Crime prevention in the North Island's Eastern district is "a priority" in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle, police said tonight.
It comes after reports of looting in the area.
"We have extra officers from across the country who are working with colleagues from Civil Defence, the Defence Force, and other responding agencies, to help Tairāwhiti and Hawke's Bay," Eastern District commander Superintendent Jeanette Park said.
"We understand people are worried, and Police have significantly increased staffing levels to provide reassurance.
"People are hurting, many are still without power, and or are unable to go home.
"Part of our response is being on the streets and in vulnerable areas, deterring the people who want to take advantage of this disaster."
Park added that the Police Eagle helicopter is a "hugely valuable" asset in protecting communities, and said more than 100 additional officers have been brought into the district, including cut-off areas.
"If anyone takes advantage of other people's misery during this crisis, our officers will investigate," she said.
“This offending is low at the best of times. Targeting people in a crisis is abhorrent and we're not tolerating it.
"We urge people to keep reporting suspicious behaviour or crime. The sooner we hear about it, the faster we can respond."
Between February 14 and this morning, police officers in Hawke's Bay logged 992 prevention jobs including providing public reassurance, patrols and vehicle stops, Park added - while in Tairāwhiti, 482 prevention jobs including public reassurance work, reassurance patrols, and vehicle stops have been carried out.
'Let us know you're safe'
Police tonight also reiterated their call for people affected by Cyclone Gabrielle to register that they are safe online.
"Communications in areas most affected by Cyclone Gabrielle are slowly coming back on," a spokesperson said in a statement.
Anyone who has not yet reported themselves as safe is urged to do so using the "Registering I'm Alive" online form and anyone who has not yet been able to contact someone following the cyclone is also encouraged to make a "Person Inquired For" report here.
"As of 2pm today, 18 February, there have been 5608 reports of uncontactable people registered and 1196 reports from people registering that they are safe," the statement read.
"People who have now been in touch with someone previously reported uncontactable are now urged to update their report via the same link, so we can prioritise those who need the most urgent checks."
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