On Monday, several vehicles around Kirimoko Cres were targeted by thieves who made off with tradesmen’s tools.
Snr Sgt Roberts said tools were an attractive target for opportunistic thieves due to their value.
"Our collective mindset needs to change so that we make trading stolen items more difficult.
"Make tools unattractive by engraving, recording, securing and reporting. By engraving tools and recording serial numbers, the items become less disposable and less valuable."
She encouraged those with tools to secure them so they were less removable, and for anyone to report offending or suspicious activity they observed to police as soon as possible.
Elsewhere in town, a Wānaka man was arrested and charged with assault on a person in a family relationship.
In a separate incident, a second man was arrested and charged with two counts of wilful damage.
Police continue to receive reports of online scams, on platforms ranging from Facebook Marketplace to TikTok and Telegram.
Snr Sgt Roberts said the station had also been approached by a member of the public who had received a threatening email purporting to be from New Zealand Police Commissioner Andrew Coster.
The correspondence claimed the police had begun legal proceedings against the recipient, and demanded they respond to the email with "supporting documents" within 72 hours.
Snr Sgt Roberts said the incident was an example of the scope of online scams, and encouraged anyone receiving such communication to approach police independently rather than directly responding to the message.
On Wānaka’s roads, the Impairment Prevention Team (IPT) made an appearance near Luggate on Friday evening, resulting in two motorists caught for drink driving.
Police also apprehended another driver who made attempts at avoiding a checkpoint.
Snr Sgt Roberts said the driver had initially been stopped on August 17 while driving a motor vehicle without a current licence and his actions last week had been in breach of a police order to stop driving until he obtained a licence.
The driver now has a date in court and his vehicle has been impounded.
Operation Hannah, a police initiative aimed at improving road safety in and around South Island ski fields, will return to Wānaka this week.
