Police counters stay open
No Northland police stations are affected by the decision to close 21 front counter stations around the country, while a Front Counter Safety review is conducted, due to safety concerns for their employees.
The employees, mainly volunteers, don't have the necessary training and physical protection measures to protect them from an attacker who walks in to the station. The closest station to Northland is in Wellsford.
In Otago, the Arrowtown station has been manned for six hours a day, five days a week for more than 23 years. There were 25 volunteers that made up the Arrowtown Police Volunteer Group, until they handed back the keys to Queenstown Police this week.
Fig tree removed
A landmark fig tree on the Paihia waterfront is to be cut down this week by the Far North District Council. The large fig tree, next to the public toilets on Tii Beach, is suffering dieback and was found by an independent arborist to pose a risk to property and public safety. Traffic on Marsden Rd may be affected while the tree is removed.
Caught twice in two hours
A 55-year-old Kaitaia woman was charged with driving with excess alcohol for the third or subsequent time twice in two hours on Sunday.
The first charge was laid after the woman allegedly exited the KFC drive-through in Kaitaia at 5.34pm, crashing into another vehicle. She recorded 1058 micrograms per litre of breath.
Police stopped her at Takahue at 7.26pm, after her car was seen swerving on South Rd, Kaitaia, when she recorded 911 micrograms, saying she had been going to tell her boyfriend that she had been caught the first time.
Soft plastics recycling
All Far North District Council refuse transfer stations are now accepting soft plastics, including plastic bags and film (food wrap), for recycling, free of charge. The same deal applies to dry cell batteries.
Sober driver falls short
A Kaitaia man, who was reportedly serving as his mates' sober driver, and held a zero alcohol licence, didn't quite meet the required standard when he was stopped by police last week. He recorded 704 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath. He was one of several people charged with driving with excess alcohol, one recording 1032 micrograms, more than four times the legal limit.