Kaitaia police: Turn yourself in before we come knocking

Don't wait for police to knock - just turn yourselves in.

Police in Kaitaia have some advice for those who have had warrants issued for their arrest, and would like to spend some time in custody — wait for a knock on their door.

"A special squad is going to spend the next four weeks tracking down people who have warrants to arrest, mainly for failing to appear in court," Senior Sergeant Russell Richards said yesterday.

"There are 34 people on our wanted list at the moment, and they're causing all sorts of problems. They are holding up the court process, the time we're putting into looking for them would be better spent preventing crime and keeping the community safe, and more police time is needed to prepare arguments for opposing bail when they do show up.

"My advice is, if there is a warrant out for your arrest, come to the station or the court and sort it out.

"Anyone who doesn't do that is likely to find themselves in our cells, possibly over a weekend, and perhaps in custody after they do turn up to court."