ON THE BEAT August'10

courtesy Eastern Courier and Howick Police

25-Aug-10

Police recover thousands of dollars worth of stolen property every year.

Unfortunately many items cannot be returned because the owners did not record the serial numbers or mark the property so it could be identified as belonging to them.

Worse still, the property might have to be left with the thief.

Dishonesty offending amounts to about 60 percent of reported crime, and includes burglaries and thefts from vehicles.

The goods most attractive to burglars and thieves are small, valuable, easily taken and concealed, and easily disposed of because they are popular and sought after.

These include items such as car GPS units, jewellery, tools, CD and DVD players, CDs and DVDs, iPod and other MP3 players, mobile phones, handheld and laptop computers, game consoles and video games, and digital and video cameras.

People who can provide the serial numbers of stolen goods to police have a much greater chance of having items returned. Some insurance companies waiver the no-claim excess for clients who provide serial number records when they report a loss.

There are various ways to identify your property.

These include engraving items with your driver licence number and keeping photographs of property that can’t be engraved.

Police suggest keeping valuation certificates or purchase receipts and descriptions of your valuable items in a safe place for future reference.

Police and Neighbourhood Support are promoting Operation SNAP (Serial Number Action Partnership).

This free initiative enables anyone to record serial numbers and other unique identifying details of their valuable goods. Details are securely stored in an electronic database from where they can be quickly and easily retrieved by owners to give to police if property is lost or stolen.

This assists recovery of stolen goods and identifying of burglars and thieves. Visit www.SNAP.org.nz for more information and to register items.

Help us by recording the serial numbers so we can get your stolen gear back.

Constable Garry Boles Howick Police

20-Aug-10

Police in Counties Manukau East attended about 3000 domestic incidents in the past 12 months, which is about eight a day, 365 days of the year.

About 30 percent of these are families police will visit two or more times.

It is an internationally accepted guideline that only around 20 to 25 percent of domestic abuse is reported to the police.

Our emphasis is on reducing repeat victimisation and offending. The police cannot do this alone and three broad strategies exist.

The first is the arrest of perpetrators where evidence supports a prosecution. Arrest offers the best chance of preventing repeat offending.

The second is that arrests are heard in a dedicated District Family Violence Court. The court attempts to ensure perpetrators are held to account and wherever possible, looks at addressing the underlying causes.

The third is working collaboratively with partner agencies in a process called FVIARS, Family Violence Inter-Agency Response System.

Members represent a cross section of our community from government and non-government organisations and are qualified, proven and passionate.

They are resourceful, dedicated and work tirelessly towards helping families address the issues that manifest themselves in domestic abuse.

Their efforts are appreciated by police but more importantly the families they have helped.

Those combined strategies have seen an encouraging trend in the fact that police attended 250 fewer homes compared with the previous year with three or more repeat incidents.

If you are a victim or perpetrator seek help early. It is only a matter of time before events go past the point of no return and irreversible harm is done to yourself, your partner and your children.

Victims can contact Woman’s Refuge on 378-1893 any time – www.ewr.org.nz, or Victim Support on 0800-842-846. Perpetrators can contact Its Not OK on 0800456-450, visit www.areyouok.org.nz or phone me confidentially.

Sergeant Brett Woodmass Howick police

11-Aug-10

There are endless occassions in my role where people will approach me and inform me of an incident that may have happened to them and they were not sure whether they should have called the police.

Nine times out of 10 they should have but here is a simple guide that may help you in the future.

Emergency. Dial 111
For anything that is happening now or has just happened, and:
- People are in danger
- Property is in danger of loss or damage
- A crime is being or has just been committed and the person or persons responsible are present or nearby
- There is a major public inconvenience.

Non Emergency: phone or visit your nearest police station:
- To report incidents or crimes that have already happened some time in the past and a rapid police response is not likely to affect the outcome.
- For routine inquiries

Crimestoppers: This is a new initiative that has been introduced to New Zealand. Crimestoppers NZ is an independent charity working to solve and prevent crime. It's a way for New Zealanders, who for whatever reason may be reluctant to tell police what they know, to anonymously report information about crime and criminals via an independent third party.

Crimestoppers New Zealand's free-calling number is 0800-555-111. Crimestoppers gives an absolute guarantee that calls cannot be traced. Calls are not recorded and the caller ID number is not able to be viewed in the call centre by call centre staff.

Examples of when to make a call to Crimestoppers are:
- You know about a crime that has been, or is being committed
- You suspect a crime is being planned
- Any other activity you think is illegal

If you think that the police should be involved they probably should. Go with your gut feeling and let us know. By dialling 111 we can make the call as to whether or not it is an emergency and if it isn't then we can at least put your mind at ease.

Constable Merv Hotter, Highland Park Community Constable

04-Aug-10

I often ponder on how lucky we are to live in this area.

On the whole our surroundings are pleasant with attractive beaches, well-appointed shopping centres, and a number of both static and active parks.

Most residents take pride in their homes, putting many hours into ensuring their property is appealing and tidy. Some have gardens which are simply stunning.

When we find someone has intentionally damaged or tagged facilities or private property around us we respond with disbelief, anger and disappointment.

Just knowing people are out and about committing these meaningless acts can make us feel quite unsafe.

Police work hard to apprehend offenders. Police education officers offer two programmes to schools which we hope will encourage students to make positive choices. Doing the Right Thing examines honesty, respect, and consequences - and Tag Free Kiwi is taught to prevent graffiti.

Our council and their community boards consciously use the Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design - CPTED - process when approving designs and changes to local process when approving designs and changes to local amenities. Plans and concepts are viewed with safety and reducing opportunities for crimes to be committed in mind.

A critical factor in ensuring that our locality continues to be the place we want it to be, and a part of Auckland we can be proud of, is to take on a guardianship role in our community.

I some areas residents have adopted walkways and parks in their neighbourhood, and willingly work together to prevent the areas from becoming tatty and unusable. We have examples of wetland and tree planting working bees, removing tagging, and picking up glass. Sports clubs and players have made positive contributions to maintaining their facilities to a high standard also.

By giving just a little time, we can all contribute to keeping our area beautiful.

Senior Constable Adele White, Howick Police