The Star: May 04, 2017

14 Thursday May 4 2017
Latest Christchurch news at www. .kiwi
The Star
News
Building relationships with the people
•From page 13
Two weeks ago, a policeman
knocked on her door.
After 35 years living in the
community, she had learnt that
usually meant nothing good – a
search for someone, a crime
committed, or a tragedy in the
neighbourhood.
But this was different. She
said the policeman was friendly,
introduced himself and asked
about her thoughts on the neighbourhood
and what the police
could do better in it.
She said the relationship with
police had been rocky for a long
time in Aranui, but she hoped
that would change.
“It’s good to have them around,
for our youth. And they’re doing
really well, you’ve got to hand it
to them,” she said.
The Star spoke to residents
around the park, and all but
one had spoken directly with
someone from the policing team.
Almost all the comments were
positive.
Some had played a community
v police rugby game – where
the police were apparently thoroughly
thrashed, but earnt a lot
of respect anyway.
The policing team manned
the barbecue at local events, and
walked local children to school in
the mornings.
They also patrol differently –
they now ride around the community
on cycles, instead of in
cars, to appear less threatening.
Policing team leader Sergeant
Toni Carroll said they were trying
to do things differently.
“We’re trying to get rid of that
perception that if they see police
it’s a bad thing,” she said.
By the numbers, the results are
not looking good.
The crime rate in Aranui has
risen over the months the team
has been working.
In the first three months of
this year, there were 73 crimes in
Aranui reported to the police, up
from 58 at the same time the year
before.
But Sergeant Carroll said this
was expected.
Because they were building
more trust in police, more people
would feel confident in reporting
crimes, she said.
“When we were surveying
around Wainoni Park, people
were telling us teens were often
misusing the park, yelling and
screaming at all hours and breaking
glass. We said: ‘Did you ring
the police?’ None of them had.
But the next weekend we got four
calls about disorder at the park,”
she said.
She said the teenagers had
scattered by the time a police car
arrived.
But the policing team was still
able to make sure the glass was
cleaned up, and was working
with the city council to improve
lighting and trim bushes where it
was happening, she said.
Of the crimes recorded this
year, 43 were burglaries, and 10
thefts. Seven were assaults, and
COMMUNITY: A-Town Boxing
Gym owner Jamie Roberts,
pictured with his boxing
“family”, said the new policing
team had treated them with
respect. Left – Constables
Brad Hagerty, Jules Atkinson
and Pete Evans patrol the
streets of Aranui on cycles,
in an effort to be more
approachable.
13 were illegal use of a motor
vehicle.
Rather than decide themselves
what issues to focus on, the policing
team has been surveying residents,
asking what was important
to them.
Sergeant Carroll said they had
visited about 1400 homes so far,
about 90 per cent of the houses in
the area.
Common issues had emerged.
Many residents were worried
about the young people hanging
out in groups at the shops or the
park and getting into trouble,
and hoped the police could get
alongside them, she said.
While they are trying to build
a positive relationship with the
community, she said it would not
stop them coming down hard on
crime.
But helping someone who had
committed a crime turn their life
around could be easier when they
already had a good relationship
with police, she said.
“We don’t want to ruin their
lives by arresting them. We want
to stop them offending, so they
have better opportunities as they
grow older,” she said.
A-Town Boxing Gym owner
Jamie Roberts described himself
as “a little bit rough around the
edges”, with most interactions
with police in his past on the
wrong side of the law.
But he said the police had
treated him with respect, even
working alongside him on a new
project in schools, teaching children
control, responsibility and
respect through boxing skills.
He said people in Aranui were
suspicious of newcomers, and it
had taken him more than a year
to be accepted when he moved to
the community about 20 years
ago.
But the police had already won
over many people, he said.
“They’re not coming out and
asking for our names and date of
birth. Instead they’re asking our
names and how they can help,”
he said.
Mr Roberts bumped into one
of the officers on the team picking
up rubbish in the park one
morning.
He was also impressed by the
reaction he saw police officers
receive at Haeata school recently.
“The kids were coming up
and saying morning officer, and
shaking their hands. It was pretty
cool,” he said.
Sergeant Carroll said the local
children had been quiet and
reserved around the team at the
beginning, but over time they
were warming.
“There are still some hard core
ones who won’t say hi, but you
can tell that even they want to,
now. We’ll keep going until they
say hi,” she said.