A burnt wheelie bin lies against a tree on Clyde St
yesterday. Photo by Peter McIntosh
Three non-students were arrested just a day after police
warned they would take a harder line on disorder events in the
student quarter.
Two Dunedin men - aged 32 and 28 - were arrested by police
and charged with burglary in connection with a garage fire on
Clyde St early yesterday morning.
More charges were likely in relation to the fire, Acting
Senior Sergeant Chris McLellan said. The scene was examined
by a Fire Safety officer yesterday.
The fire was lit near a heat pump unit next to a flat and was
''clearly madness''.
''The potential of that fire to cause serious damage to
property and the strong likelihood that we may lose a life is
huge,'' he said.
The men are expected to appear in the Dunedin District Court
on Friday.
The Fire Service attended five callouts in the student area
between 2.09am and 6.16am, with four in the Clyde St area.
Acting Snr Sgt McLellan said at this stage it appeared those
other fires were not linked, but inquiries were ongoing.
There were a lot of good-natured parties in the student
quarter on Saturday night, and ''if fires are lit in areas
where people are socialising, there is serious danger to
students out having a good time''.
He reiterated the message (stated in the Otago Daily Times on
Saturday) that police would no longer be offering diversion
or pre-charge warnings to those found lighting fires in the
North Dunedin area.
That decision was prompted after an incident where two men
jumped off a fire engine following a callout to attend a
couch fire.
That incident also featured bottles being thrown at an
engine, with the Fire Service calling a meeting with other
agencies in order to seek a solution to the disorder.
Following that meeting police said anyone caught interfering
with an emergency vehicle could no longer expect to receive a
pre-charge warned.
Despite that warning, police arrested a 20-year-old
non-student after he chased a St John ambulance and tried to
''rip open its back doors'' as it went down Albany St on
Saturday night.
The intoxicated man, who has been charged with disorderly
behaviour, was believed to be a friend of the person being
transported in the ambulance, Acting Snr Sgt McLellan said.
''His explanation was he wanted a ride home, so we assisted
by giving him a ride to our home.''
hamish.mcneilly@odt.co.nz
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