Tararua District police want you to make good decisions this festive season

Police at a checkpoint. Police in the Tararua District have stopped a number of drivers who had excess breath or blood alcohol.

We are fast approaching the festive season with about a month to Christmas.

This time of the year sees a number of issues in our communities from a policing perspective.

The first of these, impaired driving, is completely preventable, extremely dangerous and yet continues to feature in our area.

Over the last month, Police across the Tararua District have stopped several drivers driving with excess breath or blood alcohol. Drivers have been found with breath alcohol levels of as high as 1100 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath, which is more than four times the legal limit.

In the first three weeks of November, eight drivers have been found with breath or blood alcohol levels requiring them to appear in court. This type of driving behaviour is not only dangerous to the impaired driver but to other road users as well. It is not only dangerous, the impact of a conviction will almost always result in the driver losing their licence for a period, and it may impact adversely on employment and might also result in higher insurance premiums for the rest of that person’s life.

Please don’t drink and drive, and support others to make wise decisions this festive season.

We often see an increase in dishonesty offending around the holiday period.

Although there are a number of reasons for this, equally there are a number of ways that you can prevent yourself from becoming a victim of such offending. Make sure you leave homes, businesses and vehicles locked and secure keys where they cannot be easily found.

If you are lucky enough to get away for a break, ask a trusted neighbour or friend to keep an eye on your property and have them report anything suspicious to you or the police. Where possible, don’t advertise that your home is vacant.

Consider what you post in social media feeds and your privacy settings around those feeds; don’t let your happy holiday post result in you coming home to a burglary.

Police also continue to deal with the impacts of family harm and mental health in our community. Please look after your friends, family and colleagues through this period.

If you are aware or suspect that someone is the victim of family harm, call police immediately. If you are concerned about your own mental health or that of someone you know, call or text the mental health line 1737 or ring police for assistance.