CommSafe - your rural crime and safety network

The Editor from Te Kowhai Newsletter

Christmas is upon us and it is the time of year where some are looking for Christmas presents or food for the table. Your food. Your presents.
As far as presents are concerned, do not be too quick to wrap them up and place them under the Christmas tree. Mr&Mrs Burglar are always on the alert looking to see if a Christmas tree is on display through a window and if it is surrounded with Christmas presents. Take temptation out of the equation. Do not get burgled.Do not have your Christmas ruined.
As far as food is concerned, you rural people know full well that now is the time to keep a wary eye on your stock.

It was a very interesting meeting at Arohena recently with representatives from FMG Insurance and Police and Federated farmers being present. Most of us in attendance were surprised to learn that stock theft in N.Z. equated to $100million a year and only 19% of those thefts are reported to police.

Arohena - Ngaroma area

Some strange occurrences out in this area this past weekend. Being a cynical old cop we do not believe in coincidences very much.

Local deer farmer arrives home Friday night between 8.30pm and 9.pm to find a pakeha chap aged about 30 - 35yrs in a black double cab ute parked up near the driveway. He tells the farmer that he is just waiting for someone. Man of few words. Farmer then notices this guy move off and then park further along the road. He appeared to wait in vain for the someone to turn up.

Lo and behold, at around the same time Sunday night the same local deer farmer finds a Maori chap 50 - 55yrs parked down his driveway in a grey double cab ute with an empty dog box fixed toward the back of the deck rather than up by the cab.When spoken to this chap made out that he had stopped for a toilet stop. (He was way off the road for this) Then the next interesting thing was the farmer checked his CCTV system and noticed that this chap drove off down the road in the same direction he had come in from.

Farmer got the registration number of the 1st ute but this 2nd ute either had no registration plate or it had been deliberately obscured.

These incidents might be worth noting by you deer farmers in the Owairaka Valley Rd. area who have had trouble in the past.

Farm Gates

We had a spate of this last year in the Arapuni Road area. Galvanised farm gates being lifted off their hinges and stolen. Well it is starting to happen again with a farmer on Exelby Road Rotokauri losing his 3metre boundary gate 2 weeks ago.

Te Rahu Road Te Awamutu

Finally starting to get some feedback from you folk in Te Rahu Road area. We note that a number of the burglaries which occurred have been in that Te Rahu / Pollard / Blundell Road or Place areas. We know of at least two houses which were ransacked, one in Blundell Place and the other in Te Rahu Rd. It was a rental in Blundell Place and the occupants had only just moved in.Offenders entered via a rear ranch slider door. They stole game equipment, made a mess of the place but not satisfied with that they came back two days later and did the same again this time stealing clothing and food and again making a mess. After these burglaries the tenants moved out. Frozen meat and a large flat screen T.V. stolen from Te Rahu Rd property. Internal doors smashed as well. Other houses both opposite and adjacent to this one in Te Rahu Rd also burgled at different times.

Some local residents had suspicions about some young teenagers living close by in the general area but we hear that these people may have moved on. Still worth while being on your guard people.

Arapuni Rd around the 1600 number area

Within the past 2 weeks local resident heads out to his shed at about 8.30am and when he opens the door he locates a pakeha guy about 6ft tall and aged in late 30s standing inside. He appeared to be away with the fairies a little bit. He stated he had run out of fuel for his white Daihatsu Terrios vehicle parked out on the road. The resident took this chap to his vehicle and gave him a small amount of petrol. While doing this another neighbour arrived and explained that he had also had a visit from this same character.

Waharoa

Interesting story we hear.

A few burglaries or attempted burglaries starting to occur in the village again.We hear one lady was burgled and knew who the offender was. She was not satisfied with the reaction she got from the police when she reported the incident so took matters into her own hands and called on some people she knew over Hamilton way. These people arrived in Waharoa and located the suspect and gave him a severe talking to, or maybe just a bit more than that perhaps.

The burglaries might stop for a while now possibly, but who really knows, and this is not really the right way to do things folk just because you have got frustrated when talking to the police. Perhaps there is a lesson to be learnt here though on both sides of the fence?

Mental Health

Again, speaking of Christmas time.

We were asked at a recent Neighbourhood Support meeting we attended if Neighbourhood Support groups still got together socially? Our answer was yes, very much so, especially in the rural sector but maybe not so much in the urban sector. Is there a lesson to be learnt here as well? Arohena people meet regularly at their local hall, to have a chat, have a beer, watch a rugby game on T.V. Wherepapa Sth people do the same. Have a game of table tennis. Some local farmers at Waharoa meet every Tuesday at 5.30pm and have a beer in an implement shed. Ladies living in Arapuni Road get together for coffee each month.The purpose of all this is one of friendship naturally but they talk about their problems or their highlights of the week. They keep an eye out for each other and if they have concerns about someones health or well being they try to help or do something about it. This is what Neighbourhood Support is all about. Know your neighbour. Keep an eye out on their property. (no, you are not being nosey!) Talk to each other even if it is at least to say hello. Someone living on their own or recently bereaved, what harm does it do to just call in one day, introduce yourself and say gidday. You never know when you maybe in a similar situation yourself and could be eternally grateful to know that someone cares.

A reminder to street coordinators

Our email newsletters go direct to people with computers in your street. So gone are the days where we ask coordinators to pass messages to others in the street. BUT there are folk out there without computers and if you know who they might be then please keep them informed.

We notice that we have a number of people listed on our database but we have NO email addresses for them. Te Rahu Road and McClure St in Pirongia would be prime examples. We have not got the time to ring so if you are a coordinator on any road or street could you please canvas your people and advise us accordingly. We know that some do not want to advise their email address and that's another reason it is awkward for us to ring people. Much easier for you with your local knowledge.

Thank you people. Communication is the name of the game and to be made aware is to be made alert!

Darryl Nix

Trustee Commsafe