An English tourist was mugged by a man who stole her handbag in Gisborne last night, according to The Herald:

“The woman briefly struggled with the male robber about 10.30pm on Gladstone Road, between Gray and Cobden Streets, police said.

The robber was found in a car about half an hour later by a police patrol.

The 21-year-old Hastings man was arrested and charged with robbery, and would appear in Gisborne District Court today.

A 21-year-old woman from Tikitiki, 20km northwest of Ruatoria, was arrested and charged with being an accessory after the fact.”

The woman, who hasn’t been named, was due to leave Gisborne today but had to stay on to assist police with their investigation. The report didn’t say if a weapon was used.

It’s appalling to hear that yet another tourist has been robbed in New Zealand.

Foreign women in particular are often seen as wealthy, easy targets and there have been multiple incidents of them being deliberately targeted by thieves. The most heinous of which was the robbery that led to the murder of of Joanne Wang in front of her young son at a shopping centre. See posts tagged handbag snatches.

See aslo:

Armed Robbery and Drugs. 80% or more smoke weed in Gisborne, 14 April 2010 :-

“The rise in violent crime in New Zealand continues unabated today with three more armed hold-ups. The first was at the Balance Street Village pharmacy in Gisborne at 8pm yesterday by a man with a handgun who escaped with a quantity of drugs…

Here’s a look at what the residents of Gisborne think about their town’s drug problem and the effects it’s having on their once pleasant community. It may come a surprise to anyone thinking about emigrating to the town ‘looking for a better quality of life’ to find out that New Zealand has these issues and how widespread the problem is:

Marijuana and the lost generation

“I am writing with regard to the recent drug bust in Gisborne. I know that probably 80 percent (or more)of the town smoke weed, or think there is nothing wrong with it.

However, you just have to look around to see the effects of the generational abuse of marijuana and other drugs around our area.

Dilapidated homes, no one caring enough to do anything, the kids roaming around with no parents who give a damn, generations of welfare recipients, crime at all levels, car accidents, general apathy relating to just about everything.

The mental health issues, people who fly into rages and can’t handle everyday reality because of constantly being stoned. Kids at school stoned, or not at school at all.

The experience of taking my child to a public toilet where before us a school kid (in uniform) had been inside getting stoned.

Going to town with my young children and walking past carloads of people parked up smoking weed.

The young mother all of 17-years-old in a store so stoned she could barely speak with her passed out baby in her arms . . . no doubt they had just been ‘toking’ in the car, too!

I don’t personally know the people involved in the recent drugs bust no, but I expect they had children who would have been exposed to it. Their drugs would be sold to people who are already dependent, or maybe young people just starting out.

Home detention is a joke. Drug dealing is not OK, no matter how many times people try to justify it!

It’s about time people stood up and realised it, although I do know that in Gizzy it is a big call.

I know that we have other “evils” such as alcohol and tobacco, too, but I personally think that marijuana is one of our biggest problems by far, especially on the coast.“

another reader had this to add:

“Drug problem being handed down

Well spoken “Angry” regarding marijuana and the lost generation, The Gisborne Herald, March 24.

Most people have absolutely no idea just how much drugs in all forms are affecting a large percentage of our people right here in Gisborne.

If you know what to look for (most don’t) you will certainly see affected people all over the place, in the city, in supermarkets and at gas stations etc. As stated by “Angry” carloads sitting around smoking cannabis and “P” in public.

The saddest thing about this is that this behaviour is being handed down to children big-time.

If a couple have this problem then their four to six children will also and so to their children which collectively add up to about 24 persons and this has been going on for generations.

The money that is able to be made from drugs supports a large number of people in many ways right here in Gisborne.

The people I am talking about number in the hundreds and are so deep in the lifestyle that it is too late for them.

Far too much cheek-turning is going on and if this social tolerance continues, well who knows where it will end up?

But have a look at the lifestyles of the people who live in the ‘Bronx’ because that’s where it’s heading for sure.

Drugs, then large unemployment because of drug habits, followed by violence, along with all forms of abuse and family crises.

That’s where it’s headed.”

• Gisborne retailers reluctant to back anti-truancy measures for fear of losing sales ( the district has a high level of school truancy) Link

• Owners of  a Gisborne skate park clubrooms angry at proposal to build youth detention centre on a reserve near to park. The park is used by 500-000 children every week link