ON THE BEAT May'09

courtesy Eastern Courier and Howick Police

27-May-09

Earlier this year the Counties Manukau Police announced the implementation of the new "Crime Reporting Line".

This initiative enables members of the public to make reports regarding historic events without having to physically present themselves to a police station.

All that is required is to telephone your local police station and advise the telephonist that you wish to report a crime. We will take all the details from you and provide you with a reference number on the spot.

If there is any further follow up required or a line of inquiry that needs to be investigated the file can immediately sent off to the appropriate Inquiry section.

There will be occasions when the report cannot be taken over the telephone.

On those occasions usually a written statement will be required from you.

When you call to report the crime you'll be told if your matter is one that needs to be reported in person.

If you are reporting a theft type of complaint, for example, your house has been burgled or your car has been broken into, please ensure you have the make, model and serial number of all the items that have been stolen ready to pass to the report taker.

There has been confusion in the past about what a formal complaint is and what isn't.

Equally there is confusion over who "presses charges".

This is a term we don't use in New Zealand. Members of the public make reports/complaints/statements to police and it is the police who decide whether charges are laid.

Also along these lines, there is a belief that people can withdraw any charges laid by the police.

As stated above, it is the police who whether to withdraw charges or not - after all it is the police who laid them. Remember; if you are the victim of a crime make sure you call it in.

Sergeant Keith Olsen, Youth & Community Services, Howick

20-May-09

The Police Association has recently completed a national Alcohol Assessment which uses information sourced from police records of offending and attending incidents.

It highlights trends in Policing activities directly relating to alcohol.

There are a number of enlightening findings, none of which are a surprise to frontline Police staff, in regards to the relationship between criminal offending and the use of alcohol.

For example:
- Almost a third of all Police recorded offences in 2007/2008 were committed when the offender had consumed alcohol prior to committing the offence.
- The number of occurrences where Police Officers had to take intoxicated people home or to Police cells has increased by over 25% in the past 10 years. This is equally true in Manukau East. There are a number of local parents well aware of this statistic.
- Forty-five percent - almost half - of alleged youth offenders, who committed a violence offence, were identified by Police as having a "moderate" to "very serious" concern regarding their alcohol or drug use.
- The majority of intoxicated offenders who had consumed alcohol prior to offending, did so at their home or another private residence. This information was part of a brief from the Police Association to the Law Commission.

It sends a strong message that our society today has an alcohol problem and supports the Police Association submission that the alcohol purchase age be raised from 18.

Kids today face enormous pressure to conform to drinking behaviour that is in no way normal or healthy.

It again is left to the parents to live life by way of example to your children, and by enforcing boundaries.

Constable Paul Devane Youth Aid Officer Howick

13-May-09

When the kids head back to school police and school staff are confronted with chaos at the school gate.

Police issue dozens of parking tickets to drivers who simply can't be bothered parking a short distance away from the school gate but instead choose to park illegally on broken yellow lines, over driveways, in clearways, on the footpath and on residents' grass verges.

Motorists should be aware that these signs and parking controls have been instituted for a reason - the safety of children.

No stopping lines - the broken yellow lines that run along the edge of the road - are generally used to prevent vehicles stopping where risibility of other road users, particularly pedestrians, may be impaired.

Both courtesy and common sense should tell us that it is not appropriate to park in, or over, other people's driveways.

Another couple of behaviours which cause concern have recently come to light.

Motorists dropping children at school are causing a danger for others by then u-turning right in front of the school, often where there is a school crossing.

We ask that they park away from the school to begin with, and then either drive around the block or use another road nearby to turn around safely.

Speed in the vicinity of schools is still an issue. Police are continuing to monitor this. Motorists are expected to drive under 50kmh near schools, dropping to 40kmh should signs or conditions indicate this.

We continue to be amazed by the number of children being driven to school. With tight geographical zones, many children live just a short walk from the school and are quite capable of walking. Schools have implemented walking school buses and school traffic safety teams to ensure young people pedestrians are well supervised.

Traffic outside our secondary schools is at times ridiculous. The majority of students this age are well able to walk to school.

Come on parents - toughen up and leave the car at home. You can still walk with the children if you wish. The outcome? Fresh air, increased fitness, less chance of a traffic ticket, a saving in petrol - and a much safer road outside the school

Senior Constable Adele White

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