A 78-year-old woman driving a rental car drove out onto the main road near Island Car and Bike Hire and was struck by an oncoming vehicle. The collision caused a further impact with another car, which had stopped to avoid crashing. POLICE MEDIA/26102629/26102630
Tourists have found themselves at the centre of a series of incidents, highlighting growing concerns for visitor safety and the increasing demands on local police over the long weekend.
Cook Islands Police media advisor Trevor Pitt said following two reports of visitors having their bags snatched by a motorbike rider, at least seven incidents involving tourists added to the weekend pressures of attending to calls for burglary, theft, unlawfully found, stolen motorbikes, and motor vehicle crashes.
Pitt said an elderly female visitor was arrested and charged with reckless driving following a crash in Arorangi early Saturday afternoon.
The 78-year-old woman, driving a rental car drove onto the main road near Island Car and Bike Hire and was struck by an oncoming vehicle. The collision caused a further impact with another car, which had stopped to avoid crashing.
This was one of four crashes reported during the weekend.
A second tourist was involved in one of them, which occurred at Matavera on Sunday.
A 32-year-old male visitor in a car made a U-turn near KAPS store, failing to see an oncoming motorcyclist. The rider crashed into the front left passenger door, sustaining injuries.
Early Saturday morning, Police were called to a Titikaveka location where a female tourist complained of someone knocking on the doors of accommodation units. Officers scoured the area and a stakeout caught sight of a naked man running on the Papaaroa beach.
A naked man was also the subject of a further complaint at Avana on Sunday morning, involving a female tourist out for a run. Police are investigating a suspected indecency offence and whether the two incidents may be linked.
A disoriented, intoxicated female tourist needed assistance on Saturday morning after a night out clubbing. She'd been evicted from the club and didn't know how she got to the back road of Tutakimoa near Te Aponga Uira. A taxi transported her to her accommodation.
The long weekend has been particularly demanding, with Police fielding complaints related to burglary and theft. One break-in was later connected to a distress call about a man unlawfully found on a property with an axe and other tools. Police recovered these burgled items along with a motorbike reported stolen on Friday. Police are continuing to hunt the known suspect. Police are continuing to hunt the known suspect.
A second motorbike was reported stolen at Arorangi on Sunday afternoon, along with additional complaints concerning wilful damage caused to a vehicle near the Empire Theatre and drunken youths loitering there.
The range of incidents reflects the considerable demands placed on Police over the long weekend, with investigations into several matters continuing.
- Police Media