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Christmas Crime
Sup Neighbors.
I was at Countdown the other night & noticed someone sitting right near the entrance way begging for change. I'm used to seeing it in town but at Highland Park ...bit of a shocker.
I'm not debating the ethics of this, judging them or questioning their character but it did lead me to consider that for many people, this can be a pretty desperate time of year. It's easy for us to forget that.
Too often on this site there are stories of homes and cars being robbed. This type of crime increases around the festive season so I'd like to post this as a reminder to make sure your houses, garages, sheds and vehicles are locked and secure, as required.
Don't leave windows open unnecessarily, lock doors, set alarms and make sure valuables are hidden from sight, not sitting on the passenger seat, front lawn, parcel tray, window sill or porch etc. That's all easy pickings for a thief.
It might also be a good idea to consider updating the pin numbers on your various cards, mobile devices and banking apps too.
Most thieves are just opportunists but there are also dedicated burglars out there who work hard to get their claws on your hard earned money & precious possessions. They couldn't give a **** about taking items of sentimental value & violating your sense of security while doing it.
So where possible, try to stay aware, alert and report suspicious activity. Maybe keep one eye on your neighbors place if they've gone away or are working through the xmas period. Call 105 if you have to.
It's easy to let our guard down at this time of year, especially after the crazy 2020 we've all been through but try to remember that the less effort you put into basic security, the easier you make it for these crooks to take advantage of you, so please stay vigilant.
Be safe and have a great holiday.
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Q&A: Ask a question about...Online Safety
Continuing with Neighbourly's online Q&A with experts in their field, this week we are tackling online safety with Jandy Fiske from Netsafe.
Jandy Fiske has been with Netsafe for nearly 8 years. Starting on their helpline, she's now Netsafe's Community Engagement Advisor. Jandy says: 'I'm passionate about online safety because I strongly oppose bullying and want to support those affected by it.'
Jandy is passionate about protecting vulnerable communities and is promoting online safety to ensure no one falls prey to online scams. She can answer your questions about any type of online scams, and also about online harm such as online bullying.
↓ Ask your question below now and she'll be online on Wednesday, 11th September to reply to you ↓
![Image](https://cdn.neighbourly.co.nz/images/cache/message_max_size/message_images/66d649458ed1d8.20287792.png?170410)
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Poll: Is it rude to take a full trolley to self-checkout?
Luckily self-checkout is being pretty common in supermarkets these days and we generally use it to quickly buy a few things without the long lines. But perhaps it's appropriate to head there with your full trolley to skip the lines?
What are your thoughts? Is that rude?
Share in the comments below if this has ever happened to you.
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0% Yes!
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0% Nah, it's okay
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0% Other - I'll share below!
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Poll: Have you ever had a scary flight?
A plane flying from Christchurch to Wellington on Sunday had smoke billowing out of the engine and upon landing, passengers had to open the emergency exit and jump out. Have you had any scary flying experiences?
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55.4% Yes!
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44.6% No, it's always been smooth flying