Neighbourhood support put on the front foot
Community constables throughout North Wellington have been in talks about ways to increase participation in neighbourhood watch groups Tawa Community Constable Peter Reeves says neighbourhood support groups are the most effective, grassroots way to build robust and positive communities. ?We really want to get these up and running before Christmas, because neighbourhood support is a primary defence against crime. ?If you have enough people keeping an eye out for suspicious behaviour it really helps,? Mr Reeves says. Currently only a few formal support groups operate in North Wellington and ?the rest have fallen apart?, he says. In Tawa a spate of burglaries and car thief is one factor in Constable Reeves push for more neighbourhood interaction. ?If you know who lives in your neighbourhood there are lots of implications, as well as crime prevention. ?Other advantages include helping in a civil defence emergency, knowing those who need special help, and where assets are like a BBQ. ?It?s ultimately up to residents if they want to do it,? he says. For his part, Constable Reeves launched this new initiative last week and will target those areas most affected by crime. All over Wellington police are trying to bolster community networks, and last week the Hutt Safe City Group was formed through merging neighbourhood support and community patrols. Organiser of the new group Ross McKinnon says Lower Hutt is on track with its community support networks. ?The whole idea of the merge is we felt those two groups should be networking more. ?Petone is working on a community patrol right now, it?s going very well and being pushed by the Rotary club,? Mr McKinnon says. As a Stokes Valley Rotary member he issued a challenge to Petone Rotary to emulate the 28 person resident patrol they had set up. ?I spoke to them and put up the challenge, and they have been working well to get it underway. ?The target is to have it up before Christmas,? he says. A lack of patrols and community support networks last Christmas proved ill-fated for many schools and kindergartens. ?We had a situation where no-gooders went onto properties and left a terrible mess of glass bottles, even to the extent of syringes. ?Community patrols will take those areas into their core paths as well,? Mr McKinnon says. In Eastbourne ?there are very strong neighbourhood support groups? and a system is in place by which members are notified by email of any suspicious activity in the area. In the Western Hills, places such as Korokoro and Maungaraki, have active groups. The Hutt Safe City Group is employing a new part-timer to help keep on top of changing addresses and emails. For more information and to get involved visit www.ns.org.nz
