Patrollers welcome fitted-out vehicle

Waitaki Community Patrol volunteer Mike Mathers (right) and Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher admire the...
Waitaki Community Patrol volunteer Mike Mathers (right) and Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher admire the new Waitaki Community Patrol vehicle which goes in to operation this week, with volunteers and police representatives in the background. Photo by David Bruce
An extra 30 eyes and ears for police will now patrol streets in Waitaki communities in a bit more style with a newly bought, high-visibility patrol vehicle.

Waitaki Community Patrol started in November, 2012 and has 15 volunteers available on a roster to drive patrols of Oamaru streets, or other Waitaki communities when police request them to.

Their job is not to apprehend, but to watch, record and notify police of incidents, and play a valuable crime prevention role through being plainly visible in their fluorescent vests and marked patrol car.

Since they began, they had used an old Mitsubishi Chariot, but the patrol had been raising money to buy a more modern vehicle, co-ordinator Andrew Wilson said.

Yesterday, the patrol's $12,000 Honda CRV, fully fitted out and marked, was rolled out from the police station.

They obtained the vehicle fully fitted out from a North Island community patrol, which had been given a replacement.

Rostered volunteers spend about three hours on a Friday and four to six hours on a Saturday on patrol. That could also involve patrolling regular crime spots.

The group is funded from the national Community Patrols New Zealand, established in 2001 to promote a collaborative working relationship with police under a memorandum of understanding.

Mr Wilson said the patrols were complementary to the work of the Waitaki Guardians, funded $40,000 a year by the Waitaki District Council.

The patrol was vehicle-based and covered a wide area, while the guardians foot-patrolled mainly the Oamaru CBD.

Oamaru Police Senior Sergeant Jason McCoy said the community patrols were ''extra eyes and ears'' for police , as well as providing administrative assistance when needed.

Two recent incidents which they had assisted with were identifying someone leaving an area where there had been thefts from cars and, last weekend, helping locate an offender police were seeking.

david.bruce@odt.co.nz

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