New Zealand's Most Wanted

If the offerings on TV are really bad, we've once or twice found ourselves watching America's Most Wanted. It's a bit like what Crimewatch here was many moons ago, except that the host refers to most of the AMW "stars" as "dirtbags" or "scumbags"!

And although we are yet to see a return to Crimewatch days here, the Police are going to cyberspace as they try to track down fugitives from the long arm of the law; Stuff reports:

Wanted: Police have launched their latest crimefighting tool - a list of people they want to arrest or identify.

First on the new site www.police.govt.nz/wanteds are the Wellington and Eastern police districts, who launched the list today with 31 people they are looking for.

It's not exactly the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list, with many of those on the New Zealand list wanted for failing to appear in court.

A few come with a special warning that they are dangerous, including 33-year-old Paku Kapene. Gisborne police want him for  unlawful possession of a pistol after he  allegedly pointed a firearm at another vehicle in a gang-related incident on May 22. He has numerous tattoos which are detailed.

Another described as dangerous is 24-year-old Tema Moke, who is wanted by Porirua police on a parole recall warrant.

Police said people were featured on the site either because they were wanted to arrest or needed to be identified in relation to a crime, for example as a suspect or witness.

All police districts were expected to be using the list in about eight weeks.

National crime manager Detective Superintendent Rod Drew said the site was an additional tool for police to help track down offenders.

"It's going to give us a much broader audience of people with potential information about those we're looking for," he said. 

This is a sensible use of police resources. Internet access is so widespread these days that the Police can cast the net pretty wide. And as we have seen in recent months, social media can be an effective tool in crime-fighting.

And the Police have even managed to get a good spread of demographics covered in the picture above; there are males and females, Maori and Pakeha, gang members and even a token ginga!

Well done NZ Police; we look forward to hearing that this initiative is a success.