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2916 days ago

What a great effort from our community patrol

Sharron Pardoe Reporter from Upper Hutt Leader

The Upper Hutt Community Patrol earned its name of the "extra eyes and ears of the police" recently after members helped locate the driver of a stolen vehicle.

During a usual Saturday night patrol checking schools and trouble spots, an policeman asked them to keep an eye out for a red Toyota Camry after police had to abandon a pursuit of the stolen vehicle.

They had the first three letters of the car's number plate and 45 minutes later found an abandoned car that fitted the description.

Patrol member Anthony Moen said they contacted police and linked it back to a person they had talked to earlier at the old CIT grounds who they had "not expected to be there at that time of night".
He had said he was from out of town and was looking for a petrol station or train station so we gave him directions and observed which way he went."

Police units, including a dog squad, started searching for the man and he was found at a nearby property.

Moen said the incident proved the value of the patrol. "iI we hadn't run into that person, the police wouldn't have had a lot of information to go on."

It was the first time the group had been able to give the police information "while it was still hot" and have it result in an arrest.

It was validating for them and rewarding for the police. "It shows our power."

He encouraged anyone who saw anything odd or suspicious to report it to the police.

Alan Cappleman, who is the sergeant in charge of community police in the Hutt Valley North, said the community patrol volunteers were certainly valued. "We can't underestimate the value of them."

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scumbags

Sandra from Waiwhetu

There are some really awful people around at the moment. This is what happened on Sunday.
We live in Hinemoa Street opposite the Waiwhetu Stream. At around 3.40 in the afternoon I was looking out my window and saw a car pull up and start to feed the geese and ducks out the window. Then The passenger an asian man jumped out and threw himself onto a goose. he picked it up and put it the boot of the car.
I immediately ran over and stood in front of his car to stop him moving I also called my husband to help. A lovely man was riding his bike and saw it and stopped to help me. The driver tried to drive into me but I didnt move. He tried telling us it was his pet. These are wild geese.

They had a cage in the boot and some wire all ready to catch the poor bird like they have done it before. My husband took the bird from the car and released it. I then moved out of the way and after lots of abuse from the driver they drove off threatening to come back and get more.
No one should be allowed to take these beautiful birds and certainly not like this. they are all starting to have wee babies at the moment the whole thing was so upsetting to me. Another neighbour further down the road also saw it all happen.
Please keep a look out for this car and if you see them by the stream go over and watch them lets all stop this happening.