Tuesday, July 3, 2018
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THE INDEPENDENT VOICE OF MID CANTERBURY
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Mid Canterbury will face their first test with Sean Carter as their coach when they tackle Ellesmere this afternoon.
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FULL STORY
Why do we call 111 in Mid Canty? BY KATIE TODD
KATIE.T@THEGUARDIAN.CO.NZ
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Burglaries, family violence and vehicle crashes are the three most frequent reasons Mid Canterbury locals pick up the phone to call 111. In a bid to better understand and target crime in the district, Ashburton police have analysed and categorised the thousands of 111 calls made in the district since 2015. The results were presented before the Ashburton District Council last week and are a valuable insight into the face of crime in the local community, Senior Sergeant Phil Dean said. While he acknowledged the data could
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be affected by under-reporting of some incidents and repeated reporting of others, he said having a general picture of crime could help Ashburton police better understand the demand and apply their resources. He said results were on par with other parts of the country, such as Timaru, and not surprising. Over 1000 local calls were received in relation to each of the top three causes, while other locals had called 111 to report incidents like assaults, robberies and attempted suicides. Youth violence was a relatively uncommon cause of concern. But Dean said he also wants to hear
from the public themselves what they are most worried about. He and Ashburton Mayor Donna Favel are hosting a public meeting on September 15, at which he is hoping to gauge what the community is feeling. “From that I will be in a better position to appreciate what the actual problems are – and the perceived problems,” he said. Details of the meeting are yet to be confirmed, but in the meantime he has instructed staff to focus on being visible in the community, he told the council. “You should have started to see visibility of police officers that work in Ashburton, not only in the CBD but all of the district,” Dean said.
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