Oamaru's red waterfront sheds have a story to tell, writes Don Donovan.

A man who allegedly ordered a taxi as a getaway car after abandoning a stolen vehicle in a police pursuit will appear in Dunedin District Court today.

Cracking down on insults commonly hurled at police is the first step to ending assaults on police officers, the union's president said today.

Police have charged three men after an assault on an officer at an Oamaru drink-driving checkpoint last night.