One new swing coming up

The Far North District Council will this week replace a parent-child swing that was stolen from Kaitaia's Jaycee Park playground in November.

The thief or thieves who stole the swing have not yet been found, despite appeals to the public for information, but general manager of infrastructure and asset management Andy Finch said his team was exploring the option of installing more CCTV cameras throughout the park to deter criminal activity.

"We are also looking at other simple measures we can take to protect our playground equipment," he said.

The stolen swing, the only one of its kind in the Far North, had cost the council more than $3000 to replace. It had been installed in March last year as part of the redevelopment of the playground.

With a metal frame that allowed an adult to swing safely in tandem with a toddler, the heavy-gauge chain that connected the seat to its support had been cut, probably with bolt cutters.

Meanwhile it is not too late to provide information about the stolen swing to the council, on 0800 920-029, or the Kaitaia police, on (09) 408-6500.