Neighbourhood Support

By Rachel Millard Coordinator

Our beautiful peninsula welcomes a large number of visitors during summer, so please remember to take extra care with security If you are going away, let your neighbours know so they can keep an extra eye on your property

There have been a number of incidents recently of cars being broken into with valuables being stolen Please ensure your cars are locked and valuables are removed from your car each evening We would ask everyone to stay vigilant and be sure to call 111 if it’s happening now or 105 if it’s after the incident Be aware that scammers are also out there and, unfortunately, are preying on the unsuspecting

Senior Constable James Muir tells us a story of how neighbours being alert can bring culprits to justice

“A man was seen mid-evening being on a right-of-way acting suspiciously He got out of his car, and jumped a couple of fences in Margaret Drive, but when he realised he had been seen, he quickly left the scene The alert neighbour had recorded the personalised number plate and reported it to Police A 46-year-old Auckland man was subsequently apprehended for being unlawfully on a Margaret Drive, Ōmokoroa property

Fortunately, the registration of the man ’ s silver Subaru Legacy was noted at the time, which allowed Police to apprehend the suspect at a Tauranga address He was also wanted in relation to a number of other offences and has been charged with 11 other crimes, including burglary, being unlawfully on properties and using

Stolen Cash Cards

The Police often use the phrase ‘if you see something, say something,’ and this example is a classic case of neighbours taking action when seeing something suspicious,” says James

Our community is better when we get to know our neighbours

One of the best ways we can prevent crime is through our capable and observant local community It is important for our community to look out for and look after each other Being visible and attentive in our neighbourhood makes it less attractive to those less honest

Neighbourhood Support is part of the Ōmokoroa Policing Group Charitable Trust who are all volunteers who meet six times per year. These meetings are held to look at ways we can improve the service our volunteers are able to offer to the community in terms of neighbourhood support, community patrol, graffiti busters and contact with our local police

With the growth of the area, we are keen to form a small committee for neighbourhood support We will meet every second month to look at ideas to not only grow the membership but also support the current street contacts and individual members If you are interested in becoming part of this team, please let me know via email at nsomokoroa@gmail com

We are keen to keep building our network, and if you know of anyone who would like to become a household member, please send your details to nsomokoroa@gmail com, and we will add you to the database to receive our newsletter and alerts