As Northland prepares to welcome an influx of visitors this summer, a judge has warned that criminals who target tourists and their belongings will face the full force of the law.
Judge Greg Davis sounded the warning in the Whangarei District Court this week while sentencing a young man who broke into four cars hired by overseas tourists that were parked at A.H. Reed Memorial Park in Whareora Rd, Whangarei, and stole high-value items.
Hare Shortland, 23, stole nearly $8000 worth of items. He attributed his offending to a lack of income and offered to pay reparation at $100 a week from benefits he intended to receive from Work and Income, but Judge Davis said that wasn't realistic.
Instead Judge Davis jailed Shortland, who appeared for sentencing via audio-visual link from prison, for 21 months.
Northland Tourism Development Group chairman and former Whangarei District Council member Jeroen Jongejans said robbery of tourists in Northland was damaging as it painted the region as the "crime capital" of the country. "We have a nice, positive brand except for particular safety aspects and tourism is a very important part of our economy so we've got to make sure our reputation is as good as it can be," he said.