People are walking in pairs, and witnesses are being urged to speak to police after an attack at Porirua’s popular Rangituhi / Colonial Knob walking track.
A woman was assaulted about halfway up the stairs of the walking track, at about 3.30pm on Wednesday, June 18. Police are still looking for the offender.
Porirua Mayor Anita Baker said people were worried about their safety.
“People go up there every day, and people want to be able to feel safe going on their walks, even if they are by themselves. So there is a bit of concern,” Baker said.
“At the moment, people are going up in pairs, they’re not going up individually,” she said.
She encouraged anyone with any information that could help to report it, and for the person responsible to hand themselves in.
“We want to be able to just get back to our normal day,” she said. “We want our residents to feel safe.”
Ria Greening has walked the track about 172 times this year.
She walked the track the morning after the attack, but didn’t find out until about the assault until later. She said she wouldn’t stop walking the track, but was now considering extra measures she might take for her safety, like taking walking poles with her.
She also encouraged people to look out for one another on the track and to take steps such as letting family know when they were out walking and when they expected to return.
Mana MP Barbara Edmonds said the attack was incredibly distressing and her thoughts were with the victim.
“People deserve to feel safe wherever they are,” she said.
“The ‘Knob’ is a very popular track and I’ve personally used that track many times. I know our Porirua community will be doing all that they can to support each other so we can reclaim what is an important space for all.”
She encouraged anyone with any information to contact police.
Police said they were following “positive lines of enquiry”, but were seeking the public’s assistance to help locate the alleged offender.
The man was reported to be wearing a dark-coloured long sleeve top, dark-coloured track pants and a cap.
Police asked anyone who was in the area at the time or had footage of a person matching that description to contact them, via 105, either over the phone or online, referencing file number 250618/1395. Information could also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.
Police would also be conducting reassurance patrols in the area over the coming days.
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