ON THE BEAT December'09

courtesy Eastern Courier and Howick Police

16-Dec-09

As the Christmas period rapidly approaches, and with some of us preparing to head off on holiday, we should take a bit of time to reflect on home security.

How are you going to make your home as secure as possible while you are away?

The feeling someone gets when they come home from a relaxing holiday to find the back door kicked in, all their valuables gone and the house trashed can’t be a good one. We can’t make our homes 100 percent burglar-proof, but we certainly don’t need to advertise the fact that we are on holiday.

Here are a few tips on how you can improve the security of your home while you are away.

- Arrange for someone to clear letters, newspapers or junk mail cluttering the letterbox

- Organise for someone to mow your lawns should you be away for a long period of time

- If you have an answerphone don’t leave a message stating that you are away and when you will be back

- Ask a neighbour to park a vehicle in your driveway from time to time. This creates the impression that someone’s home

- Setting a timer switch for a radio or light to come on also creates the impression that someone is home

- Leaving curtains closed can indicate that your house is unoccupied. If you have blinds then tilt them slightly upwards or sideways

- Start or join a Neighbourhood Support group so that your neighbours can keep an eye on your property. If you wish to start a group please contact me at the Howick police station on 538-0300.

There are things you should be doing even when you go down to the shops, like locking all doors and windows, not leaving a spare key under the front mat and setting the burglar alarm, if you have one.

This is a prime time of the year for burglars so the fewer incentives you give them the more likely they are to leave your house alone.

I hope these simple tips help protect your property this summer. This is my last column for the year so I wish you all the best for the holiday period and will see you in the New Year.

KEEP SAFE

Constable Merv Hotter, Highland Park Community Constable

09-Dec-09

Look twice for bikes.

It’s no exaggeration to say that cyclists literally take their life in their hands when riding the streets of Auckland.

Why is it so dangerous for cyclists? There are two schools of thought.

1. Motorists drive with so little care and attention that they just don’t look for bikes.

2. They see the bike coming, but they choose to pull out in front of, or cut the cyclist off, anyway.

Look twice for bikes.

There’s no doubt that cyclists have a responsibility for keeping themselves safe on the roads. Yet flashing lights, brightly coloured clothing and reflectorised strips don’t seem to help much. Motorists still make weak excuses that they “didn’t see” the cyclist.

“Didn’t look properly” is probably more accurate.

Look twice for bikes.

Given the cost of fuel nowadays, what a great time to leave the car in the garage and get on to a bike.

Maybe if more drivers got out of their cars and trucks and on to bikes they might have an appreciation of the dangers they create for cyclists. With a bit of luck, local government will incorporate the safety of cyclists into the planning of future roading developments.

A little extra lane width would go a long way to giving cyclists just that bit more protection. A separate cycle lane would be ideal. No matter how much it might reduce the risks, it continues to be illegal for cyclists to ride on the footpath.

Look twice for bikes.

Cyclists can and do travel at the same speed as other traffic but motorists frequently fail to judge the speed of oncoming bikes.

If you are at all uncertain about approach speeds I’d suggest safe driving practice would be to wait.

For the sake of saving a few extra seconds it isn’t worth putting a cyclist in hospital – or worse.

If you haven’t got the message yet LOOK TWICE FOR BIKES.

Sergeant Keith Olsen, Youth and community services

02-Dec-09

Since the beginning of November there has been an injection of new policing staff into the Counties-Manukau District.

There are more staff and squads working in the area than ever before. With the new staff arriving and more police working at the peak times over Thursday, Friday and weekend nights we have more staff available to attend incidents.

In line with these changes I wish to inform you of the best and most appropriate way of contacting police.

In many of the Neighbourhood Support group meetings I speak at I am often asked what numbers other than 111 should be used to contact police, as many people do not feel comfortable calling 111. This is the answer I give and I'm sure it will help explain the situation.

If you need police immediately, dial 111. Always use this number, when offenders are present. If you are in any way unsure, still call 111.

All calls are vetted by a police call-taker, they will prioritise your call and make a decision on whether to send police or not.

To report a crime which police do not need to attend, or has happened in the past, call the crime reporting line 261-1300. Using this service will usually save you coming into the station to report the matter in person.

Your complaint or report will result on a file being created electronically which can be sent to the correct department immediately.

If you have an ongoing problem in your area and need some personal crime prevention advice you can contact the local community constable by phoning 538-0300. If you wish to speak to me personally my cell phone number is 027-277-6820.

Constable Garry Boles, Botany Community Constable

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