It’s that time of the year again when the leaves are golden and falling from the trees and there is a chill in the air in the mornings.

That means we all need to turn our mind to winter preparation and driving in winter. With the hard frosts that accompany our winters in Central, we need to ensure the vehicle window screens and side windows are defrosted or scraped to ensure your have all round visibility.

We need to drive cautiously as ice buildup can occur anywhere and cause vehicles to slip causing crashes. Please take the time to plan trips and give yourself more time. All these steps will keep us all a little safer.

The week that was:

• A 21-year-old New Plymouth man was stopped on Limerick Street, Alexandra and enquiries revealed he had an outstanding warrant to arrest for failing to appear in court. He was subsequently arrested and appeared in the Alexandra District Court where he was sentenced on the historical charge of driving whilst disqualified and sentenced to 6 months disqualification and a $600 fine.

• Police responded to a family harm incident and arrested a 19-year-old Hut Valley male for three historical family harm offences. He appeared in the Alexandra District Court and was bailed to appear in the Hutt Valley District Court on May 5.

• Police stopped a 35-year-old local woman in Alexandra. During the stop, the woman became angry and confrontational. She was arrested and needed to be pepper sprayed to control her behaviour. She will appear in the Alexandra District Court at a later date. 

• A 42-year-old Cromwell man was stopped on Olds Crescent and processed for drink driving. He provided an evidential breath result of 268mcg of alcohol per litre of breath. He was forbidden to drive for 12 hours, issued with a $250 fine and 50 demerit points.

• A 31-year-old local male was arrested for breaching his court-imposed bail conditions. He appeared in the Alexandra District Court and was bailed to appear in the Dunedin District Court.

• A 25-year-old local male was stopped on Springvale Road and he underwent roadside breath test procedures and provided an evidential result of 1042mcg of alcohol per litre of breath. The male’s drivers’ licence was immediately suspended for a 28 day period and he was summonsed to appear in the Alexandra District Court for the charge of driving with excess breath alcohol 3rd and subsequent.

• A 38-year-old Cromwell female was stopped on Waenga Drive for a random vehicle stop. The female underwent roadside breath testing and provided an evidential result of 400mcg of alcohol per litre of breath. She was issued a $250 infringement notice with 50 demerit points and was forbidden to drive for 12 hours.

• A 35-year-old Cromwell female was stopped for a random breath test. The female underwent roadside breath tests and returned a result of 815mcg of alcohol per litre of breath. Her licence was immediately suspended for a 28-day period, and she was summonsed to attend the Alexandra District Court.

• In the early hours of the morning, two local intoxicated Alexandra men, aged 27 and 32 were arrested for disorderly behaviour, obstructing police, and resisting arrest. The men were bailed and released to attend the Alexandra District Court.

• A 24-year-old Cromwell man was arrested for multiple family harm allegations. He was transported to the Queenstown Police station and will appear in the Queenstown District Court.

There have been reports, some members of the public have been quite abusive to our local road workers due to the necessary work being undertaken at present around the area. The alternative is the roads are blocked for a more extensive time period. No one should need to take abuse as they do their work – so a little patience whilst our roads and surrounds are being made safer is needed, plan your trips, and adapt accordingly. A little patience goes a long way when it comes to safety.