Five people are destined to appear before the courts following several incidents in the Kinleith Forests over the past year, costing the business who manages them and its contractors around $1 million.

Police have worked closely with the company who manages the Kinleith Forests in response to identified offending which included illegal hunting, wilful damage, and theft.

The company has put an estimated cost of offending at a million dollars which  included damage to the companies and contractors’ equipment and lost productivity.

Several gates have since been repaired after being cut open by alleged offenders to access the forest.

“Entering the forest without permission is an offence with some punishable up to ten years imprisonment,” said Tokoroa Police Detective Sergeant Neale Saunders.

Since November, Police have arrested five people between the ages of 30 and 34 in relation to the offending. They are due to appear in the Tokoroa District Court over the next few months facing charges including intentional damage, unlawful possession of firearms, and theft.