Man arrested after Wellington railway signalling cables damaged

By Patrick Manning, Massey journalism student

Police have arrested and charged a man after railway signalling cables in Tawa were damaged earlier this month.

The investigation relates to an incident reported on 3 July, when railway signal cables were allegedly tampered with at the southern end of the Tākapu Road platform.

The damage caused multiple signal issues and disrupted rail services.

Police said in a press release on Friday afternoon the incident was a copper theft.

Wellington Police Sergeant Ryan Storey said his team executed a search warrant on 22 July but the suspect was not found.

"Our officers returned to the address the next day and arrested a man in relation to this."

A 43-year-old man was charged with intentional damage with intent to obtain a benefit or cause loss, and was due to appear in the Porirua District Court on Friday.

Police were still investigating, and encouraged anyone with information that had not yet been reported to get in touch.