A Rotorua police officer is staggered her call for locals to help catch drug dealers has resulted in a personal attack.
Detective Karin Isaacson's plea in the Daily Post for information about drug growers and other criminals has proved successful, with tip-offs already leading to arrests - but
it also created some unwanted attention. Ms Isaacson appeared in the newspaper in January after police sent out 3000 flyers to rural areas around Rotorua asking residents for information about drug growers and other crime.
The flyers, sent to areas including Kaharoa, Reporoa, Rerewhakaaitu, Waikite Valley and Mamaku, asked residents to ring her if they had any information to pass on.
The Daily Post article was then reprinted in the New Zealand Herald and was posted on a website, www.norml.org, that promotes the legalisation of cannabis. That resulted in people posting online comments, including some which criticised Ms Isaacson. One of the comments, which used several expletives, prompted other bloggers to tell the writer to "calm down".
Other comments called her misguided and wondered whether her senior had sent her out to "terrorise the cannabis community".
Ms Isaacson said the police's proactive stance was also surprisingly joked about on ZM radio with host Iain Stables making derogatory comments.
She said all police areas had staff who were concentrating on drug growers as well as other drug-related crime and she was surprised the article and fliers created such a stir. "I know for a fact they are doing this sort of thing in other areas of the country but for some reason this grabbed the attention of the nation ."
She said the fliers had proved successful with information leading to some arrests and more information was yet to be acted on. " Our focus was targeting the organised criminal groups and higher level dealers."
Meanwhile, this summer's dry conditions is not only plaguing farmers in the region, it will also be taking its toll on cannabis growth. "They [the growers] will have to put a lot more effort in to tending to their crops."
She reiterated her plea for the public to pass on information, which could be given anonymously by ringing (0800) TIPOFF.
