Confronting burglar has man fighting for his life
AWellington man is critically injured after he tried to stop a burglary at his home overnight. The incident happened at Buckley Rd in Southgate in the early hours of the morning when the victim found a person on his property.
Inspector David Thornton said it appeared the man was attempting to restrain the person when he was injured. He was taken to hospital in a critical condition.
The alleged suspect fled on foot and cordons were put in place while a police dog unit responded, Thornton said.
“Within 20 minutes, the suspect was tracked to a nearby location and was taken into custody. He received minor injuries from a dog bite.”
An 18-year-old man has been arrested and is due to appear in court on Monday. He is charged with several offences and police could not rule out further charges.
Thornton said it was a traumatic event and police were working closely with the man’s wife and family. “While we have made an arrest, we realise this will also be unsettling for some in the area and officers will be conducting reassurance patrols
While we have made an arrest, we realise this will also be unsettling for some in the area.
Inspector David Thornton
over the coming days.”
Police wanted people in the area with CCTV cameras to review the footage and make contact if they have any images from about 3.30am to assist with inquiries.
“In particular, we believe the alleged suspect may have [been] travelling in a Suzuki Swift, which was found parked across the road, still running. Inquiries have established this vehicle has been unlawfully taken,” Thornton said.
Police will remain in the area to undertake scene examinations.
Police encouraged anyone with information to contact them by calling 105, or by filling out a report online at www.police.govt.nz/use-105, using “Update My Report”. People should reference 221211/9888. Information can also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.
Meteorologists are optimistic that a ridge of high pressure might arrive just in time for the holiday period — but aren’t quite ready to gift-wrap that cheery Christmas forecast for us just yet.
Before that, they’re picking the potential for temperatures to hit 30C around the country next week, with “gooey” humidity in store for many places.
Niwa forecaster Ben Noll said that, amid characteristically messy December weather, models were increasingly favouring a “big signal” of high pressure in the days leading up to Christmas.
“These two drivers are working together to lead to this ridge signal that develops closer to Christmas,” Noll said.
“Right now, I’d say there’s at least moderate confidence that this will develop in the lead-up to Christmas, but what I’m less confident about is, how long will it last?”
One scenario, he said, was that high pressure hung over New Zealand from Christmas, right through to the New Year period.
Another was that we received an unwelcome visit, closer to the end of the month, from a system swinging in from the north or north-west.
“The Coral Sea has been generally unsettled with plenty of storm activity, so there’s always a chance that things could go in the other direction for us,” he said. “Still, we’re now looking at a good chance of a spell of settled conditions.”
It didn’t help forecasters that our third consecutive La Nin˜a summer was continuing to bring its usual variability, with rainy fronts intermingled with summery temperatures.
Traditionally, La Nin˜a has delivered more northeasterly winds that bring rainy conditions to North Island’s northeast, and drier conditions to the south and south-west of the South Island.
Whether you're a fan or not, expect humid conditions (especially for the North Island) to continue for most of the next several days.
After New Zealand’s secondwarmest opening six months on the books, along with its warmest winter and ninth-warmest spring, 2022 is likely to finish up among our hottest years on the books – and quite possibly another record-breaker.