Cook Islands Police Service

Burglaries and stolen motorbikes are additional concerns emerging from this weekend’s reported incidents, with four reported break-ins and five complaints of stolen motorbikes.

The burglaries targeted a range of premises, including a residence, a food outlet, a rental company, and a school. Arorangi, Nikao, Ruatonga, and Tutakimoa are now the focus of Police inquiries following the spike in this criminal activity.

Three of the stolen motorbikes were rentals, with one recovered from bush the day after it had been taken and hot-wired. Police are following leads.

The weekend’s reports also included a number of excessive noise complaints, one theft case, and an apparent crash near the Muri Night Market, where a motorbike was found abandoned on Saturday morning. The rider had reportedly hit a dog.

And another fire callout on Saturday morning took volunteer fire fighters to Vaimaanga where windy conditions had spread burning rubbish to a nearby shed.

It's been a rough and tumble start to the weekend with incidents of assault, a fire alert, stolen motorbikes, a flipped car crash, and a cannabis arrest. Already this weekend, the complaints are stretching Police. The road in particular remains a high-risk environment, with responsible driving clearly in the back seat.

By Friday afternoon, Police had received three complaints of motorbikes being taken. Two were separate incidents, half an hour apart, in Avatiu Valley where tourists had parked their bikes before hiking up the mountain.

A mountainside area up from Tutakimoa was the location of a fire alert around 4pm on Friday. Smoke was seen billowing from a spot where a rubbish fire had spread into trees. Up to eight Fire Service personnel managed to run water up the hillside and get the fire under control just before 9pm.

A complaint was made to Police yesterday morning alleging an assault on a 12-year-old by four school students. And a Police callout to a domestic disturbance that same morning resulted in the arrest of a 16-year-old male on a cannabis charge. He was remanded in custody to appear in court today.

A motor vehicle crash in the early hours of this morning was called in at 1.43am. An SUV had flipped after colliding with a parked truck at Karekare, Upper Tupapa. The 17 year-old male driver sustained abrasions to the leg. Police were told he had swerved to avoid a dog. A blood specimen was sought for analysis after an initial test returned a positive reading for alcohol.

The Police blotter so far has also included complaints of dangerous driving, a burglary, wandering pigs, and an O'oa gathering where people were reported to be encroaching onto the road in a dangerous manner.

The next two days now present a challenge for our community — to make better choices on the road and extend a more peaceful and considerate attitude towards others.

A strengthening of Police Service tactical capabilities has been initiated with the attachment of a Senior Advisor from New Zealand under the Officer Safety Pacific (OSP) programme.

Quentin McGregor, who has served 17 years with NZ Police, has moved to Rarotonga on a one-year assignment aimed at developing a more specialised tactical response capability under OSP.

The OSP framework, introduced to the Police Service in 2024, better equips Police Officers to assess risk and deploy the most effective tactical options when confronting offenders in a range of scenarios. The Police Service currently has a group of qualified OSP trainers who have supported and provided training to local staff and regional law enforcement personnel.

Planning for the expanded OSP programme has begun and will provide the platform for subsequent specialised training of a select group of Officers, including the tactical use of enforcement measures and equipment. The training is aligned with NZ Police requirements and standards, with appropriate adjustments to be made to meet local needs.

The Police Service extends a warm welcome to Quentin and his wife and family!

The Police Service is supporting efforts to broaden community awareness of online scams, particularly recent cases involving people being conned out of money through Facebook and Messenger.

Police investigators are currently looking into five complaints in which victims have been ‘baited’ by the promise of making much larger amounts of money by agreeing to advance a smaller amount. Two of these complaints are from the Outer Islands.

The advance fee fraud entices victims with online testimonials and ads (screenshot pic) followed up by contact through Messenger. Once a victim engages, money is transferred to a third-party account holder. From there, further transfers may be sought as the scam continues, with the false promise of even higher monetary rewards.

Any such activity or communication through Facebook and Messenger or other online social media platforms or apps should be treated with absolute suspicion and caution. Do not engage but report the activity.

Police are working closely with other agencies, including the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), and cooperating with the security efforts of banking institutions to support scam victims.

Suspected Co***ne Found Washed Ashore on Mitiaro

The Cook Islands Police Service is investigating the discovery of 19 packages of suspected illicit drugs found washed ashore on the reef at Mitiaro on 28 July 2026.

The packages were discovered by a fisherman, who immediately brought the matter to the attention of Police. The material was recovered and transported to Rarotonga for preliminary testing.

Initial testing has indicated the presence of co***ne, with the total weight of the packages, including packaging, approximately 26.49 kilograms.

Police are continuing enquiries into the origin of the packages and whether they may be connected to any other investigations. Customs have responded by further strengthening vessel monitoring and searches.

Police would like to thank the fisherman and the Mitiaro community for their assistance and cooperation.

The public may understandably be concerned by this discovery, but Police and Customs are working together responding appropriately. The community’s cooperation is vital, and anyone who finds suspicious packages should not touch them and should contact Police immediately. - Joint Media Statement.

Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of a tourist who was recovered from the sea at Arorangi, yesterday afternoon.

Police were alerted at 3pm when a report was received of a female hotel guest who had gone kayaking and was over the reef after capsizing. The 68-year-old woman was subsequently located about 50 metres off the reef and brought ashore, where efforts were made to resuscitate her. She was later pronounced deceased by a doctor.

A medical report is expected and the matter will be referred to the Coroner.

Another great opportunity for the youth is coming up in Aitutaki, early October. Please note the closing date for application forms, which can be obtained from National Headquarters, and Aitutaki Police. Further details can also be provided by contacting the Officers concerned, listed on this flyer!

Speeding drivers, alcohol, and domestic violence were the prominent themes this weekend, putting more pressure on Police priorities for safer roads and homes.

Four crashes were reported with two suspected of being alcohol-related. The first of those occurred outside the Islander in Nikao on Saturday night. A 52 year-old male on a motorbike hit into a parked car. He refused to be tested for alcohol and will face charges over the incident.

The second occurred last night on the Takuvaine back road. This well-known area for crashes, including fatalities, was the scene of another motorbike incident. The rider, a 26 year-old male, sustained a serious knee injury and deep cut to the chin. He was found asleep and snoring, according to Police. Blood has been sought for analysis in what is an ongoing demonstration of the consequences of bad choices on our roads, especially at night.

Two speeding vehicles being driven dangerously were reported to Police. One was a white Suzuki car sighted overtaking at Karekare heading towards town, on Saturday around 10am. The other was a white van seen on the Social Centre main road in Nikao heading towards town on Sunday at around 10.20am.

Police staged two radar spots in town on Friday clocking seven drivers for exceeding the limit. This was the case in both the 30kph zone on Te Maire Nui Drive and the 50kph zone on Marine Drive.

Police also responded to seven callouts to domestic disturbances during the weekend. One was a serious fight in which two males were arrested. Both had sustained injuries, including one with stab injuries to the side of the face.

Te Kukupa II and its crew have stopped at Pukapuka today to pick up electoral staff for the journey home.

In an election week when democratic processes are under the spotlight, the Police Service had been actively engaged in preparations for voting and attending to incidents, on a daily basis. It's been 'business as usual' in addition to General Election duties (pic).

Those duties have included the deployment of Police Officers to cover four Outer Islands, as well as the Maritime crew with electoral personnel to Palmerston Island aboard Te Kukupa II for advance voting. The Police ship has since undertaken a second deployment to Nassau to complete the island's delayed voting, today (pic).

With yesterday's voting in the rear vision mirror, Police have reported a roundly successful day's operational tasking. Solid preparations and planning preceded broad briefings, culminating in a well-run and peacefully-managed polling day.

The week, however, has been less impressive with 'business as usual' antics providing Police with investigative work attending to incidents. Crashes for example, are already averaging at nearly one a day this month, including the tragedy at the start of August.

Traffic incidents have also included a reported hit-and-run collision in Arorangi on Tuesday morning. A vehicle described as a light blue pickup hit into a motorcyclist after it aborted a move to overtake. The rider sustained cuts in the collision. Another crash was reported early yesterday afternoon involving a motorcyclist, who hit a sign post in Arorangi. The rider, a disqualified driver (DQ), was arrested.

Police have made five arrests this month, three just this week related to driving offences.