Deb Hann
Starting with some arrests from last week, Te Awamutu Police attended two separate family harm assaults in situations where Protection Orders were already in place. Two men were arrested and respectively charged for both the assault and breaching the protection orders. They have both appeared in court.
Deb Hann
In another incident, staff spoke to a male in a vehicle and detected the smell of cannabis. The vehicle was searched under the Search and Surveillance Act, resulting in police locating not only the drug, but also an offensive weapon. The male driver faces related charges in court.
In Cambridge, staff responded to an alarm activation at a retirement village. They located a vehicle parked outside the fenceline with signs indicating someone had walked from it over into a fenced area. A police dog handler successfully tracked from the vehicle and located a male inside the property. He has appeared in court. Also in Cambridge a female was arrested for breach of bail and appeared in court.
Last week I mentioned speed in relation to the pedestrian crossing on Shakespeare street, Leamington. I want to spread the message about pedestrian crossings a bit wider this week. The presence of pedestrian crossings is usually marked by a diamond painted on the road, the presence of mounted orange lights or disks on a pole either side and a white line showing where to stop.
The raised crossing between the Town Hall and the Town Clock. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
When approaching any pedestrian crossing, drivers need to be aware of anyone that is approaching or wanting to cross, ensuring they are prepared to stop. If there is a raised island in the middle of the crossing, you must give way to pedestrians on your side only, if the crossing goes across the full road width, you must give way to pedestrians on any part of the crossing.
Given the potential for driver visibility of crossings to be affected by parked cars or road features, any pedestrian using a crossing should equally be aware of approaching vehicles. Check that the road is clear before stepping out. Cyclists should dismount and walk their bike across to ensure drivers can stop in time.
Finally, yet another reminder that police scams persist. We will not text you about payment of fines and require you to click a link. We have also heard of a scammer phoning their victim, pretending to be a police officer investigating a fraud case and asking their victim for bank account details and attempting to solicit a payment. Again, not a legitimate police approach. Be scam aware.