POLICE DENY PORT CRIME PROBLEM

Young people are not running amok in Port Chalmers and the town's two
police officers are not run off their feet, Constable Warren Robinson says.

Const Robinson and Constable Lindsay Turner have been stationed at Port
Chalmers for the past 10 years and were aware of the issues.

"And the issues at Port Chalmers are no different and certainly no worse
than any other small town," Const Robinson said yesterday.

He was responding to an article in the Otago Daily Times on Friday, in
which members of the public called for a meeting to discuss police numbers
in the area after claims of drug use and heavy drinking by teenagers.

"We have no problem with teenagers in Port Chalmers," Const Robinson said.

"Everything is on track, ticking along nicely."

Port Chalmers had three police staff until May last year when the
sergeant's position became vacant. Police are reviewing whether that
position will be filled.

Const Robinson believed more offences had been cleared this year at Port
Chalmers than at any time in the past 10 years.

"And that's with the two of us.

"We are handling what crime is going on out here. We are humming away nicely."

An incident in October last year in which a 12-year-old boy was so
intoxicated when he was found in the local school grounds, that he was
vomiting blood, was a one-off, Const Robinson said.

"In that case, some parental controls were put in place, a curfew was put
in place, and we haven't seen or heard or had to deal with that 12-year-old
since.

He also rejected claims a methamphetamine pipe was found in the school grounds.

"That was a very poor excuse for a cannabis pipe."

Police had recently cleared up incidents involving vandalism at the school
and thefts of cars.

"We know who those offenders are and they are being dealt with," Const
Robinson said.

"But incidents like that happen in every town. It is just a small number of
young people ruining it for everyone else.

"There is not a crime problem in Port Chalmers."