One person was injured after a ute hit a tree on Pourerere Rd on Monday. Photo / Rachel Wise
Motor vehicle crashes and burglaries have been keeping CHB Police busy over the past two weeks, says CHB community policing officer Senior Constable Andy Walker.
A crash involving an LPG delivery tanker on Friday morning closed part of Ongaonga Rd, while on Monday afternoon emergency services attended a crash on Pourerere Rd where a ute had hit a tree, trapping one person who, once released, was taken by St John Ambulance to Hawke’s Bay Hospital, suffering serious injuries.
Walker said the Pourerere Rd crash was the third on that stretch of road in two weeks.
Other crashes included a motorcyclist who crashed on Porangahau Rd after his bike hit debris near Ugly Hill Rd, and a driver hit one of four cattle beasts that were loose on the road near Takapau.
Walker said there have been several complaints of animals loose on roads around the district recently, and reminded motorists that at this time of year when feed gets scarce animals were inclined to push at fences. He reminds farmers to make sure their stock is secure.
Several vehicles have been impounded after drivers were charged with “sustained loss of traction” in a local crackdown on driver behaviour, including skids and burnouts, in CHB.
Burglaries have also been a focus. In a recent burglary on Porangahau Rd offenders broke into a shed and loaded items into the victim’s car, which they attempted to also steal. Unable to get the car running they abandoned it on the side of the road, and attempted to steal two more vehicles in the area including one on McLean Tce.
One of the vehicles had been left unlocked and items from the vehicle were taken. An e-bike was also stolen during the incident, which has been located at a Waipukurau address and returned.
This incident resulted in the arrests of four youth aged 14-16, who have been referred to Police Youth Aid.
Also on Porangahau Rd a lawnmower was stolen from a shed, while on Whenuahou Rd a farm shed was broken into and tools stolen.
A quad bike taken from the Waipukurau Racecourse was recovered at a Waipukurau address, but mystery still surrounds the identity of whoever unbolted about 60 railway sleepers on the railway tracks near the Waipukurau township.
New security in Waipukurau were instrumental in identifying the person who kicked in the door of the Heartlands building in Waipukurau over the weekend. A 21-year-old man had been arrested and charged with wilful damage.
An arrest was also made after an incident in Tavistock Rd, where a male resident discovered three youth on his property throwing stones at his house. He chased them away but was confronted on his property a short time later by a man accusing him of chasing the children. The man smashed the front door of the house. He was arrested and charged with wilful damage.
Police are investigating multiple incidents of unlawful hunting, where deer and sheep have been killed and offal dumped on roadsides and near bridges. Incidents have occurred on Paget Rd, Arlington Rd, Makaroro Rd, and Brow Rd. Gwavas forest has also been targeted.
Land Search and Rescue have responded to two incidents this month, one of which was a party reported overdue from a trip to Hunerua Hut. This was found to be a loss of communication.
Action was needed however when a group of hunters became trapped near Waipawa Saddle. The hunters were descending a steep face when they were trapped by slippery ice, unable to go up or down. After contacting Search and Rescue, the party was winched out of danger by the Lowe Corporation Rescue Helicopter.
CHB Police are reminding people to “report crime to us - not to Facebook”.
Walker said, “Reporting incidents on Facebook is not much use to us. By all means let the community know, but your first call should be to police.
“There are always staff on duty in CHB to respond.”