A Hastings police officer and her unorthodox punishments have become the talk of the town - and won attention in Australia.
Community Constable Dora Edmonds, who is giving young lawbreakers a choice between paying a fine or doing press-ups, has so far been interviewed by three Australian radio stations, followed around
by TV cameramen, and appeared in newspapers around New Zealand.
Her methods include giving shoplifters a workout next to the fountain in central Hastings, and making cyclists who fail to wear their helmets choose between a $55 fine or 55 press-ups.
Australian talkback hosts, puzzled by the concept of a community constable, have asked whether she's a real police officer and what her bosses think about missing out on revenue.
But Ms Edmonds, while a little bemused by the media attention since the story was published this week, says her methods are fair and most children can't pay a fine anyway.
"I don't like it when parents have to pay for what their kids have done ... the kids get a choice and when they finish they feel they've achieved something," she says.
Ms Edmonds has been getting a good response from the public. People had been stopping her to voice their support and even attempting to hug her.
"I worked in Youth Aid for six years and had to come up with punishments that fitted ... it's time kids were accountable for the choices they make, and I want to correct the attitude that police can't do anything," she says.
Ms Edmonds had just finished giving a group of young shoplifters a bit of exercise when a group of cyclists spotted her, leaped off their bikes and walked sheepishly across the square, strapping their helmets firmly to their heads.
Czech tourists who had arrived in Hastings only 24 hours earlier were already well acquainted with Ms Edmonds' rules.
Lea Belkova said police in her country would do nothing, or remove a tyre valve so a cyclist had to walk home. "It's good for children to learn what's good and what's not."
- NZPA
