Latest news with #NZPolice
RNZ News
2 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
Sirens, choppers, burnouts reported in Levin, one year on from violent boy racer conflict
Events a year ago this weekend turned violent, with confrontations between a large crowd and police in Levin. Photo: NZ Police / Supplied Levin residents say police and hoons are already out in force on the anniversary of earlier conflict. Last year, a gathering of more than 200 people and cars in Levin turned violent on Saturday 1 June, with a crowd blocking the town's main street, and officers reporting projectiles thrown at them. A year later, on Friday night, "riot police" had closed State Highway 1 through central Levin, the administrator of popular Facebook page Traffic Fox said. Video showed police standing in formation with shields and body armour, across the highway at the central Queen Street and Oxford Street shops, with multiple sirens heard and many thick dark tyre skid marks seen in circles on the intersection in front of them. "At around 10pm, hundreds of car enthusiasts, or "boy racers" converged on Levin and tried to close off the main highway doing burnouts and skids, police were prepared and stopped a lot of it," the Traffic Fox administrator said. "Yet bottles were smashed, rubber was laid, a couple of people were arrested for carrying weapons, riot police were out in force, cars were rammed etc. Even the Police Eagle helicopter was brought down from Auckland!" Much of the group had left the town by about 11pm, and were heading north toward Palmerston North, she said. More than 100 comments on Levin social media groups showed locals were following the progress of the police helicopter across the town, with many reporting the helicopters were tracking boy racers. "Sounds are going hard now, from police sirens to choppers, to burn outs, to police chases ... quite uneasy for Levin locals," one person said on a local forum, shortly before 11pm, Friday. "[We] will see if this current government puts its 2025 boy racer legislation where it's mouth is," another commenter said. Stuff reported a large gathering of boy racers were expected in the town for King's Birthday Weekend, but were not wanted. Horowhenua District Mayor Bernie Wanden told Stuff the town has "had a gutsful", and did not want hoons coming back and causing "mayhem". Police were aware of the event and had plans and resources to respond, he said. Police did not respond to RNZ's request for comment. Earlier this month, the government announced stiffer punishments for those convicted of offences related to boy-racing, and for drivers who fail to stop for police. Those caught doing burnouts or taking part in unauthorised street racing or intimidating convoys faced vehicle destruction as a presumptive sentence, while fines for making excess noise from a vehicle were also raised. At the time of the announcement, Transport Minister Chris Bishop said New Zealanders were sick and tired of seeing "idiot drivers" put the community at risk. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Police recover large amount of stolen pounamu
Some of the pounamu taken from the Jackson River. Photo: NZ Police A large amount of pounamu stolen from a West Coast river has been recovered, police say. Inspector Tracey Wharehoka said she was notified by Te Rūnanga o Makaawhio, representing the local hapū Ngāi Māhaki in South Westland, on Wednesday that a vehicle had been seen heading up the Jackson River by a member of the public, and it appeared the occupants were collecting pounamu. Pounamu (greenstone) is important to Māori culture and the stone is considered to be a taonga, or treasure. Public fossicking for it is only allowed on beaches, police said in a statement tonight. Rivers are able to be prospected by Ngāi Tahu members, but only with a permit from their local hapū to do so legally, which the people linked to the vehicle and trailer did not have. Officers from Franz Joseph were quickly sent to find the vehicle on Wednesday and recovered 365 pieces and boulders of pounamu. The matter will be investigated and through the resolution process the pounamu will be returned to the hapū. Insp Wharehoka said police take pride in working with local hapū, and the theft of pounamu is treated with the same value and mindset that would be taken with other stolen property. "We are pleased we were able to move quickly and intercept these alleged thieves in the act. "People are often under the impression that because some of these West Coast locations are remote, no one else is watching. This incident proves that is simply not true, and our tight-knit community have their eyes and ears switched on for any unusual activity." The pounamu will be returned to local iwi who consider it a taonga. Photo: NZ Police Te Rūnanga o Makaawhio chairman, Paul Madgwick, said the iwi was thankful for the swift response, as there had been an ongoing problem with theft of their taonga, especially in remote areas. "While the Vesting Act confirms that all pounamu is owned by Ngāi Tahu, our respective pounamu management plans provide an opportunity for the public to fossick freely on the beaches, and also recognise the right of Ngāi Tahu members to collect pounamu themselves, within boundaries. "Anyone who is unsure of the rules around pounamu gathering, or has pounamu in their possession and is unclear about ownership, whether they're the general public or Ngāi Tahu whanau, is urged to reach out to the local Rūnanga to understand what is permissible." Insp Wharehoka said the protection and recovery of pounamu was just as much about education and knowledge as it was about detection and enforcement. Two men aged in their 30s were spoken to at the time of the incident. Police are investigating and charges were being considered. "We will continue to work with local iwi and those involved for the best action and outcome for all," Insp Wharehoka said. - APL
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Police launch review after controversial retail crime directive
Police Commissioner Richard Chambers. Photo: RNZ / Nick Monro Police have launched a review to establish how many cases of retail crime were filed while a controversial and now scrapped directive was in place. RNZ revealed last week a directive was recently sent to staff relating to police's File Management Centre (FMC) titled 'Assignment Changes - Theft and Fraud'. The directive said that from 26 March, the FMC was applying "nationally standardised value thresholds" when assessing theft and fraud files. The value thresholds were: General theft $200, petrol drive off $150, shoplifting $500, fraud (paywave, online, scam etc) $1000, and all other fraud $500. "When assessing files with these offences, you will apply the relevant value threshold and file any file under that threshold regardless of any lines of enquiry or IFA score," it said. The police instructions relating to Case Management define an IFA score as "a numeric value derived from a series of weighted factors which gives an indication of the solvability of the case, based on the presence or absence of certain key lines of enquiry". Police Commissioner Richard Chambers canned the directive , which he called "confusing and unhelpful" on Tuesday following significant backlash. On Friday, a police spokesperson confirmed to RNZ the national value threshold applied to the prioritisation of lower-level theft and fraud offences was being removed. "A review is being completed on any cases that may have been impacted by those thresholds to assess whether they should be assigned to districts for follow-up," the spokesperson said. The review will be done by police's data quality team. "Police want to reassure that cases will continue to be managed locally balancing demand, resources and priorities to ensure the best possible service to victims in those communities." The national value threshold applied to the prioritisation of lower-level theft and fraud offences was being removed. Photo: Andrey Popov Retail NZ advocacy manager Ann-Marie Johnson told RNZ earlier this week the organisation would "like assurance that no cases have slipped through the cracks due to any misunderstandings around the directive". Motor Trade Association (MTA) head of advocacy James McDowall told RNZ he welcomed the Commissioner's comments on Tuesday. "We are pleased to hear that police will be taking fuel theft seriously. If police want to conduct a review of the directive and any impact from it, we would be willing to take part and interested in the results," he said. "But why stop there? Why not go back over the last six or 12 months and see how many fuel thefts under $150 were investigated, not simply recorded." McDowall said members reporting that police did not take fuel theft seriously "goes back much further than March". "But we are heartened by the Commissioner's comments yesterday that police will do their 'absolute best for the retail community to hold offenders to account'. We are keen to meet and work with police to this end." Motor Trade Association (MTA) head of advocacy James McDowall. Photo: RNZ / Anneke Smith On Tuesday, Chambers told media at a press conference he was "very disappointed" when he learned of the memo talking about thresholds. "The content of that memo is inconsistent with my expectations as the Commissioner of Police," he said. On Tuesday afternoon, Chambers spoke with a number of leaders in the retail sector at a pre-planned meeting. "We sat down and we talked about what the opportunities are to work together in terms of addressing the problem of retail crime," he said. "My staff across the country work incredibly hard to address the problem of retail crime. We know that retail crime has been increasing over recent years, but so too have the number of prosecutions that police have laid addressing offenders." Chambers said police relied on the support of the retail community and members of the public to gather information and evidence that allowed police to hold offenders to account. "We won't always be able to be there, but we will do our absolute best for the retail community to hold offenders to account," he said. Chambers said he first became aware of the memo on the weekend, after RNZ revealed its existence. He read it for the first time on Monday night. "Having read the memo myself, some might think that we were giving license to those who choose to break the law. That's not the case," he said. "In fact, my appeal is for the retail community and the public to continue to help us to ensure that we gather information to hold people account that hasn't changed." Chambers said the staffer behind the directive "thought they were being helpful". "But actually, when we think about the processes that we have internally to address demand, we must also be thinking about the impact of those decisions externally. "Our role as law enforcement, we are working incredibly hard with the retail community, and the memo was inconsistent with my expectations. I have not spoken to the individual myself, but I think the Commissioner coming out and being very clear about my expectations is probably sufficient." Chambers described himself as an "understanding leader," but said he was "disappointed" the memo spoke to things "that are very inconsistent with my expectations when it comes to retail crime". He said he was "concerned" when he read the memo that it may "impact on trust and confidence in police". "So I'm here today making very clear, and I'm hoping reassuring, that my expectations have not changed." Victims and Resolutions executive director service Rachael Bambery sent an email to District Commanders on Tuesday. The email, supplied to RNZ by police, spoke about "public commentary about national consistent thresholds" for certain offences. "I want to reaffirm that our collective focus remains on the victims and retail crime… The Service, Victims, and Resolutions teams remain committed to supporting you and your districts-both in progressing files and in ensuring our victims are kept informed. "As outlined in the recent memo regarding the development of a consistent IFA approach, please remember this is not a hard and fast directive. To be clear, districts continue to retain the discretion to investigate based on local context, and local resources. Early case closure is not final-many files are reactivated as new information or patterns emerge." Bambery said victim feedback continued to highlight a common theme. "They want to know what's happening next. A consistent national approach will help us provide timely, meaningful updates to victims-something that builds trust and reinforces our commitment to service. "Encouragingly, recent prosecution data shows an increase in shoplifting charges being laid." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Red convertible 'sped away' at time of Southland arson
Police are seeking sightings of a red BMW Z3 similar to this one. Photo: NZ Police A red BMW convertible was seen speeding from an isolated Southland town at the time of a suspected arson which destroyed a property. Police today released an image of a similar BMW Z3 after earlier this week saying they were "making progress to an arrest". The fire gutted an Elswick St house and destroyed two vehicles on the property, about 50km north of Gore, in February 2024. Detective Sergeant Brian McKinney, of Gore, said police wanted information on the vehicle "which was seen leaving the Waikaia township at speed around the time of the fire". The fire gutted a Waikaia property. Photo: NZ Police "On that same night, the vehicle was also observed travelling towards the Riversdale area, again at speed," he said in a statement. Police wanted to speak to anyone who has information about the vehicle, or one matching the description. Det Sgt McKinney said police were determined to hold the person responsible accountable, "and while an offender has not been located at this stage, we're making progress to an arrest". "There are positive leads in our investigation that we are looking into. However we continue to appeal to the public for any information they have on this incident." Anyone with information that could assist, was asked to contact Police via 105 either over the phone or online, using the reference file number 240222/8704. - APL
Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Red convertible 'sped away' at time of arson
Police are seeking sightings of a red BMW Z3 similar to this one. Photo: NZ Police A red BMW convertible was seen speeding from an isolated Southland town at the time of a suspected arson which destroyed a property. Police today released an image of a similar BMW Z3 after earlier this week saying they were "making progress to an arrest". The fire gutted an Elswick St house and destroyed two vehicles on the property, about 50km north of Gore, in February 2024. Detective Sergeant Brian McKinney, of Gore, said police wanted information on the vehicle "which was seen leaving the Waikaia township at speed around the time of the fire". The fire gutted a Waikaia property. Photo: NZ Police "On that same night, the vehicle was also observed travelling towards the Riversdale area, again at speed," he said in a statement. Police wanted to speak to anyone who has information about the vehicle, or one matching the description. Det Sgt McKinney said police were determined to hold the person responsible accountable, "and while an offender has not been located at this stage, we're making progress to an arrest". "There are positive leads in our investigation that we are looking into. However we continue to appeal to the public for any information they have on this incident." Anyone with information that could assist, was asked to contact Police via 105 either over the phone or online, using the reference file number 240222/8704. - APL
