They Say…

Dunedin Police are appealing for sightings of 59-year-old Trevor Pont who has been missing since early this morning in the Wakari area. Mr Pont was last seen leaving Wakari Hospital grounds at around 6am this morning. He was later observed walking down City Road towards town.

Police can now release the name of the motorcyclist who died following the crash on Whangamata Road, Kinloch near Taupo on Saturday January 20. He was 65 year old Mark Frecklington from Auckland. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time.

State Highway 46, Rangipo is closed due to surface flooding. The road is closed between Mcdonnells Redoubt Road and Otukou Road. Seven people have been evacuated from a house on the road.

Attribute to Detective Regan Fahey Winton Police are appealing for witnesses following a reported assault on the corner of Park and Prince Street on Monday (January 22). Anyone who was in the area at around 6.30pm and saw an altercation between two males is being urged to contact Winton Police on (03) 236 606 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Police can now release the name of the woman who died following a crash on State Highway One, in Horowhenua, on Thursday 18 January 2018. She was Nicola Baillie, 51-years-old from Palmerston North. The Serious Crash Unit investigation is ongoing.

At approximately 11:20am Police were called to assist with a fire in a non-mobile house bus used as a dwelling on a rural property on Domain Road, Lake Hawea. Fire and Emergency NZ have put the blaze out and located possible human remains within the dwelling however, this is yet to be confirmed by a forensic pathologist. Police and Fire will carry out a scene examination tomorrow morning.

Police have today completed the formal identification of the body found on Awatoto Beach on Friday 19 January. 
 
We can now confirm that it is missing 32-year-old French man Pierre Antoine Paludet. 
 
Mr Paludet’s family has been advised and arrangements will be made to return him home to them.

As kids head on back to school next week we want parents to take the time to check they’re up to speed with road safety.
 
“The summer holidays are long and that means some children might have forgotten some of the basic rules they need to follow to keep themselves safe,” says Inspector Peter McKennie, Manager of Operations for Road Policing.
 
“Add to that their excitement about returning to school and seeing their friends and this can mean they will be less alert to the traffic dangers around them.

Police and Fire and Emergency NZ are today continuing to examine the scene of a fatal fire on Wesley Street, Dunedin. 
 
ESR is providing assistance at the scene also.
 
We expect to be able to remove the bodies of the deceased from the house this afternoon, and post mortems will be done tomorrow.

A 58-year-old woman has been charged with attempted murder in relation to a stabbing at a house in Picton Avenue, Riccarton yesterday.
 
The woman is scheduled to appear in Christchurch District Court this morning. She is also charged with wilfully damaging property.

At 6:53pm tonight Police were called to a crash between a car and a logging truck on Ash Pit Road, Rerewhakaaitu, Bay of Plenty. The driver of the car has died at the scene. The truck driver was uninjured in the crash. The Police Serious Crash Unit is investigating and while a scene examination is carried out Ash Pit Road, between Republican and Rerewhakaaitu Roads, will be closed.

Attribute to Detective Alan Lee Wanaka Police are appealing for sightings of black Mazda ute following an assault at Puzzling World on Saturday afternoon (20 January). At around 3.30pm three men assaulted an Australian tourist when he intervened in what appeared to be a racially targeted verbal altercation.

Police can now name the woman who was killed in a crash in Alexandra on Friday 19 January 2018 around 12:50pm. She was 85-year-old Valerie May McGrath of Alexandra. Police apologise for earlier reporting that she was 86-years-old.

Please attribute to Detective Inspector Aaron Pascoe, Auckland City Police Police are continuing to investigate two incidents over the weekend on Tripoli Rd, Panmure which resulted in a number of people being injured. Police increased patrols in the area last night and there were no incidents of note overnight.

Attribute to Detective Senior Sergeant Leairne Dow: Police are investigating after a man was assaulted at an address on Picton Ave, Riccarton, around 1:00pm this afternoon. The man is believed to have been stabbed and has been taken to hospital with critical injuries.

Police are working with Fire and Emergency New Zealand to determine the cause of a fatal house fire in Wesley Street, Dunedin this morning. 
 
Emergency services were called to the fire at around 5.20am.

Please attribute to Detective Senior Sergeant Rhys Johnston, Far North Police Police enquiries have continued into the death of 58-year-old Christopher Vujcich, who died following an incident in Kaikohe on Friday evening. A post-mortem examination was conducted yesterday in Auckland.

Diversions are being put in place on Castlepoint Road, Te Ore Ore, near Masterton following a serious crash this evening. A car has collided with a power pole just before 8:20pm, about 1km north of the intersection with Masterton Stronvar Road. Two people are injured, one seriously and one critically, and were being transported to hospital.

Please attribute to Detective Inspector Aaron Pascoe Police are continuing to investigate two incidents on Tripoli Road, Panmure. In the early hours of Saturday a car struck a group of people. Later that day, before midnight, three people were attacked at a house.

Attribute to Detective Senior Sergeant Michael Ford: Christchurch Police are currently investigating a serious assault that occurred on Sewell Street, Linwood last night, Saturday 20 January. The assault occurred around 11:10pm and the victim is now in Christchurch hospital with serious head injuries.

Detective Inspector Aaron Pascoe will be conducting a media stand-up this afternoon, regarding two incidents in Tripoli Road, Panmure this weekend. The stand-up will be held at the scene in Tripoli Road, Panmure at 3.30pm. This will be the only opportunity today to speak to Detective Inspector Pascoe regarding the incidents.

Police were called to reports of a large group of people fighting at an address in Tripoli Road, Panmure at 11.30pm on Saturday, 20 January. 
 
It appears that a group of people had entered the house, confronting the occupants and damaging property.

A motorcyclist injured in a crash on Whangamata Road, Kinloch yesterday afternoon has died in hospital overnight. 
 
The crash occurred at around 2.20pm on Saturday 20 January, and involved the motorcycle and a car.

Attributable to Detective Senior Sergeant Rhys Johnston, Far North Police: A man has been charged in relation to the death of a Kaikohe man, after an incident in the Northland town on Friday evening. Christopher Vujcich, 58, died in Bay of Islands Hospital this morning.

A 48-year-old Te Atatu man is facing a number of charges after a significant amount of cash, weapons and methamphetamine were found at a property in Te Atatu Peninsula yesterday. 
 
Police were initially called shortly before 11am yesterday, to reports of two men fighting with golf clubs at a Te Atatu address. 
 
On attendance, police observed drugs at the address and therefore conducted a full search of the property.

Please attribute to Constable Sean Keeley, Waikato Search and Rescue: Police and LandSAR are continuing their search for 84-year-old Raymond Stirling today, who was last seen on 15 January. Police and Mr Stirling’s family are extremely concerned for his welfare, as Mr Stirling is frail and suffers from mild dementia.

Attributable to Senior Sergeant Ian Kerrisk, Alexandra Police: Police can confirm an 86-year-old woman was the victim in a fatal crash in Alexandra this afternoon. The crash between a Mini and a Nissan 4X4 happened at the intersection of Clutha Road and Ventry Road, just before 12:50pm.

One person has died following a two-vehicle crash in Alexandra. Emergency services were called to the intersection of Ventry St and Clutha St at 12.48pm. Motorists are asked to avoid the area.

Hawke’s Bay Police continue to investigate the disappearance of 32-year-old Frenchman, Pierre Antoine Paludet, who was last seen a week ago. Based on enquiries so far Police believe Mr Paludet and his vehicle were likely in the carpark from Wednesday 10 January 2018. He was last seen in the carpark early in the evening on Friday 12 January. [Photos attached] Mr Paludet was sleeping in his vehicle and cooking in the area around his car. Local residents had noticed a build-up of rubbish and his car seemingly abandoned, leading to the call to Police on the afternoon of Saturday 13 January.

Police previously reported that the crash in Castlecliff was between a truck and a pedestrian.   The crash was in fact between a truck and a 50cc motor scooter. The scooter driver, a man in his 20s has since died.

Police and other emergency services are at the scene of a serious crash in Whanganui where a truck has hit a pedestrian. The crash happened at the intersection of Hinau Street and Mosston Road in Castlecliff at 11.13am. The Serious Crash Unit has been called out and the road is closed.

Please attribute to Detective Senior Sergeant Glenn Baldwin, Auckland City Police. Police are seeking Shannon Watene who is wanted for a warrant to arrest for driving related offences and failing to appear yesterday at the Manukau District court. We would also like to speak to him about other matters.