Everyone's a winner in Gotcha campaign

GOTCHA HANDS ON SOME PRIZES: Constable Pamela Bell with young winners from the Gotcha prize draw at Te Wharau Primary School. The Gotcha campaign rewarded students and their parents for good road behaviour. Back is Sharlee Barbarich. Middle are Archie Cook, Issaachar Paul, Natalie Tarei, Tania Rutene. Breana Barclay and Willow Bolton-Riley. Front is Bella Barclay. Picture by Rebecca Grunwell

WINNERS were announced in Gisborne’s first Gotcha campaign at an assembly at Te Wharau school yesterday.

The campaign to promote safe travel to and from school rewarded students and their parents with a Gotcha ticket for good road behaviour.

Tickets could be redeemed for a free icecream from McDonald’s and also went into a prize draw.

“Members of the public were overjoyed to discover they were getting an icecream and the possibility of winning a $100 prize, rather than a ticket,” said community officer Senior Constable Pamela Bell.

“They were struggling to think what they had done wrong to be approached by police.”

The Gotcha campaign is a joint effort between Gisborne road policing, New Zealand Police and the Blue Light community policing youth programme.

Prizes given out yesterday included Odeon Multiplex family passes, a $100 Pak’nSave voucher, day passes to the Olympic Pool, a night at the Waikanae Beach Top 10 Holiday Park, a cycle pack from Avantiplus Maintrax and three cycle helmets from The Warehouse.

Constable Bell said she was pleased all the sponsors were happy continuing to be involved.

“The campaign will occur at the beginning of each term in conjunction with the Road Policing Operation Crest Back to School campaign.

“Each school community officer — there are three of us — will take turns to include one of our schools as the ‘Champion School’.

‘Our Blue Light co-ordinator Louise Teneti will take over some of the organisational work.”

Safe road behaviour includes indicating correctly, stopping to look for traffic before crossing and wearing hi-viz clothing and a correctly-fitted helmet.

Parents are rewarded for parking and indicating correctly, using a pedestrian crossing with their child and ensuring children wear seat belts correctly.

Constable Bell said the campaign was a win-win situation.

“Considering this was our first Blue Light Gotcha, the entries were very pleasing. Over 100 vouchers went across the McDonald’s counter, although sadly 22 did not have names on so would only have received an ice-cream.”

There were 15 schools represented in the draw with Te Wharau, Awapuni, Gisborne Intermediate, Kaiti, Montessori, Mangapapa, Central and Manutuke among the winners.