Tolaga Bay car thefts frustrate

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Thieves stole one vehicle and tried to take two others in Tolaga Bay on Friday night and the owner of two of the vehicles has pointed the finger at some of the town's youth.

The Monkhouse Street resident has said thieves took a stationwagon from a woman's property in the street that night.

“She lives right across the road from the police station,” the resident said.

“I live nearby and someone tried to get two of my vehicles started, obviously to steal them, the same night.”

He said the ignition barrels were smashed out in both vehicles, but the thieves could not get them going.

“The word on the street is that it's local youth who did it, which is a real shame if that's the case.

“We've helped out some of the township's at-risk young people when the rest of the community was pretty dark on them.

“It's really sad that those kids have bitten the hands that feed them.”

Police were informed about the incidents, and they have an inquiry under way.

The stolen stationwagon was recovered at a house in the township on Saturday afternoon.

The Monkhouse Street resident said police, like the wider community, appeared frustrated, because it seemed that the young teenagers likely involved feel they have impunity given their age.

“This is the latest in a ongoing series of behaviour/incidents like this,” he said.

“It has been shared with me that three or so weeks ago an elderly local was in their own home with a friend, when they saw his boat being towed away in broad daylight.

“A horse float went missing recently and many community members here have suffered across the last months with house break-ins, mountain bike thefts and so on.”

He said the Tolaga Bay community made an effort last year to tackle it.

“We had a community curfew enacted and a community patrol was started.

“However, a few months later that's fallen off, especially with the Covid-19 restrictions, so it's a sad issue with local youth playing up, and facing difficulties in their own lives.”