm and sexually explicit acts, alongside other violent crimes.

It’s a huge concern for Police around the country and overseas with cases on the rise and Harvey is urging Southland parents to be aware of what their kids are doing and for young people to report it which is the only way to stop these offenders.

“People don’t want to report it out of embarrassment, but you’ve got to tell somebody like a parent or trusted family member if money has been demanded,” Harvey says.

“Otherwise, they won’t stop once they’ve got you,” he says.

Kids need to beware of who they’re dealing with online and whether they’re authentic.

“You shouldn’t be putting any intimate or sexually explicit images or videos of yourself anywhere, as once it’s out there it’s out there. We’ve had lots of examples of how much harm this causes to the person being targeted and blackmailed - mental, emotional, financial and reputational harm, creating huge stress,” he says.

“This is not just sextortion but fraud as well and parents need to ensure they’re educating their kids and having those safety conversations.”

Fleeing drivers plague the south

Fleeing drivers continue to plague Police in the south, placing other road users, pedestrians and even residents in huge danger, Harvey says.

It’s an ongoing issue in the south, predominantly around Invercargill where drivers of all ages flee for a myriad of reasons from driving on Learner’s Licences and drink driving through to having “bad stuff” like illegal drugs, paraphernalia, stolen goods or weapons on board, Police say.

Police have a strongly adhered to policy not to continue pursuing these drivers who take off when approached so as not to put other members of the public at risk, but Southland road policing manager Scott MacKenzie says some offenders will do it “just to bait Police”.

“It can be a huge laugh, a sport for them as they know we won’t pursue if it’s dangerous for them or others. They do it for fun,” he says.

“Society sees us not chasing them but it’s for everyone’s safety.”

Police have dealt with cases in which property and fences have been damaged and these drivers have collided with other vehicles.

Harvey says while these offenders, sometimes young teens, may not be caught at the time Police have a strong track record of chasing them down afterwards.

“Police will catch you and you’ll lose your vehicle and be charged with failing to stop.”

Hand over the evidence – Footage sought of multiple Mataura burnouts

Gore Police are still on the hunt for witnesses and video or dashcam footage of the multiple burnouts and dangerous driving that occurred on Main Street (State Highway 1) in Mataura around 1.30pm on 16 February.

Eastern Southland area response manager Senior Sergeant Gary Iddenten says the offending vehicles were leaving a car event at the Falls Hotel in Mataura.

Several drivers did burnouts outside the hotel, and at least one of the cars narrowly missed hitting another motorist and pedestrians putting others in great danger.

“We’re aware there may be video or dashcam footage of this incident that has not yet been provided to us, and we’re asking for help from the public to identify the drivers involved,” Iddenten says.

“SH1 is a main arterial route, and we expect drivers to be driving competently and driving to conditions,” he says. “This safeguards members of public in driving safely to their destinations.”

If you can help, please contact Police via 105 and quote file number 250218/7478.

You can also provide information anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.”

Well behaved Burt Munro crowds

Police were impressed with behaviour during the Burt Munro Challenge, a Highlanders rugby game, Waitangi Day and The Southland Rodeo all on over five days around Waitangi weekend.

With an estimated 10,000 people in Invercargill during that time, Police ran 12 checkpoints, stopping almost 6000 drivers, netting 16 for drink driving.

MacKenzie says Police remind people to have a plan to get home if they’re out drinking.

However, Police were impressed with the generally considerate, good behaviour of event participants and patience on the roads, despite the busyness around the Burt Munro event.

Tourists escape nasty drop when van careers off Milford Road

Two tourists were very lucky to escape without injury after their rental van ran off the Milford Road at the Divide in the Hollyford Valley and slid about 5 metres down a bank before fortunately coming to rest.

Road Policing Sergeant for Fiordland Dave Leach says there was a long steep drop off the edge below, so they were “pretty lucky”.

The tourists managed to clamber out and hitch a ride to the Te Anau Police Station.

Meanwhile, the volunteer Milford Emergency Rescue Response Group firefighters were alerted and winched themselves down on ropes to check the area for any injured or trapped occupants.

Auckland speedster has to fly home – Clocks 146km/hr

An Auckland driver was also clocked on the Te Anau Mossburn highway allegedly traveling at 146km/hr and had his holiday cut short due to finding himself unable to drive home, Leach says.

The man in his 30s, who’d been heading to Te Anau, had his licence suspended and was fined, then flying home.

“He will now have to fly back to pick up his car.”

Gore male arrested after alleged burglary

Gore Police located and arrested a 37-year-old local male for the alleged burglary of a commercial premises in Gore during the early hours of Friday morning (21 Feb).

It was still unclear just what had been taken and Iddenten says the man will appear in the Gore District Court on 26 February.