Following a number of property crime incidents on the Western Hills, we’ve been looking at a series of proactive steps we can all take to protecting our community.

As part of this work, the MCA has engaged with the Petone Community Patrol to look at options for increasing coverage of the western hills. They have a hugely organised operation including vehicle, gear, training, and more. They act as “eyes and ears” for the Police and our community.

The Patrol has stepped up coverage of Maungaraki, Korokoro and Normandale as a result and we now have a shared vision of expanding the patrol and coverage on an ongoing basis.

HOWEVER: this is ONLY possible with more volunteers, and that’s where you come in :).

We’re looking to help find a number of new volunteers for the patrol from our community.

Volunteers receive full training and safety is paramount – they are in regular contact with Police and Hutt Cameras. This is very much an “eyes and ears” operation – the patrol never gets involved in any incident witnessed (although may help with cordons etc). When an incident is observed, the patrol retreats to a safe place, continues observing if it’s safe to do so, and the Police deal with any contact.

For this reason, there are no physical or age requirements for volunteers other than 18+ and police vetting; just common sense. Volunteers are always in pairs (or more) and use the Community Patrol vehicle, not your own. This helps create a visual deterrent, and it’s also often about helping out people as much as crime prevention and detection.

Volunteers are only expected to go out once every 6-8 weeks. Shifts are primarily Friday or Saturday nights, however the intention is to expand this if we can get enough new volunteers, especially those able to occasionally put in a few hours one evening during the week. Note that patrols will cover the western hills, Petone, and some other areas.

Obviously this is on a volunteer basis, however petrol etc for the patrol vehicle is covered. The first step is riding along as an observer for a couple of hours.

Potentially interested in helping out? Please email us or DM our Facebook page and we’ll be in touch. You don’t have to commit yet – just let us know you’re potentially keen and you can decide once you have more info and have had a chance to ride along.

We need your help with this. Let’s work together to keep our community safe.

We are stronger together.
Maungaraki Community Association

There have been reports of a number of property crime incidents in recent weeks in Maungaraki and across other hill suburbs. Most of these have been car break-ins and similar, however there have also been burglaries and a “joyride-style” car theft. While crime in the area remains very low, the MCA met with representatives from the Police tonight to discuss this, and to seek reassurance that the Police are aware and treating crime and criminal activity on the hill seriously.

The Police were very responsive to the concerns and provided some advice that we should all consider (below). Additionally, they noted that while they had increased patrols, crime on the hill is still very low – it remains a very safe place to live. Some key things we should ALL be doing:

1. IMPORTANT: If you become aware of anything suspicious at all, and it’s happening now, call 111. Calling 111 is NOT just for emergency-style events, but for anything suspicious that is happening right now. If you’re unsure, call 111.
2. For crimes that have already occurred, report these via 105. You can call, but it’s often easier to report via the website https://105.co.nz
3. It’s essential that ALL crime is reported to Police, however minor. The more that is reported, the more the Police will increase patrols in the area and respond. If your car is broken into, report it. If your letterbox is damaged, report it.
4. You can also pass on information to Crime Stoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 (or via their website).
5. The Police also recommend everyone take simple but effective precautions such as sensor lights, house, and car alarms, keeping an eye on your neighbours’ places (especially if they’re away) and setting up cameras to record suspicious activity.

The MCA will also be keeping an open dialogue with the Police, so if you have any details that you would like passed on about anything happening in the area, let us know via DM. Note that crime should be reported directly, however.

MCA will also be liaising with the Petone Community Patrol to look at increasing their coverage of the hill suburbs – we’ll post separately about this in due course. It’s likely they will be looking for volunteers to assist with this. Again, we want to point out that even with the recent incidents, the crime rate in Maungaraki is incredibly low – probably the lowest in the Hutt. But that doesn’t mean we should tolerate crime when it does happen and following the steps above will help us all keep our community safe.

We are stronger together.
Maungaraki Community Association