Police, including Cambridge community cop Deb Hann, right, and Tom Pearse were at Fieldays. Photo: Waikato Police
A quick thank you to the Cambridge 60s Up Club for inviting me to speak recently. We had a valuable discussion about scams, what to look out for, how to protect yourself, and why staying informed is so important. Scammers target people indiscriminately, and the more awareness we can spread, the better equipped our community is to prevent victimisation.
There was a strong police presence at Fieldays both at a recruitment stand and around the site including top-level protection for chief executive Richard Lindroos from assistant commissioner Jeanette Park, right, and recruitment manager Wendy Spiller. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
Last week I spent three days at Fieldays. It’s always a great event and I enjoy the opportunity to connect with people in an informal setting. In addition to our foot patrols, both the police recruiting and road safety stands had steady interest throughout the event.
Overall attendee behaviour was good, with only minor issues reported. Thanks to the sharp eyes of a member of the public, we did locate two males who decided to pair their Fieldays visit with a bit of high‑value shoplifting. They targeted four stores, taking more than $3000 worth of items. Both will be appearing in court on related charges.
Police at Fieldays 2026. Photo: Waikato Police
While Fieldays gave us some blue‑sky days, this week fog has arrived. It’s a timely reminder to ensure your vehicle meets warrant of fitness standards and specifically that all front and rear lights are working properly. With many students biking or using e‑scooters to get to school, visibility is crucial. At a minimum, they need front and rear lights, and ideally some high‑vis gear to reduce risk.
Please take a moment to help your children stay road‑wise and ensure they remain extra alert on their commute.
For drivers, the message is simply to drive to the conditions. In fog, reduce your speed, use the fog line as a guide, keep headlights on low beam, and use fog lights if your vehicle has them. Increase your following distance to give yourself more time to react. Over the past seven days, staff across Waipā attended nine traffic crashes. Defensive driving can make a real difference in reducing road trauma.
Finally, a wee reminder to call 111 immediately if you see suspicious or criminal behaviour. We continue to see car crime and burglary activity across Waipā, and in most cases offenders are responsible for multiple incidents.
If you become aware of people trying car door handles, breaking into vehicles, or walking onto private, commercial, or construction properties overnight, police need to know at the time. Where it’s safe, keep observing and provide updates to the call taker about what the offenders look like, what they are doing and where they’re heading. CCTV footage is also extremely helpful.
Deb Hann, right, and Tom Pearse were part of the police presence at Fieldays. Photo: Waikato Police
