DRUGGIES BLAMED FOR VANDALISM

A cannabis war is brewing in North Taranaki's hill
country.

The victims are the local farmers who claim they are being targeted by
disgruntled cannabis growers looking for revenge after summer crops
were raided by police.

Locals on Kaka Rd, Okoki, say they are being terrorised by late-night
vandalism to their property.

Since a police cannabis operation in the area earlier this year, farm
sheds and signs have been peppered with bullets, stock has been stolen
and shot, farm equipment vandalised, fences cut and trees chopped down
over the road, the neighbours say.

They believe local drug growers are paying them back for supposedly
working with the police to track down cannabis crops.

But the locals are standing firm. Yesterday a group of 15 arrived to
help Colin Bird (69) repair damage to his property.

Mr Bird is in no mood to "roll over".

"If they think they are scaring me they've got another thing coming,"
he said.

"Somebody's got to do something about this because somebody's going to
get shot - somebody's going to get hurt."

More than a kilometre of eight-wire fencing on his farm was cut in
more than 100 places causing about $10,000 worth of damage.

Mr Bird said whoever cut the fences must have had local knowledge
because the damage was restricted entirely to his farm, stopping at
his boundary.

"The worst thing about this is we're wearing it for the cops' raids,"
Mr Bird said.

"It's just madness, I reckon these guys are just whacked out on
P."

Another neighbour, Alan Cudmore, said he was fed up with the
vandalism.

"They seem to think people report them (to the police), but don't they
think the cops spot it from the air?" he said.

But one of the men singled out by the angry neighbours said he had no
idea who was behind the attacks when approached by the Taranaki Daily
News.

The man said while he was aware of the vandalism he had never had any
on his property.

"It's been going on for months, stuff's been going down for years," he
said, declining to be named.

"I've never gotten on with them (my neighbours).

"Everybody's blaming me because they don't get on with me, but why
would I crap on my own neighbourhood?"

But Mr Bird said he and his neighbours had had enough and would be
keeping an eye out in future. "The police have come out and had a look
but what they are doing now we don't know.

"What he said (the officer), was he couldn't do much about
it.

"There's a lot more eyes and ears that are going to be listening and
watching.

"There's a lot more good people than bad people around here, don't
worry about that."

And Mr Cudmore said he didn't think the problem was over yet. "I dare
say we'll get attacked after this," he said.

"I'm expecting my fences, gates, stock to get shot or something, but I
don't care.

"What do the cops expect us to do, stay here and take
it?

"It won't happen - they had better not come near my
house."

Waitara Senior Sergeant Matt Prendergast is understood to need more
time to investigate the issue before commenting.