Big brother Rakaia: community considering installing cameras
From local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
The Rakaia Community Association is looking at whether to install CCTV cameras around the town to help with crime prevention chairperson Neil Pluck said.
It has been discussed for a while now he said, but at its recent meeting, the association had a presentation from Rakaia police constable Trevor Gurney, who had sourced a quote for $18,000 to purchase the cameras and place them strategically around the township.
The association has funded a community patrol car for 10 years which Pluck said “has made a huge difference with vandalism and other goings on in the town”.
“We see the cameras as an extension of that in terms of a crime deterrent.
Pluck said the idea is to have at least 10 cameras placed at the main exit and entry points of Rakaia as well as around the town centre, which all feed back to the police station.
It’s not for surveillance he said, but if a crime occurs the cameras can be used to help track and identify offenders.
Due to Rakaia’s central location, sitting at the end of the bridge that is the main route across the Rakaia River, the cameras can pick up on the movements of any stolen vehicles passing through.
“There is a lot of rural theft going on and if they come through Rakaia these cameras will be able to see them.
“Everyone liked the idea of the town doing its bit for crime prevention for the South Island given the town’s unique location to the State Highway 1 bridge”.
He said the committee and those in attendance at the meeting, which included Ashburton mayor Neil Brown and councillor Lynette Lovett, were in favour of the project.
There are further discussions to be had with the community, Pluck said, but he has already had some positive feedback, and even some people offering donations.
Pluck said police had been upfront from the start that they don’t contribute to the camera installation, and while they will benefit from the cameras for crime prevention it will in turn benefit the community.
Brown said the cameras were "a good thing for identifying people who want to do unlawful things".
"The cameras presence can also be a deterrent for stopping unlawful activity, so I support the associtaion in promoting this initiative,' Brown said.
Best way to use leftovers?
I'm sure you've got some excess ham at home or cold roast potatoes.
What are some of your favourite ways to use leftover food from Christmas day? Share below.
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.
If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?
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62% Summer
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36.5% Winter
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1.5% Other - I'll share below
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