Over the past year, residents have set up the app text chats in communities between Ferrymead and Scarborough to address what some see as a lack of police presence in a time of rising crime.
“Neighbourhoods have changed over the years,” said Sumner Village group organiser Susie Lomax.
“You used to know everyone on your street.
“Now the best way to connect together and keep each other safe is these WhatsApp groups.
“It’s really vital.”
The Sumner Village group has about 50 members and Lomax is appealing to people living in other areas to create more.
WhatsApp groups in Scarborough and Richmond Hill had also attracted a significant number of members.
The groups function as private channels where residents are encouraged to report criminal or suspicious activities to their neighbours using text or footage from their home security cameras.
Police statistics show there has been a spike in crime in Sumner over the past two years.
From January 30, 2022, to January 30 this year, 371 victimisation crimes were reported in the suburb, an increase from 273 between January 30, 2020, and January 30, 2022.
Victimisation crimes are incidents in which a victim is involved, such as burglary, theft, robbery, assault, sexual assault or murder.
A police spokesperson responded to claims they had a lack of presence in Sumner and the surrounding areas, saying all instances of crime should be reported “to help inform our deployment patterns’’.
The Richmond Hill WhatsApp group has about 80 members, said organiser Graeme Baird.
“We’ve got nearly full coverage of the hill,” he said.
“It’s been good for a couple of situations where suspicious people have been wandering around open garage doors. Then people can let each other know.”
Baird and Lomax both emphasised members of the WhatsApp groups should still make reports to police as the channels are only for monitoring crime and reporting to neighbours.
Future plans for the WhatsApp groups involve setting up a community policing hub at the old Sumner police station. But police opposition to the proposal has brought it to a halt for now.
The plan to use the Nayland St building was first raised in July by the Bays Community Policing Hub, which includes some members of the WhatsApp groups.
But police told Bay Harbour News the group had been advised it could not use the building “months ago”. But when Bay Harbour News approached the hub, a spokesperson said it was not aware of this decision and was surprised by it.
Metro area commander, Superintendent Lane Todd, said the plan was declined because police want people to report crime directly to them, rather than through a hub.
“That way we can gather as much information as possible at the time, providing a better response.”
The building is currently occupied by the Sumner Community Residents’ Association.
The hub spokesperson said police misunderstood the proposed function of the hub as people would be encouraged to report crime to the police as well as to the hub.
Said Banks Peninsula MP Vanessa Weenink: “If police don’t support it, I don’t support it. It seems unlikely it would go ahead.”
