RURAL police are warning of an increase in suspicious activity in the northern stretches of Ōtorohanga.
Ōtorohanga rural support officer Collette Corley said a lot of the scouting of properties has happened during the daytime.
She recommended if the would-be burglars returned in the early hours of the morning, to flood them with light.
It worked for farmers in one instance, who were woken by their gate alarm and saw a car on their track through their CCTV system. They turned on all their lights, causing the car to leave.
“They spooked him,” Collette said. “These measures will deter them.”
It’s vital people who notice suspicious vehicles, such as those travelling on long rural driveways, report the activity to police.
When reporting a suspicious vehicle to police, it’s important to note its registration number, make and model, colour and if it was a car, truck, van or motorcycle.
Telling police what direction the vehicle was travelling in, if it had any rust or damage and if it had any marks or writing on it, could also help in identifying those involved.
When it came to providing descriptions of people, take note of gender, approximate age, race, skin colour, height, body type (thin/fat/muscular), eye colour and shape, if they were wearing glasses, face and mouth shape, if they had facial hair and what colour and type of hair they had.
Suspicious behaviour can be reported to police by calling 105 or online.
Crimestoppers is a way to report crime anonymously. The independent charity can be called on 0800 555 111 and online forms are available on its website crimestoppers-nz.org
