Close watch on cars

Press, 4 June 1982, Page 1

Close watch on cars

The police will start a vigorous campaign this week-end to combat the ravages of vandals and thieves on cars left in the high country.

Intensified police patrols will run 24 hpurs a day at week-ends at Arthur's Pass. Lewis Pass, and other problem areas. Police from both Canterbury and the West Coast will take part in the campaign, which is the result of meetings between the police and representatives of several tramping clubs. “Vandalism and., thefts from cars parked in remote spots have reached a very serious level and there ,i’s widespread concern," said Chief Inspector A. W. M. Lawrence, of the Christchurch police, yesterday. Some trampers had suffered so often at the hands of vandals that they had gone to the expense of buying “old bombs" rather than take their family cars to the mountains.

Cars owned-by trampers. sportsmen. ■ and holidaymakers have been broken into or attacked by vandals in daylight in public carparks. In many cases the car-parks have been beside main roads.

Some cars have been rolled over, the body panels

kicked, and windows broken. Iron bars and bolt-cutters have been used to get into vehicles. Engine and transmission parts, complete exhaust systems, tyres, and body parts have been removed, as well as radios and valuables left inside cars. Constable Paul Gilfedder, of Hanmer Springs, has had a lot of trouble with vandals and thieves in his area. At week-ends he does the rounds of numerous popular parking places, but can spend only about five minutes at each. The visits take him aboutfour hours. Constable Gilfedder admits that the chances of catching an offender in the act are remote.

The extra patrols from this week-end should improve the situation, said Mr Lawrence. ,

He said that some tramping and outdoor clubs were considering a car-pool system to reduce the number of vehicles at risk. Vehicles which had to be left in remote areas should be made secure, and on no account should valuable property be left in them, even if hidden.

“The ideal thing , would, be for trampers to be ferried to their departure point and picked up later, but we realise that this would not always be practicable,” Mr Lawrence said.