POLICE REPORT
Last week in the Coromandel area there were three arrests for alleged breach of bail and no warrants to arrest. Sadly, there were more alleged family harm incidents resulting in arrests for serious violence charges, a courier got a nasty surprise when his van was stolen and police executed search warrants on Eastern Waikato addresses targeting alleged drug dealers and robbers.
Monday, October 18
Eastern Waikato police executed five search warrants in relation to a spate of aggravated robberies and burglaries in the Waharoa area and neighbouring towns. Four people were arrested and held in custody. They are facing serious charges.
A Thames man was arrested for alleged serious assault in relation to an alleged historic family harm incident. He allegedly punched his female partner multiple times. He was remanded in custody.
Tuesday, October 19
Waikato police CIB, Organised
Crime Squad and Armed Offenders Squad executed search warrants targeting methamphetamine supply in the Matamata-piako area. Three people were arrested and charged with allegedly supplying methamphetamine and cannabis and alleged unlawful possession of firearms. A significant amount of illegal drugs was seized along with 12 firearms.
A Te Aroha man was arrested at a Whitaker St address on multiple alleged serious violence charges. He allegedly tried to force entry to a house armed with a knife and threatened to kill the occupant then attempted to stab him. The victim managed to escape and prevented the alleged offender from getting inside. The alleged offender is accused of then slashing the tyres on the victim's bike.
A Waihi man was arrested for alleged serious assault charges in relation to an alleged historic family harm incident. Two days earlier, he allegedly assaulted his female partner by strangling and punching her. He was held in custody for court in Hamilton.
A Thames man was arrested for alleged disorderly behaviour at Mary St for allegedly verbally abusing and threatening members of the public after they declined to give him money. When arrested he allegedly resisted police and kicked a female officer. He has been charged and will be appearing in court soon.
Thursday, October 21
A courier van was stolen from Thames while the driver was making a delivery. The van was tracked to a secluded spot at Kopu-hikuai and recovered. All the freight was still on board. The offender fled from the scene prior to police arrival. Police are waiting on forensic test results to identify the offender.
Saturday, October 23
Paeroa police searched a vehicle at Puke Rd, Netherton, after a traffic stop. The driver was disqualified from driving. A crossbow, a knife and a quantity of cannabis were allegedly found inside his vehicle.
A dog bit a one-year-old child at a Hauraki Rd address. The child suffered a serious injury to the face and was taken to hospital by ambulance. The dog was impounded by animal control.
Sunday, October 24
An Athenree man was arrested at Tuna Ave, Waihi Beach, for allegedly breaching a protection order in relation to historic family harm incidents. He was held in custody overnight in Hamilton.
A Paeroa woman was served with a five-day police safety order. She woke after a heavy night of drinking alcohol with two males and allegedly threw a plate at a man's head. The victim declined to make an assault complaint.
Crime prevention message
Police have received complaints of another Facebook fraud scam. This one involves legitimate sellers falling victim to offenders posing as buyers. The offender purchases the victim's item on Facebook Market Place then requires the victim to make an alleged refundable insurance payment to the shipping company to get the item delivered. The shipping company account belongs to the offender. If the offender doesn't successfully fool the victim into making the payment, they then threaten to sue the victim for thousands of dollars. Facebook Market Place is fraught with danger, you could be dealing with anyone anywhere in the world and there are no protections or safety mechanisms in place to protect users. If you get scammed by an overseas offender it is highly unlikely that police will be able to recover your money. In our view, safer trading options include Trade Me and using Ping or Paypal for making payments. These platforms have great security features and protections for consumers.