CALL TO DOB IN YOUR GREEN-FINGERED NEIGHBOURS

Police are urging Tararua residents to keep a sharp eye on next-door
neighbours as part of a crack down on home-grown cannabis operations.

The call comes after a drug bust in Dannevirke this week, where police
found 17 cannabis plants being cultivated under high-powered lamps in
a spare bedroom.

A 36-year-old man and a 19-year-old woman were arrested and will
appear in court next month.

Detective Shane Brown, from Tararua CIB, said it was an amateur
operation, with no hydroponics involved - just potted cannabis plants
sitting under lights.

"It certainly wasn't high tech. It was a good use of the spare bedroom
I suppose - not so good now."

Police are stepping up surveillance following the bust, and ask the
public to come forward if they see suspicious activity.

Sheds with blacked-out windows, and curtains closed night and day
could be indicators people were cultivating cannabis, Mr Brown said.

Indoor growing, often for personal use, had surged in popularity in
the past few years, with Tararua police nabbing one grower at least
every couple of months.

"You tend to get more in summer, why that is I don't
know.

"The ones we are coming across tend to be in the spare room or the
shed. A lot of them are growing it and doing it just like a home-
brewing set up."

Times had changed from the days you could spot a couple of plants in
the backyard, he said.

"Ten to 20 years ago, it was all grown outside, but the advent of
hydroponics has meant anyone can buy a kit, set up a nice little
business in their shed and away they go."