Nelson Weekly Locally Owned and Operated
Tuesday 15 September 2015
Page 6
St John after ‘empathetic’ volunteers
Spruce up for
Fake IDs on the rise, say police
Spring
Football season comes to a close Page 20
Page 16-17
Simon Bloomberg Young forgery artists have been busy, with Nelson police reporting an increase in the number of under-age drinkers trying to get into bars with altered driver’s licences. Sergeant Mal Drummond estimates that in the last month, bar door staff around Nelson caught “about a dozen” young people who had altered the birth date on their licence to gain access into bars. Mal says it has always been “an ongoing problem” but it has been worse this year, possibly because teenagers born in 1998 are changing their birth year to 1996 to try and pass as 18. “It could be that bar door staff are getting better at spotting the changes, but it’s also possibly because an eight can be easily changed to a six on the birth year. It’s an obvious opportunity for anyone aged 16.” However, Mal is warning young forgers that the conse-
Some of the altered drivers licences received by Nelson Police. quences of being caught could be far more serious that just being fined. “At the moment, we are just using infringement notices and sending out fines of $250. The bar staff are uplifting the altered licences and handing them to us and we are issuing instant fines. “But they could also be convicted with obtaining services by deception. That’s a criminal offence and will go on their record, and be disclosed to employers and affect their opportunities to travel - it could have
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Luke Halcrow and his mum Kirsten Taylor with the roaming feline in question, Ernest Norman Halcrow, or Ernie as his family call him. Photo: Jessie Johnston.
What happens to our disappearing cat? Jessie Johnston
He has whiskers, four paws and a feline purr, seemingly Ernie is just like any other cat, but get to know him a little better and you’ll discover that Ernie has a secret or two that his owners are keen to discover. Ernest Norman Halcrow, or Ernie
really worried, but then he came back and stayed for a few months.” After his first disappearing act, Ernie went missing again for a couple of weeks and then last year he went away for six months. When he did return each time, he was always in perfect health, “just
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as his family calls him, is seven years old. “We got him from the SPCA as a kitten and he was the runt of the litter. We got him about a month before our son Luke was born and his is the most smoochy, affectionate cat there is,” says Ernie’s owner Kirsten Taylor. “About three years ago he just disappeared for a week and we were
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