Police are investigating the theft of burial plaques from an Invercargill cemetery – including several from the graves of World War I and World War II veterans.
Acting Inspector Mel Robertson said the plaques were stolen from St Johns Cemetery between October 28 and November 22.
“Several of the stolen plaques were taken from the graves of Returned Service personnel who served in the First and Second World Wars, making this a particularly distressing crime for families and the wider community.”
According to the Ministry for Culture and Heritage, the St John’s Cemetery in the suburb of Waikiwi included the official war graves of two men who served in the New Zealand forces during the First World War – Rifleman James Charles Cunningham and Sergeant Leonard Carswell Hanan.
Anyone with relevant information should contact police on 105.
