Hundreds of Upper Clutha residents spent time in the cells at Wanaka's new police station on Saturday, although all were on their best behaviour.
Their stint in the lock-ups was part of a public open day at the station, which gave people a close look inside the $3 million building and at various police systems and equipment.
Police staff explained to the steady stream of people the station's many modern features, including its custodial facilities, interview rooms, main office area, special operations room and CCTV monitoring screens. Younger guests sat inside a police car, tried on bulletproof vests and had their fingerprints taken.
Wanaka sub-area commander Senior Sergeant Allan Grindell estimated about 400 people had been through the station during the four hours it was open to the public.
Many were young families, but a large number of older residents from the community visited, too.
The last Wanaka Police Station open day was held in April 2007, at the former Helwick St site. That station was closed early last month, when staff relocated to the new Ballantyne Rd building.
It was a busy day for Wanaka police staff. Several were involved in an annual large-scale search and rescue training exercise, alongside dozens of LandSAR Wanaka volunteers.
