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John Kirk-Anderson / Stuff
It is unacceptable for child runners to damage the road, say police [file photo].
Police are asking the public to report the activity of kiddie runners after one person was arrested for allegedly shooting eight vehicles outside of Hamilton.
The 32-year-old was arrested “in connection with a series of incidents in which eight vehicles were shot in a rural area of Hamilton,” said Hamilton-area inspector commander Andrea McBeth.
There were three reports of vehicle gunfire in an area south of Hamilton on Friday, July 17 and June 6 and 19, McBeth said in a statement.
Inspector Jeff Penno, Waikato’s road safety manager, said Stuff on Monday that police needed help from the public for the child police runners.
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He said they respected the right to have hobbies, but when he crossed the line and became a danger to the public and public property, it was unacceptable.
“We are aware of the nuisance these groups cause and we ask that people, if they witness any behavior, contact the police, because that is crucial.
“We cannot monitor without evidence, so we need to know what is happening, who is involved and where it is happening.”
Penno said this had been an ongoing problem for many years and there was community concern about it. Boy’s riders damaged the seal on the road from burns and skids.
“That is just unacceptable,” Penno said.
He was asking the public to call them every time they saw the kids’ runners activity, as every piece of intelligence helped.
“We need that intelligence, we need them to be our eyes and ears and tell us what is going on by calling the police directly or Crimestoppers.”
The man arrested for allegedly shooting cars has been charged with eight counts of reckless discharge of a firearm and eight counts of intentional damage.
You are due to appear in Hamilton District Court on Friday, October 16.
