Northland news in brief

A Northland woman has admitted ripping people off for nearly $12,000 by selling fake concert tickets on Facebook.

Fraudster fails to appear

A Northland woman who has admitted 25 charges of obtaining by deception and selling concert tickets on social media and never fronting with the tickets is still wanted after failing to turn up to court for sentencing last week.

Lulu Amberlee Pou, 22, of Raumanga, was to have been sentenced last Friday in the Whangārei District Court but a warrant was issued for her arrest when she did not turn up. Pou offered concert tickets online, had people pay money, but never had the tickets in the first place. She obtained nearly $12,000.

Regional wards rejig

People concerned about the name and shape of their regional ward have only a short time left to have a say on the subject. The Northland Regional Council is fine-tuning its representation arrangements to fit population growth, the greatest (almost 20 per cent) in coastal areas south of Whangārei.

The suggested change of boundaries would cut Coastal South's population from 22,980 people to 17,760, bringing it into line with other constituencies' councillor-to-population ratios. People have until 4pm next Tuesday to offer feedback on the number of constituencies, their names, where their boundaries should be and the number of regional councillors, via www.nrc.govt.nz/RepReview

Careers in Corrections

Corrections is hosting a series of career expos aimed at getting community-based offenders into work. Businesses, employers, education and training agencies will attend the expos to talk to offenders about their needs and job opportunities at Whangārei Community Corrections (26-30 Walton St) today; Kaikohe Community Corrections (19 Station Rd) on Thursday; and Kaitaia Community Corrections (51 North Park Dr) on Friday. All three expos run from 9-11am. Over the past two years Corrections has placed more than 1370 offenders into jobs across New Zealand.

Duty roster pays off

A 24-hour police roster is paying off already with a drop in burglaries across the Mid North, a top officer says. Since July 2, Mid North police have been on duty 24/7 with staff responding from the Kaikohe, Kerikeri or Kawakawa police stations. Previously police had only been available on call after 3am most nights.

Acting senior sergeant Dylan Robinson believed the significant drop in burglaries across the Mid North in the past two weeks was due to the new roster ensuring that police could be deployed at the places and times they were most needed. There had been some teething problems with the new roster but that was to be expected. It had been introduced in winter to ensure any such problems were sorted out before the busy summer season.