Editorial - Tuesday May 7, 2013

Issue of two halves

A lot of common sense was talked at last week's meeting between police and Kaitaia business owners. The latter made it clear that they had had enough of the thieves and vandals who, for some months, had been running amok in Kaitaia; the former appreciated their concerns, and said they were working to address them.

The meeting was remarkable perhaps for its lack of anger. There were no harsh words, all apparently agreeing on steps they could take to address the problem, but that there was no silver bullet. But that isn't entirely true.

MP Mike Sabin said the problem of criminal kids had been a generation in the making and would take a generation to resolve. And he was right. But to borrow a rugby cliche, this is a problem of two halves - on the one hand there is a set of interwoven social problems that will probably take a generation from when a start is made to put right. Everyone seems to recognise the issues, but efforts by government and community agencies to address them remain as splintered as ever. Kaitaia needs to draw together all those who are working in the field of family dysfunction and meld them into one organisation. Too many cooks are spoiling the broth at the moment, and what the town needs is one head chef who has the not inconsiderable existing resources at his or her command.

That step needs to be taken now, but even so its contribution will be long-term. In the meantime there are things the community, and the police, can do to at least slow these people down, if not stop them in their tracks.

Two steps must be taken by the police immediately. Given the remote likelihood of receiving more manpower, the force in Kaitaia must make the most of what it has, by becoming less predictable. Last week's meeting heard that there is an early morning period when no officers are on duty, but are on call. Senior Sergeant Geoff Ryan has told the Age since the meeting that some early morning shifts are worked to break that pattern, and many offences are committed whilst officers are on duty, but the time taken to get an on-call officer to the scene of a crime in Kaitaia, which can be 20 minutes, is clearly an issue (although the national standard is 15 minutes). Those who steal and damage other people's property need to know that someone will be after them much more quickly than that.

The reason for the delay undoubtedly arises from the fact that some of Kaitaia's police officers don't live in Kaitaia. Doubtless Bay is popular. Senior Sergeant Ryan would no doubt say that if his staff were compelled to live in Kaitaia the already difficult recruiting process would become impossible, and that's a fair point, albeit one for others to solve. Kaitaia Fire Brigade volunteers can be on the road within three minutes of an alarm. St John volunteers sleep at the Kaitaia station to be ready for an emergency. By the Northland Age's count 10 of the Kaitaia sub-district's police live at the beach.

Secondly, the police dog and handler stationed at Kerikeri need to spend a lot more time in Kaitaia. In fact that position would more sensibly be moved to Kaitaia, given that it is unlikely that any of the four in Whangarei will be shifted from the city. The Kerikeri dog does come to Kaitaia, proactively and reactively, but not often enough. Given the current level of offending it should spend at least two weeks of night shifts in the town, then be rostered there at least once a week on an on-going basis.

The point was made last week that Kaitaia's thieves use a very successful strategy. They smash a window, grab what they can and run, but not far. These people are not athletes. They find a dark corner to hide in, and Kaitaia has plenty of those, and wait for the police to give up looking for them. Apparently that works well, but it would be a different story if it was an Alsatian that was looking for them. Some expressed the view last week that it wouldn't be a bad thing if a burglar or two was bitten, but it wouldn't have to come to that. Knowledge that a police dog might be on duty, and just minutes away, would be a deterrent. The undeterred would run a much greater risk of being caught.

Area commander Inspector Wendy Robilliard told the meeting that some options were being worked through regarding the use of the Kerikeri dog, and that the plan was to be more visible. It should not have taken some months of grossly increased criminal activity to prompt that, or a meeting of irate business owners to announce it.

She was quite correct, however, in saying that policing needed to be a joint effort, that the root causes of the problem extended beyond police powers to address, and that business owners could reduce their chances of being victimised. That included by way of lighting, basic security precautions and removing the most desirable property from a thief's reach, not the least of those being alcohol, although in Kaitaia at present almost anything that isn't nailed down is likely to be seen as easily exchanged for cash to buy alcohol.

The police offered to provide expertise in terms of security, and will hopefully be rushed off their feet. To be fair, however, they have been offering this advice for the last 18 months. There has been no comment whatsoever from the police, but one might question whether that advice has always fallen on receptive ground.

Then there are security cameras, touted by Senior Sergeant Ryan as not only a means of identifying offenders but preventing crime from being committed. The Kaitaia Business Association has made upgrading the existing system a priority, but it was agreed that the best cameras in the world won't achieve much unless they are monitored. It was also accepted that the police don't have the resources to do that. Several speakers doubted it would be difficult to find volunteers, but that remains to be seen. A call for the raising of hands had no effect, and this will not be a job that can be done by the usual dedicated few.

The immediate response really has to come from the police though. They can do it. At least they have in the past. The writer recalls the response to the burglary of a detective's home in Kaitaia some years ago. The station went into overdrive; search warrants were executed, stolen property was recovered, drugs and firearms were seized and numerous arrests were made. The burglary rate fell through the floor. If they can do that for one of their own they can do it for the community.

Judging by what was said last week the police in Kaitaia know who is behind the offending; they know the drug dealers who are working as fences. Granted, accumulating evidence can be a long process, and some of the burglars at least might be from families who actively support their criminality. Gangs might also be involved.

For all that, it should not be beyond the means of the police to remind the thieves and vandals that they do not rule the roost. It might be up to Kaitaia to claim back its streets, but it's up to the police to lead the way.