Ruakākā death: Residents want police station manned 24/7 after homicide

Police at the scene of a homicide investigation after a 24-year-old man was found dead on Peter Snell Rd, Ruakākā, around 4am on Thursday

Residents in a small part of a Northland town want their nearby police station to be opened 24/7, or at least a higher police presence in the area.

Their calls come after a homicide investigation was launched yesterday following the discovery of a man’s body on the street.

Officers were called to the scene at 4.08 am and found the 24-year-old man lying on Peter Snell Rd, between the intersections of Tamingi St and Tamure Place.

Detective Inspector Al Symonds of Whangārei CIB said police were following positive lines of inquiry to locate those involved.

“We know the community will be feeling concerned about this incident but please be rest assured we are doing everything we can to locate those responsible and hold them to account. We believe this is an isolated incident and that there is no danger to the public,’’ Symonds said.

This Mitsubishi 4X4 was part of the police investigation into a homicide on Peter Snell Rd, Ruakākā, on Thursday.

“However, the community can expect to see an increased police presence in the area as our inquiries continue.”

Symonds said shortly before 4pm on Thursday that a post-mortem examination and formal identification of the victim will be carried out over the coming days. The death will be referred to the coroner.

“Police will likely be able to release more details about the man after these processes have been completed,’’ Symonds said.

“While there are a number of details police are unable to comment on at this stage, we again are reassuring the Ruakākā community that the investigation team is committed to holding those responsible to account. We will continue to proactively provide updates as the investigation allows.’’

The Northern Advocate spoke to several residents at the scene yesterday morning and they all said the situation in and around that small part of the community was ‘scary’.

The homicide inquiry comes after a man was stabbed on nearby Rakatau Place in September and a double homicide of two children in May. All three incidents were within a few hundred metres radius of each other.

None of the residents suggested that the incidents were linked, but said they had seen an increase in crime in that small part of the village this year, with many incidents not reported to police for fear of retaliation.

One woman spoken to said she spoke to the woman who was one of the first on the scene on Thursday morning. She said the woman heard a loud bang about 4am. and went out to find the man lying in the road.

Peter Snell Rd, between the intersections of Tamingi St and Tamure Place, was cordoned off by police on Thursday after the body of man was found on the street, sparking a homicide inquiry.

She tried to give him CPR and the woman said it appeared that the man may have been the victim of a hit and run as it did not appear that he had been shot.

‘’It’s pretty scary round here at the moment with an increase in tensions. We’ve had some new people move in and that seems to have been what’s caused some of the conflict,’’ the woman, who did not want to be named said.

“It’s just horrible when something like this happens in the community, We’re all a bit worried at the moment as you just don’t know what’s going to happen next.’’

Ruakākā business leader Janine Abernethy said Ruakākā was a very safe place to live, and the issues at the moment seemed to be concentrated on the small area along and around that part of Peter Snell Rd.

Some members of the Ruakākā community, south of Whangārei, want the village’s police station opened 24/7, or at least a larger police presence in the area.

Abernethy said it appeared to stem from some family members returning to that part of Ruakākā who had ‘’different values because of where they have been previously’'.

She said it would be wrong to link the latest incident with the death of the two children. A woman has been charged with two counts of murder in relation to the death of the two children and the case will be back in court in November.

‘’It’s still a very safe community to live in. There’s just a very tiny group that has just appeared recently,’’ Abernethy said.

However, back near the Tamingi/Peter Snell intersection residents spoken to said they were worried about what was happening in the area and wanted more police to keep an eye on things there. The police station being opened 24/7 would act as a major deterrent, they said.

One man said at the very least there should be a Bream Bay police officer on call after hours so if an incident happened they would not have to wait for an officer from Whangārei, or elsewhere in Northland, to turn up.

‘’Then anybody causing trouble would know the cops are only a few minutes away, not half an hour or an hour away,’' he said.

Another man said his wife awoke round 4am to the sound of people yelling on Peter Snell Rd and the sounds of cars burning up and down the street.

At the nearby Ruakākā Shopping Centre, about 500m away, where the police station is situated and opposite Bream Bay College, the homicide inquiry was a hot topic and several people supported the thought of more police in the area and the station opening 24/7.

Meanwhile, police said they would like to hear from anyone who saw suspicious activity in the Peter Snell Rd area in the early hours of Thursday morning, or who has information that could assist the investigation.

People can call police on 105 or make a report online at https://www.police.govt.nz/use-105 referencing file number 231012/4721. Reports can also be made anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.