Dannevirke: Signposts targeted in vandalism spree

Tararua District mayor Roly Ellis

The sight of signposts around Dannevirke pulled out of the ground over the weekend has angered Tararua District mayor Roly Ellis.

"I couldn't believe it," he said. "Action will be taken against those responsible."

Signposts on Queen, King and Cole Streets were among those vandalised with reports of the centre of a stop sign also being removed. There had been concerns reports of a change in focus for community patrol, stating "not much happens after dark in Dannevirke", could have been an invitation to those up to no good.

And while the community patrols are now also taking an active role during the day, Mr Ellis is adamant night patrols are continuing.

"They're still out there and people will be caught if they're up to no good," he said. "In the meantime, I'm talking with Senior Sergeant Nathan Davis about what has gone on around town."

The vandalism was just one of a number of incidents which had Dannevirke police "flat tack", Mr Churchouse said.

"We were busy with a number of callouts, including a couple of domestic incidents and two attempted suicides," he said.

"There were also quite a few garages and unlocked cars entered and three juveniles have been spoken to by police and we're following some good leads about others who may have been involved."

Senior Sergeant Nathan Davis of the Tararua Police said people needed to be a bit more aware because some of the burglaries were a result of cars being unlocked, with items visible inside.

A locked garage was broken into in McPhee St and cash, bank cards and a driver licence were stolen from the owner's car.

Also on Saturday night two drink-drivers were stopped and a stolen vehicle was located.

And Mr Davis said those responsible for a robbery at Caltex Westlow in the early hours of Sunday morning, where a charity donation box for Starship Children's Hospital was stolen, have been identified thanks to social media.

A male had entered the service station just after 4am and a staff member was distracted by another male before the pair drove off in a white Nissan van, but there was good footage of the alleged offender on the service station's CCTV security cameras.