Raetihi policeman arrives

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 5, Issue 8, 21 July 1987, Page 4

Raetihi policeman arrives

Raetihi's new permanent resident policeman is enthusiastic about the Waimarino and is keen to do his best for the community. Constable John Robinson, his wife Elizabeth and their three children moved to Raetihi from Auckland last week. Constable Robinson spent eight years with Auckland Central and the wharf police, a sub-branch of Central. Both he and his wife were brought up in Auckland and were married three and a half years ago. He began training as a uniform policeman at Trentham Police College in 1979 and was then stationed in Auckland. Mr Robinson was part of a 30-man policing unit

whose job it was to prevent violent situations in public bars and hotels. The break from a Police Station with over 200 staff to a sole charge position in a small rural town is a dramatic change for Mr Robinson, but he main-

tains he is enjoying the change of scenery and the slower pace of life.

Constable Robinson now faces the problem of not knowing his way around the area, but he said he has found the local police force to be very supportive. "Until I get to know the area I will be relying on them a lot," he said. He is a keen rugby player and has joined the Raetihi Rugby Club. Mr Robinson is also an enthusiastic hunter and intends to make the most of the area. Elizabeth is a keen netball and basketball player. Mr Robinson said he is not in Raetihi to "clean up the town". "For the size and populace of the community, Raetihi's crime rate is quite extensive," he said. "Even so, it's not entirely a police matter - it is more a community problem."