Police Notebook: Don't let parenting skills take a holiday

Photo/File

The following incidents were reported to Rotorua police during the past few days:

Schools are out but caregivers can't let their parenting skills be on holiday.

That's the message from Rotorua police, who say some young unsupervised people use the school holidays to commit crime.

Rotorua police crime prevention manager Stuart Nightingale said parents needed to remember their responsibilities, especially during the school holidays.

"Know where your children are, what they are doing and who they doing it with."

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Rotorua had noticeably fewer burglaries during the past week.

Last week 14 were reported in the city, compared with 20 the previous week. Mr Nightingale said the average was about 25.

"We have had a good few arrests from our tactical crime unit and have got control of five young people who have been targeting motels."

Mr Nightingale said those five young people were on active charges before the Rotorua Youth Court and were being monitored closely by the police, one under 24-hour curfew, which meant the police checked several times a day if they were home.

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Be on the lookout for the following vehicles.

A 2007 white Toyota Auris was taken from Murupara on Friday, registration HUS495.

In the early hours of July 5, two 2017 orange KTM motorcycles valued at more than $10,000 each were stolen from a motorcycle shop in Rotorua.

One was a KTM 450 SXF and the other was a KTM 350 EXCF.

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A man stole a laptop from a car while a woman was inside the Caltex service station on Amohau St paying for petrol about midday on Saturday.

The man was described as wearing a dark baseball cap, grey hoodie, grey trousers and carrying a black knapsack.

Mr Nightingale said anyone offered a cheap laptop for sale should be cautious and contact police if they thought it was stolen.

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Cold and wet weather is predicted for Rotorua and surrounding regions in the coming days, prompting police to remind drivers to be extra careful.

Mr Nightingale said motorists needed to watch following distances and if they were travelling extra slowly to pull over to let vehicles pass, because their driving could cause other drivers to become impatient.

"While we are not likely to see snow here in Rotorua, there's still a risk on our roads when there's a cold snap."