Te Puke burglaries: man faces new charges, two others arrested over court warrants

There have been nine burglaries and two vehicles stolen around Te Puke in the past fortnight

A 35-year-old Te Puke man who was already facing nine charges relating to burglary, assault and shoplifting has now been charged in relation to nine more alleged burglary and theft offences. He has been remanded in custody.

Two other people were arrested over the weekend on warrants issued by the court after allegedly failing to appear for their original court date.

In the past fortnight, there have been nine burglaries – five in the rural area and four in Te Puke town – and two vehicles have been stolen.

Significant roadworks have started on No 1 Rd and it is timely to remind drivers to take care in and around the roadworks, to stick to the speed limit and to be respectful and courteous to the roading staff.

It is also worth letting drivers know that there is an automatic licence suspension for anyone caught driving at 51km/h or more over a temporary speed limit such as that associated with roadworks.

Labour Weekend is next weekend.

Those people who are travelling should plan their journey, allow for roadworks and leave time for stops.

■ Take regular breaks to stay alert.

■ Share the driving if you can.

■ Keep a safe following distance from vehicles in front so you can stop safely.

■ Be patient – overtaking is unlikely to make a significant difference to your journey time because of the amount of traffic expected over the weekend.

■ Check your car is safe, warranted, wipers/lights are working and you have a spare tyre inflated before you head off.

■ Drive to the conditions, whether it’s the weather, the time of day or amount of traffic.

■ Give passengers responsibility for potential distractions like operating the radio or air conditioning.

Have a safe long weekend.