CRIME-BUSTING TRACTOR: Sergeant Ian Osland, of Masterton Police, leads the J1 class at Gladstone School in a lesson about rural crime prevention as part of an awareness scheme built around the unique Police Rural Crime Prevention Tractor and run in partnership with the Norwood Farm Machinery Centre. PHOTO/LYNDA FERINGA
CRIME-BUSTING TRACTOR: Sergeant Ian Osland, of Masterton Police, leads the J1 class at Gladstone School in a lesson about rural crime prevention as part of an awareness scheme built around the unique Police Rural Crime Prevention Tractor and run in partnership with the Norwood Farm Machinery Centre. PHOTO/LYNDA FERINGA
The unique New Zealand Police Rural Crime Prevention Tractor has been prowling Masterton in an awareness campaign aimed at country school classmates.
Masterton police Sergeant Ian Osland accompanied the Police blue and yellow-branded tractor to Gladstone School yesterday and was to visit Fernridge School today alongside the specialised vehicle tooutline to children in country schools the importance of rural crime prevention.
He said classmates at Gladstone School were most keen to know whether the New Holland tractor was used to chase "bad people" and how fast the vehicle could travel. They also quizzed him about Thames the police dog, who was found on Sunday after going missing in the Tararua Ranges a week earlier.
"It's worth its weight in gold as a talking point for people in the country to break the ice and open discussion about crime in the rural sector."
The one-of-a-kind machine, with its red and blue lights and sirens, was brought to town in partnership with the Norwood Farm Machinery Centre this week. It was also available at the firm's yard in southern High St, where police were on hand from noon to 2.30pm to discuss and advise on crime prevention.
