Youths nabbed after car stolen
A car stolen from the forecourt of Mobil Service Station in Queen Street, Cambridge on the weekend set off a series of events which resulted in the arrest of eight youths.
The incident was a timely reminder not to leave car keys in the ignition when vehicles are left, community liaison officer Deb Thurgood said.
Reports came through to the police from Leamington where youths were allegedly driving three stolen cars around a cemetery and doing burnouts.
Police caught up with seven youths after they abandoned the vehicles and ran away.
One other youth fled in a stolen vehicle and was later stopped and arrested.
All the youths were from the Auckland area.
Senior Sergeant David Hall thanked the public for calling in suspicious information and enabling police to respond quickly.
“This event demonstrates the importance of community information. Quick reporting by local residents led to multiple arrests and several crimes being solved,” he said.
Police investigations are continuing and further charges are likely.
On the beat
By Deb Thurgood
As you will see above, police had a great catch following a report of cars doing burnouts in Leamington. The apprehension of eight youths from the Auckland area was a combination of good work from Cambridge and Te Awamutu staff plus a police dog handler.
So often in this job, teamwork is what it is all, about when achieving great outcomes. This also applies when we are working with external agencies. As community liaison officer, I have developed strong networks with local agencies such as Ministry of Social Development, Kainga Ora, Corrections, Community Mental Health, Cambridge Community House, Age Concern, Neighbourhood Support and more.
Often a combined approach to problem solving ensures we all get a complete picture of a situation which in turn enables us to provide an effective solution using our various ‘toolboxes.’ As the incident above shows, community information is an extra and important ingredient in the mix.
On that note, we have recently received reports of cars doing burnouts and people acting in a drunk and disorderly manner in the Keeley’s reserve area of Lake Karāpiro. This is an area well used for sports and recreation purposes, providing as it does access to boat ramps and camping. Any damage to the reserve affects us all. Community information will help us stop this from happening.
If you see something happening of concern at Keeley’s Reserve (or any other of our lake front recreation parks), please call 111 at the time.
Crime prevention requires us all to step up and make a call rather than hoping someone else will take the initiative. If offenders are not apprehended, the areas will gain a reputation as easy locations and continue to be misused. We all deserve to feel safe to use this area.
Among the burglaries of late, we had two where meat was stolen from freezers. Both were in rural properties.
This serves as a reminder that even remote locations can be targeted. All it takes is for someone to know there is a beast in the freezer, mention it to a mate, and you may get targeted. The meat may also end up on-sold. If you have a freezer in an unsecured garage or shed, consider adding a lock to the freezer itself. I also recommend installing CCTV to cover the farmhouse and outbuildings. When it comes to implement sheds, taking a photo or short video of the contents is also helpful. So often otherwise after a burglary has happened, it is only when the victim goes to use a particular tool, days or weeks later, that they realise it was missing.
Until next week, look after yourselves and each other. Deb
