Tararua District police note increases in drinking and driving and fraudulent online trading

Drink driving and fraudulent online trading are the current concerns for Tararua District police. Photo / Bevan Conley

Over the Christmas New Year period we witnessed a significant increase in the number of people driving or attempting to drive under the influence of alcohol.

More than a dozen people have been found over the legal limit. Nine of them have now been summoned to appear in Court in the new year.

This type of behaviour is disappointing given the potential consequences of driving whilst impaired.

If you have been drinking, don’t drive.

If your friends, family or work colleagues have been drinking, don’t let them drive.

Police will continue to focus on road safety initiatives moving into the new year and we urge all road users to drive sober, make it click, slow down, and stay off your phone.

Across the country, there continues to be an increase in complaints about fraudulent online trading activity.

Primarily this revolves around sites like Facebook Market Place.

Take extreme care when purchasing in such formats. If you are trading this way do not part with your money until you have the goods and make sure that exchanges of money and goods are conducted in safe environments like designated trading locations or places with good quality CCTV and people around.

We see almost daily reports in our area of members of the public being duped out of money for goods that never show up.

There have been several burglaries across the district in the last month in both rural and residential areas.

Many of these burglaries are opportunistic in nature with offenders helping themselves to insecure items.

Electrical equipment, tools, motorcycles, and trailers continue to be hot commodities.

Do what you can to avoid becoming a victim by locking these items away and recording serial numbers. Consider installing GPS devices on high-value items like motorcycles and trailers, these devices are becoming increasingly reliable and affordable as technology advances.

We have several staff movements occurring over the coming two months.

Constable Casey Boyce has left Woodville for a position in Palmerston North.

Senior Constable Hamish Adie has been promoted to Sergeant. He will lead the Pahiatua team until March then take up a role in Wellington.

Casey and Hamish have offered a great service to the Tararua District over more than 20 years between them.

Sergeant Brad Hall returns to us from Palmerston North in March.

Constable Nicole Gratton joins the Pahiatua team permanently from Masterton in late February.

And last but not least Constable Emily Culleton will be working as part of the front-line team in Dannevirke for three months from the end of January.