'If it seems weird, report it' - Police
Southern District Police are investigating a number of thefts, with tools and ATVs among the items stolen across a wide area, from the outskirts of Invercargill to as far out as Hedgehope.
Detective Sergeant Neville Ross of the Waikato Tactical Crime Unit says officers have been seeking the whereabouts of a green and yellow 2013 John Deere 6330 tractor equipped with front forks and a Giltrap feeder on the rear since it was taken from a farm near Otorohanga on May 5.
"Around the time it was stolen our enquiries revealed the tractor was driven from Otorohanga down back roads to Mangakino and on to the Taupo area before the trail ran dry.
"Following a concentrated series of leaflet drops, mail outs and conversations with travellers and local residents our staff carried out a search warrant of a rural Poihipi Rd property near Taupo.”
Ross says those efforts and reports relayed by members of the rural community who had seen media coverage of the theft helped build up an accurate picture of where the tractor might be.
"In some cases farmers were working on their own properties and seen the tractor go by and they have recalled news coverage of the theft and travelled some distance to advise us of what they've seen.
"It's that sort of public support that allows Police to effectively respond and it's something Police actively encourage by way of phone calls, Facebook messages or conversations."
Ross says the front forks of the tractor were found at a property and identified by serial number resulting in the arrest of a 22-year-old man on theft charges and the arrest of his 44-year-old father on receiving charges.
Extensive area enquiries resulted Police locating the actual tractor which was being stored by an unsuspecting but somewhat bemused local farmer, Ross says.
"The tractor and front end loader hadn't been used for the past few months and was recovered still in 'as-new' condition and it was taken to a Police contract storage facility and is now the property of the insurance company."
Ross says enquiries are continuing.
"There's a couple of important messages here, one is the value in marking valuable equipment with synthetic DNA markers and equipping them with GPS tracking units and the importance of registering serial numbers on databases such as the free Operation SNAP website,www.snap.org.nz (link is external)."
"Many farms nowadays are quite large scale operations with a lot of equipment, machinery and pharmaceuticals that are attractive to thieves. We ask people to take note of any suspicious persons or vehicles and if they see something then do something- ring 111."
