Whitebait Huts Targeted In Riverton Burglaries
Riverton Constable Daryl Williams:
Police are
reminding Riverton whitebaiters to check the security of
their
huts and valuables after a spate of break-ins
reported this month.
Items taken so far include small
easily consumable items such as kitchen
utensils,
grocery items, tools and fishing gear through to larger
more
expensive items such as vehicle batteries,
solar inverter batteries, gas
cookers and pot belly
stoves.
Many of the huts were well secured, however it
appears that the offender(s)
were well equipped and
determined rather than simply opportunistic.
Riverton
Police encourage anyone who may have seen suspicious
activity
between 9 July and 16 July to come forward
as soon as possible.
The quicker Police can receive
information, the more likely it is we are
going to
be able to solve the crime.
There are currently around
165 huts and stands on both sides of the
Aparima
River on a 3 kilometre span from the mouth
of the Jacob’s River estuary.
As the upcoming season
approaches, many whitebaiters are returning to
their
huts and stands to prepare.
Police
would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone to
safely
secure items of value to try and discourage
this type of dishonest offending.
We continue to urge
whitebaiters to be extra vigilant with their
valuable
equipment. It is important that all
valuables are removed from huts,
particularly at
weekends and during off-season periods. At a minimum,
make
sure huts are left locked.
Police urges
anyone who witnesses any suspicious activity to call Police
on
111 immediately. If anyone has information
relating to these break-ins or may
know who is
responsible, they can contact Police on 105 or via
Crimestoppers
anonymously on 0800 555
111.