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What a great effort from our community patrol
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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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 ↓
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Melling line might disappear..
Hutt City mayor Campbell Barry is asking for an urgent meeting with Transport Minister Simeon Brown over the future of the Melling train line.
The Melling Line is facing an uncertain future after funding for a key piece of infrastructure was not included in the $32.9 billion National Land Transport Programme, which included $3.2b for Wellington ‒ a pedestrian bridge over Te Awa Kairangi/Hutt River.
The pedestrian bridge has always been a core part of RiverLink, which includes the Melling interchange. To build the interchange on State Highway 2, the Melling Station has to be relocated south.
www.thepost.co.nz...
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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