Public information leads to arrest of tagger

Thanks to a call from a member of the public, Rotorua Police have arrested a 16 year old Hamilton youth after he was seen tagging a local school early this morning .

The male will appear in the Rotorua Youth Court today, and is facing charges of criminal damage, possession of an offensive weapon and possession of cannabis utensils.

Today's arrest is the second such apprehension this week, after an offender was caught on CCTV scratching a window of a commercial premise in Ranolph St on the weekend. He was apprehended close to the scene and appeared in court today on a charge of intentional damage.

Senior Sergeant Ewan Dunsmuir from Rotorua Police says Police take a hard line on any sort property damage, including graffiti, and any offenders caught will be facing serious charges.

"Graffiti is essentially a nuisance crime. It causes damage to private and public property which has an associated cost to clean up, but just as importantly it creates a perception of associated crime in the area.

"We encourage members of the public to contact Police immediately if they see any suspicious behaviour or if they see graffiti happening.

"The sooner we are informed, the better chance we have of apprehending the offenders and being able to hold them accountable for their actions.

"There are systems in place to hold these people accountable, regardless of their age. In this case, for example, we will be seeking reparation for damage caused.

"This morning is a perfect example. This offender was caught and arrested as a result of a member of the public calling Police. We'd like to thank that person for contacting us as quickly as they did. We will be seeking reparation for damage as part of holding him accountable.

"If you see something, please say something. You can contact your local Police station, call 111 or provide information anonymously through the independent Crimestoppers line on 0800 555 111."