Police station arson prompts security review

An arson attack on a Palmerston North community police centre yesterday morning has prompted police to review the security of their stations.

Two bottles filled with petrol and oil were thrown through a kitchen window of the Highbury station, destroying the room and causing smoke damage to the rest of the building.

The arsonist was still at large today.

Highbury is one of several community police stations in Palmerston North that are left unstaffed overnight.

Detective Sergeant Brett Calkin said police would need to review the security systems.

"All of them have security in place and are all alarmed. But we will be reviewing them to ensure all the stations are secure."

Mr Calkin said police had reports of a group hanging around the area on Sunday night, but he did not know whether they were responsible for the attack.

"We have no idea really, it's always hard to tell.

"We have got a couple of lines of inquiry, some people have told us about suspicious activity through the night."

Mr Calkin said that no police files had been lost or damaged in the fire.

The station would reopen some time next week after repairs have been carried out.

- NZPA