A man who was recently released from prison went on a small crime spree in Mosgiel at the weekend with the intention of being locked back up because he had nowhere to go, police say.
Senior Sergeant Craig Dinnissen, of Dunedin said the 30-year-old man broke into a dairy in Mosgiel and stole a pack of cigarettes and a lighter early on Saturday.
He then went to the ANZ bank and allegedly smashed a window to draw the intention of police, Snr Sgt Dinnissen said.
"When he was arrested he admitted the [offending], stating that he wanted to get arrested to get off the streets as he's homeless and just released from prison.''
The man, Kaama Tetakoree Waenga, a labourer of Mosgiel, appeared in the Dunedin District Court this morning accused of the burglary of Knox's Milk Bar and Lotto Shop and intentionally damaging the window of the bank.
He was remanded in custody by consent until Tuesday next week, and made no application for bail.
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Plenty of 'psych patients' have been trying to 'get back inside' for decades because often they don't have anywhere to go either. And often just cannot cope. NB This is not an argument for compulsory detention for people who have not committed crimes. Just that some people, even just occasionally or from time to time, really do need 'asylums' i.e refuges or retreats.
Wheres this government on this this / well being what a joke.... its winter these homeless are in a panic and some will die////////// new Zealand needs a government that cares .. not just talk..........
This situation is awful. It is wrong however to blame the current administration for a problem that has been decades in the making. Both Labour and National governments in the past have reduced spending on social support. For anyone to be surprised by the result is disingenuous. For someone from the left OR the right to blame one or other party is wilful blindness to their own part in creating the mess. Instead of trying to appoint blame, the comment should be, "what can we do to fix it"?
This really is a sad indictment on current society. Very quick to punish, slow to help. We bend over backwards to assist and assimilate refugees from all parts of the world, but consistently fail to help our own.
Hopefully this poor blokes plight might stir the conscious of some of the leaders so things might improve.
This has nothing to do with how people fall out of the mainstream of society, it is all about helping our fellow citizens.