Public have vital role in stopping vehicle damage

PUBLIC ASSISTANCE SOUGHT TO END VEHICLE DAMAGE TO RESERVE AREAS

Ruapehu District Council (RDC) is asking people to help them and the Police put an end to a spate of vandalism on local reserves where cars have been doing burn-outs and drifting.

On at least three occasions over the last three weeks the Village Green in Ohakune has suffered from damage along with other vandalism to Mangawhero Terrace Extension, Christie Park and in Raetihi.

RDC Property Team Leader Rebecca van Orden said that with the help of the public the Police were successful in identifying the culprits responsible for this most recent damage.

We would like to ask the community to help us stay on top of this problem by contacting the Police if they see it happening or if it is safe to make a note of the licence plate and vehicle details.

The Police will be stepping up their surveillance of the problem areas however they cannot be there all the time, she said.

The culprits that we have identified will be receiving a bill for the damage along with a traffic warning from the Police.

While these most recent incidents involved visitors to Ohakune this type of problem occurs throughout the District.

The support of the public is the key to keeping issues like this under control.

If young people know that the community strongly disapproves of this type of behaviour and they are likely to be reported to the Police along with a bill from Council for the damage we believe they are less likely to make these sort of silly decisions.

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