An invaluable community service

Continued from page 1 examples of where the community patrol had helped the Police.

“Our main aim is to deter crime – deterring and preventing things before they happen,” says Tracey Mansfield, the Co-ordinator of the Wainuiomata Community Patrol.

The patrol does this by being visible and highly present.

“Although we can’t measure it we know that we do deter crime.

“You are not going to break into somebody’s house if you are going to be seen by the community patrol,” she says.

The community patrols provide an “invaluable service” to the community, says Sergeant Patrick Tangipo, Officer in Charge of the Wainuiomata Police.

During last year’s spate of burglaries of constructions sites, the community patrol alerted Police a number of times when they observed people on building sites.

One person did not have authority to be on the building site.

“Having the community patrol around also provided extra security for these construction sites,”

Sergeant Tangipo says.

Following the spate of construction site burglaries, the Police arrested some alleged offenders.

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Les Whiteside les@wsn.co.nz 021 360 008 valley – for example providing traffic control at fireworks on the Petone Esplanade.

The service “works really well as the eyes and ears of the Police, to see what is going on in the community and to work towards making Wainuiomata a safe place.

“When something happens they are often in the right place at the right time and can pass the information on to us.

The second example was that the community patrol alerted Police to a person who was rifling through the dumpsters behind the hospice.

Every Friday and Saturday, as well as other random days during the week, the patrol is out and about, keeping an eye on Wainuiomata.

“It would be great to get more days out,” Tracey says.

Tracey says.

The time commitment is not big either. People who can volunteer for four hours a month would be welcome. If they want to, people can also volunteer to serve for longer.

Following the Wainuiomata Police Station reopening to the public last year, the community patrol now has access to the station “which is a huge milestone because it’s been a long time coming.” Tracey says.

The patrol is also involved in a range of other initiatives.

One very important regular role involves having positive interactions with the community – stopping and talking to people, and stopping and having a chat with kids.

The community patrol also provides people with anti-theft screws they can use to lessen the risk of vehicle number plates being stolen.

People interested in having anti-theft screws fitted can contact Tracey.

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Sam Barnes sam@wsn.co.nz 021 109 4406

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“They are a good source of intelligence and can alert us to something we need to look at.

“Having Tracey [Mansfield] and Rich [Nixon, the patrol’s Deputy Co-ordinator] around has been great. They are out every Friday and Saturday night rain or shine, which is excellent.

“With their intelligence and ringing us, they help us build a picture of who’s out and about.

“I think they are a great asset to have out there in the community.”

Sergeant Tangipo gives two

To do that, the patrol needs more volunteers. Ideally, they need enough people so they can patrol every day of the week.

“Help keep your neighbourhood safe while making new friends and learning new skills,” Tracey says.

“With flexible hours and support from the team, you can volunteer at a time that works best for you.

“Contact Tracey Mansfield, the Wainuiomata Community Patrol Co-ordinator, at wainuipatrol@ gmail.com to learn more about how you can get involved.

“Together, we can create a safer and stronger Wainuiomata,”

One is assisting Civil Defence. The patrol was involved during heavy rains and the threat of a tsunami a few years ago, assisting Civil Defence by directing people to safe places they could go.

It also becomes involved in traffic control – for example at the Wainuiomata ANZAC Day parade and during large tangi at the Wainuiomata Marae.

Helping M ori Wardens is yet another area where the patrol is involved, along with keeping an eye on building sites.

The patrol even becomes involved in assisting outside the

And on top of that, the team is involved in fund-raising – as the community patrol is not funded at all by government or local government, and relies completely on fund-raising and sponsorship.

“We have a new sponsor – Team Harcourts,” Tracey says.

The other sponsors are: Clive’s Chemist, Paul Butcher and Valerii Kuznetsov.

“That’s great because without our sponsors we wouldn’t exist. We are completely reliant on them.

“We are always looking for support and sponsorship from the community,” Tracey says.