The Pettigrew Green Arena entrance being boarded up on Sunday afternoon. Photo / Ian Cooper
The Pettigrew Green Arena entrance being boarded up on Sunday afternoon. Photo / Ian Cooper
Pettigrew Green Arena in Napier was the target of a ram raid in the early hours of Sunday morning, with an ATM being stolen from the premises.
Police said a gray van was used to gain entry to the arena at about 2am. The van was seen heading towards SpringfieldRoad after the break-in.
Arena chairman Craig Waterhouse said more financial damage was done to the entrance than there would have been money in the machine.
He said it was pretty disappointing considering what Pettigrew-Green Arena is trying to achieve for the public good at the moment with planned extensions to the building.
"We're trying to raise $15 million to extend the place and this not only creates a diversion but it's a cost as well because of the insurance excess," Waterhouse said.
"It will be the single biggest investment in the future of youth in Hawke's Bay, 90 per cent of the users of PGA for the stadium are under 19."
A gray van smashed through the glass doors at the Arena's entrance, after which an ATM was stolen. Photo / Ian Cooper
He said now they would have to spend time securing the building again, and are looking at installing bollards to prevent a similar raid in the future.
"We've got a huge number of cameras around the place, so there will certainly be a large amount of video footage that the police can review," Waterhouse said.
Police would like to hear from anyone with information which could assist. Anyone who can help is asked to contact Detective Sergeant Ryan Kemsley, of Napier police.
