It's always distressing to see crimes happening, especially in our own area. I feel particularly for the business and home owners - the emotional and psychological impacts are often longer lasting than just the loss and damage to property.
I've attended briefings from both local and regional police, and I'm aware that they're working to identify those involved and they are making progress. Getting a conviction requires a careful, methodical approach which can appear to take longer than it should. However, I know a number of police officers at various levels within the New Zealand Police and I have massive respect for the role they play. We must trust that they are doing what they can and work together to do what we can to protect each other.
This is one of the reasons why I volunteer with Community Patrols - locals proactively working together to prevent crimes. In partnership with the Police and local organisations, groups all across this country working together to look after their communities.
If you're concerned about crime in your community and want to do something practical, then please volunteer with your local community patrol -
In the meantime, we should all do our part to prevent crime - making sure we don't leave property in view and locking doors and windows. Even if an item isn't valuable, leaving it visible can lead to someone breaking in to steal it so make sure it's out of sight (especially if its in your car parked on the road).
Remember - if someone's life or property is in danger, call 111 immediately. If you want to report a less immediate issue, call 105. The teams in the communications center are friendly, professional and there to help.