Fog Cannon Halts Teen Burglar

A 14-year-old would-be criminal got more than he bargained for when he allegedly burgled the Otatara Four Square supermarket at around midnight last Sunday (22 June), a fog cannon deploying in his face and burglar alarm activated. Area Prevention Manager, Acting Inspector Mel Robertson says the alleged offender, who’s been referred to Youth Services, unlawfully forced entry into the premises but thanks to the security measures put in place by the owners his takings were minimal.

Police responded with a Police Dog Unit deployed. “The offender was located a short time later having been tracked by the Dog Unit and located by Police staff cordoning the area,” Robertson says.

“Having the aid of alarm activation and burglary deterrent features, such as a fog cannon, significantly minimised the capability of the offender in removing items from the store, allowing Police to respond swiftly and successfully apprehend the offender.”

No further details could be released because of the young age of the alleged teenage offender.

Gore Police Urge ‘Tell Us Not Facebook!’

Gore Police are urging rural Eastern Southland property owners and farmers to report any missing or stolen property to them asap rather than sharing it all over social media after the event.

Eastern Southland area response manager Senior Sergeant Gary Iddenten says they’re still finding out about suspicious behaviour in and around farms and rural properties. However, Police would far rather hear about any offending straight away from victims than read about it on Facebook.

“We often find lots of social media talk, but the situations have gone unreported at the time,” Iddenten says. “Police are proactive, and we want to target these offenders and hold them accountable.”

Property owners and farmers are urged to ensure all vehicles and properties are locked and consider security lighting and CCTV cameras which aid greatly in prevention of target burglaries. Victims of these burglaries, along with neighbours and passersby, are urged to ring 111 if they see any such suspicious activity at the time, or Crime Stoppers or 105 if it’s a delayed report.

“Numerous” drugs in latest haul

Southland Police’s Organised Crime Group vow that they won’t be stopping any time soon in their ongoing Operation Strata investigations primarily targeting drug dealers with gang connections, after yet another arrest. Inspector Stu Harvey says just last week a search warrant at a Mabel Bush address found “numerous drugs, including LSD, MDMA and cannabis”, along with a shotgun and ammunition.

A 40-year-old woman has been charged with offering to supply LSD, possession for supply of LSD, possession of MDMA and cannabis. She’s been remanded on bail, but Harvey says investigations are continuing.

Police Out In Force in CBD These Holidays

Police are warning they won’t be tolerating any unlawful, offensive or disorderly behaviour in Invercargill’s CBD this school holidays and they’ll out in force with increased visibility and foot patrols to stop it early. “We often see an increase in youth gatherings and disorder through these periods and Police will be out to interact and engage with the community in an effort to prevent this,” Robertson says.

She’s warning any unruly or offensive behaviour, disorder and illegal activity can expect intervention from Police. “We’ll be working alongside our retailers to ensure our Invercargill CBD is a vibrant, welcoming and safe environment for all members of the community.

”May Be ‘Plastic’ But They’re Fantastic

Invercargill’s volunteer Community Patrollers may be mocked as “plastic cops” by troublemaking boy racers but Patrol chairperson Brian Dunick says they’ve gradually earned their respect. “They’re getting better with us as they’ve realised ‘plastic cops’ can read number plates,” he grins.

The Patrols – one in Invercargill, one in Gore and one in Riverton, are the “eyes and ears” of the Police around town on a Friday and Saturday night, with the Invercargill Patrol often clocking up to 100kms in a night, from 9pm until 2am. “Our 25 Invercargill patrollers head out in pairs and share once a month duty on a roster,” Dunick says. “We cover downtown, the airport, Otatara , parts of Lorneville and Oreti Beach, ensuring there’s no trouble or anything amiss,” he says.

“If we find premises unlocked, or gates open, or lights on we let the property owners or Police know and we always check in with the Police at the station before starting duty to ask where they’d like us to be monitoring that night.”

Thanks to some generous funding from Southland Community Trust and ILT, and local sponsors like Richardson Group’s Allied Petroleum and Rothbury’s Insurance the Invercargill Patrollers now have their own patrol car, which is a huge help.

“It’s surprising how many people change their driving behaviour when they see us,” Dunick grins. The occasional drunk or person in strife is given a ride home but if the Patrols come across anything they always call Police.

All three patrols are now on the hunt for new recruits to join their ranks, with a number of current Police having started out that way over the years, Dunick says.

After the Pathway to Police initiative was introduced last year other would-be Police recruits have joined the Patrols to get a feel for what policing may be like. Ages in Invercargill range from a young Pathway to Police would-be recruit in his 20s to their late 70s.