Residents seeking safer communities

URBAN and rural residents in the Manawatu District are demonstrating a real determination to make their homes, streets, neighbourhoods and communities safer by joining Neighbourhood Support in increasing numbers.

Since July 1 last year, the number of district households involved with the programme has grown from 623 to 1556, while groups have risen from 62 to 189 (72 in Feilding and 117 in rural areas). And there are 2837 people on board, compared to 1324 nearly a year ago.

Manawatu Neighbourhood Support Co-ordinator, Allan Muntz, is pleased with progress and said the district was favourably placed on a national scale, with nearly 15 percent of its rural and urban communities now part of the programme as against just six percent last July.

Manawatu figures indicate the involvement of 15.9 percent rural and 13.8 percent urban residences, compared to national levels of 12 percent and 15 percent respectively.

“The district’s crime rate has also gone down by 25 percent,” he said. “We’re not saying Neighbourhood Support is responsible, but it has had some input into that figure.”

Mr Muntz said people were now talking to each other, reporting things to the police that they did not do before and expressing a desire to “take back what is theirs”.

In one case, police were notified of an unknown vehicle in a neighbourhood that was later found to contain a firearm and its occupants involved in petrol siphoning.

“People are interested in their own properties, so have an interest to start with,” said Mr Muntz. “There is a growing confidence in being able to talk, rather than staying in the house, and of neighbours getting to know neighbours.”

In establishing Neighbourhood Support groups, Mr Muntz targeted areas with a high incidence of offending such as theft, burglary, theft of, and from, vehicles and wilful damage.

 

“I don’t go for the middle of the area but start on the periphery and work my way in. It appears to have worked well. And what has surprised me is the number of mature people living in one or two-person households in Feilding who are there most of the day.”

He said these residents became the “eyes” of the community and could see things that nobody else could see.

Mr Muntz said any suspicious activity in the neighbourhood should be immediately reported to police and if people felt threatened in their home to phone a neighbour who was in a position to respond quickly.

Ongoing funding and support from such organisations as the police, Manawatu District Council, the Crime Prevention Unit of the Ministry of Justice and the Eastern and Central Community Trust were appreciated, he said.

“We also have a good working relationship with Feilding Community Patrol and the patrolling of car parks at Manfeild on two occasions were joint efforts.”

The success of the Manawatu scheme was recognised by Neighbourhood Support New Zealand at a national training seminar earlier this month with certificates of appreciation to Mr Muntz and Sergeant Mike Lawton, of Feilding police.

Mr Muntz said it was imperative that neighbourhoods continued to look at establishing a support network.

“If neighbourhoods are just going to sit back, they’ll take what they get, but if they are prepared to stand up and say they want their communities to be safer, then they are going a long way towards achieving that,” he said.