A surge of volunteers and donations from businesses has given the Waipukurau Community Patrol a boost. Not just in numbers and finances, but also in equipment.
Patrol chairman Bruce Poole says the donations - including $7000 from Centralines - have enabled the patrol to fund two more security cameras for Waipukurau and they are now looking at several more camera sites.
The cameras come with an ongoing cost of maintenance and electricity, which the patrol pays for out of community and business donations.
The business community also makes sure the patrol stays mobile, with a car donated, registered, serviced and repaired by Ruahine Motors - who also supply tyres - and signwritten by Sign Art Hatuma. The car insurance is covered by AON Insurance, while Mitre 10 and Stevenson and Taylor help fund the fuel.
That leaves the leg-work, which is done by the patrol volunteers. Paired up, trained and equipped with a police radio, they are the “eyes and ears” of the community after dark, and have been for the last 20 years.