Hamish McNeilly

Police have seized millions of dollars worth of assets - including almost $1 million from criminals in Otago and Southland - since a tough new law came into force.

Convicted fraudster Michael Swann was told at a parole hearing yesterday ''there was light at the end of the tunnel''.

A Playboy model turned privacy activist has been holidaying incognito around Otago.

Convicted fraudster Michael Swann will continue to face a multimillion-dollar penalty order on his release from prison, police confirmed yesterday.

The theory that Robin Bain's fingers were marked by a gun was interesting but was not new evidence, Assistant Police Commissioner Malcolm Burgess said.

Unsuspecting Dunedin pensioners have been tricked out of their cash by a young female hustler with a toddler.

It was a wave that could have cost a Dunedin man his life.

A multimillion-dollar project to transform the former Dunedin chief post office has been delivered.

Police have confirmed a 35-year-old male died after a car crash in Wakari, Dunedin on Saturday night.

A group of overseas students has been left shaken, unable to sleep and questioning New Zealand as an education destination, after an allegedly drunken man broke into their Dunedin flat.

The fire which extensively damaged the Tai Ping restaurant this week has prompted a reminder from the Fire Service about having the appropriate fire extinguishers.

Convicted fraudster Michael Swann should have assisted authorities with the return of stolen proceeds or be made to serve his entire prison sentence, Sensible Sentencing Trust Otago-Southland spokesman Gil Elliott says.

A beloved pet lamb was stolen and later dumped with a smashed head and set on fire outside its Dunedin home early yesterday, police say.

The cash-strapped Southern District Health Board would have to spend ''precious funding'' on legal fees because of Michael Swann's continuing refusal to co-operate, the board's parole submission says.

Community safety is the most important consideration for the New Zealand Parole Board when it makes a parole decision.

The Southern District Health Board failed to file a submission before convicted fraudster Michael Swann faced the New Zealand Parole Board last month.

An initiative started by a pair of Otago Polytechnic students to help those wanting to quit their synthetic cannabis habit is gaining national interest.