Waimarino takes action to beat the burglars

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 9, Issue 414, 26 November 1991, Page 1

Waimarino takes action to beat the burglars

It was standing room only at last Thursday night' s public meeting on the current crime wave. The meeting, called by Ruapehu mayor Garrick Workman, was addressed by Waimarino police sergeant Bob Evans, who outlined the problems. In an effort to stop the increasing number of burglaries happening in Raetihi, Ohakune and rural areas, the meeting resolved to: • Offer community manpower to the police for more night patrols in an effort to curb the current rate of burglaries and to provide the police with names of people available for back-up for the police in certain situations (until a local security firm currently being set up is in action). • Resurrect neighbourhood support systems in both towns. • Write to the Minister of Police and the Wanganui police commissioner and ask for back-up for the local police during this time of emergency. • Write to the Minister of Justice and express the community's dissatisfaction with the lenient sentencing

currently handed down to convicted offenders. Other suggestions included: for members of the community to take more care to secure their own property and to keep watch on other peoples' property, and on suspicious activity; for members of the community to attend court sittings to send a clear message to the judge that the community does care what happens in court, and to offenders that the community does care about the crime rate; to set up a Taskforce Green scheme or similar, supported by the District Council, for young offenders to try to divert them off the crime path. "Such a scheme may help them to have a better attitude about themselves and the community," said Moreen Hancock, who made the suggested. Countering the view that the offenders do not want to work but would rather collect the dole and go out at night and burgle, Mrs Hancock said the community had to do something to change the offenders' behaviour. Sgt Evans told the meeting that people should use the emergency 111 telephone number more often. He said most police officers would rather be called out and find nothing than

to not be called and later find out that an offence had occurred. He explained that the station was not manned 24 hours a day and that if someone wanted police attendance outside normal work hours they should dial 111 and not rely on leaving messages on the police station answer-phone. He said the answer-phone was cleared at the start of each normal day shift. "At least if you call, we can have a go at catching them." Sgt Evans said the police needed more help from the community to catch thieves. He said he did not feel the police were coping as well as they should with the alarming upsurge in crime. "We have prosecuted more through the courts this year that any year previously," said Sgt Evans. "The guys are working very well and are apprehending quite a few but they are at the limits." He said it appears to be a national problem and not just confined to the Waimarino and that if the Govemment fulfils its promise of 900 more police officers the Waimarino would get one extra policeman. Turnpage 2

Action started to beat burglars

From page 1 "We have to deal with it with the number of officers we've got and with the help of the community."

Sgt Evans said community patrols was one option and that it had worked in some towns, but not in others. Often they work for a while

then loose support. He said he would prefer to see a security firm carry out patrols, an option that was more viable long-term and avoided the vigilante-type problems. During discussion on the problem, Councillor Bill Peach said there had been a lot of effort put in to make Ohakune a holiday place but if the burglaries continued people would give up and let their properties and businesses run down and the towns would go to rack and rain. Other points made at the meeting included: • There were shops that, if burgled one more time, would close down. Insurance premiums were becoming out of reach of shop owners, especially for glass. • People down the line were buying the stolen property which gave the thieves reason to continue. • Not enough people were reporting suspicious activity, and apathy was a big problem with people ignoring burglar alarms.

• It was suggested the suspected repeat offenders be kept under regular surveillance. • Community discussions should be held to look at prevention of the problem as well as cure. • The idea of a community court should be looked at because "the worst thing a person can do is face the people of

their own community in such cases." This would give people an insight into the needs and problems facing the offenders. At the end of the meeting a show of hands was asked, from those people who had been burgled. Of the almost 100 people present, about half indicated they had been burgled at least once.