The Star: February 06, 2020

Thursday February 6 2020 The Star
• By Sophie Cornish
PEOPLE CAN now get alerts
directly to their mobile phones
if there are increased reports of
crime in their area.
Using information provided
by police, Gets Ready, an online
database recognised by Civil
Defence can be used by district
councils and neighbourhood
support groups to share information
and warnings during
emergencies.
The purpose-built web system
allows residents to securely
record their contact details, and
any special needs, resources and
skills they want to share, to help
their local community during
an emergency.
But more recently, the database
is being used to alert those
who have registered, about
increased crime in their neighbourhoods,
also known as ‘risk
location updates.’
The information is provided
by police, based on reports they
have received.
On Tuesday, Addington residents
on the database received a
text or email telling them their
area had been a hot spot for car
theft recently.
“In the last week there has
been a high concentration of
unlawful motor vehicle takes
in the Addington area. All have
occurred within a 1km radius.
Four vehicles were targeted in one
night in a public car park, and
four vehicles were taken on separate
occasions while parked on
the road. Seven of the nine takes
occurred on Monday and Tuesday
evening,” the update said.
Yesterday, police said it was
increasing its patrols in Halswell
due to an increasing number of
vehicle break-ins this week in
the suburb and wider southern
Christchurch area.
In the past week, residents
in several streets in Northcote,
Avonside and Halswell were also
alerted to their area being a hot
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Mobile alerts help curb crime
ALERTING: Christchurch residents can now
gain access to a database that will send
alerts to their mobile phones through text or
email to tell them if their suburb is currently
a hotspot for crime. This week, a 1km radius
area in Addington was hit by car thieves.
REMINDER: Police are using social media
to remind people to get into the routine of
securing their homes before they go to bed.
spot for burglaries, based on
police reports.
It comes after The Star
revealed last month a major
police initiative targetting youth
offenders saw break-ins drop by
more than a third over the summer
holiday period.
Additionally, burglars
may find their jobs are getting
even harder if a new initiative
by Canterbury Police is successful.
Following favourable results
by police departments in the
United States, police are providing
daily reminders on their social
media to lock up belongings.
The #9pmRoutine aims to
get people in the practice of
checking their vehicle, homes
and valuables are secured every
night, including sheds, doors
windows and checking that
things like security lighting, is
working.
Using humour, photos of
police dogs and ‘memes,’ the
hashtag #9pmroutine has
engaged thousands of people
globally both on Canterbury
Police’s Facebook page and
social media pages of various US
state police departments.
NEWS 5
Plan to make
intersection
safer on hold
• By Georgia O’Connor-Harding
PLANS TO transform the city’s
fourth most dangerous junction
into a T-intersection to reduce
crashes has been put on hold.
The Halswell-Hornby-Riccarton
Community Board has postponed
making a decision on making a $1
million safety upgrade to the Ilam/
Riccarton/Middleton Rd intersection.
It comes after city council staff
presented a detailed report to
the board last week requesting it
endorsed its preferred design of restricting
the use of Middleton Rd.
This would be by changing access/egress
to left in, left out, and
changing Ilam Rd and Middleton
Rd to a T intersection.
As of June last year, 40 crashes
with varying degree of injury had
been reported at the intersection
since 2011 making it the fourth
most dangerous in the city.
The decision to defer making any
calls on making safety improvements
follows concerns the three
newly-elected board members did
not have a strong enough understanding
of the issue.
Board member Mark Peters
called for the report on the
intersection to “lay on the table”
until the board had received
another briefing by city council
staff.
Volunteer Drivers needed
for Red Cross Meals On Wheels
• Weekdays only
• Regular or
Relief rostering
• Current NZ
drivers licence
• Training given
Meals on Wheels - Lynette 339 3759
DISCOVER the fossils
MEET the monster birds
EXPLORE our tropical past
New exhibition on now
Research supported by
Rolleston Avenue, Christchurch
Free entry; donations appreciated
www.canterburymuseum.com