Wellington police sergeant Brad Edwards has told children at Wellington Public School he and his officers are pushing up the ante on young children aged from nine to 13 throwing rocks.
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"I am very upset children in the town are throwing rocks.
"A lot of people have had their car windows smashed. It has cost them more than $50,000," he said.
"These are parked cars near the railway line, people's roofs, their houses and they are upset their property is being damaged. Would your parents like their property damaged," he asked the children.
"I want to get them, take them to the magistrate and lock them up.
"We have cameras now everywhere, hidden from view, monitoring these children. We will lock up these people." he added.
He warned the children police were answering the community's plea for the rock throwing incidents to stop.
"Tell your parents, tell your teachers when you see them doing these things," he said.
Children in the crowd at the school said their parents had been victims of the latest outbreak of vandalism.
"My mum had the back window of her car smashed by a rock," one child told the class.
"It was so badly damaged mum had to buy a new car.
"There is a hole in our window from people throwing rocks," another said.
Children said slingshots with rocks were being aimed at people and cars.
"A slingshot is no different to a gun, it injures people and they may die.
"It's an illegal weapon," Sgt Edwards said.
The officer also told children social media site Facebook was an ineffective measure in countering the rock throwers and other incidents.
"Don't go on Facebook and bully people. Turn it off. Don't gossip and target people," he said.
The sergeant also said children seen on school grounds during holidays will be prosecuted.
"I went to this primary school but I didn't want to come back during the holidays," he said.
"I don't want you on the grounds of this school in the holidays."
