To
all those who attended the recent ANZAC day commemorations on the April 25, especially
in Main Street, I say thank you for your attendance, the old diggers (and the
younger diggers too) will always appreciate that Australians acknowledge their
courage, sacrifice and service. ANZAC
day is universally special to most Australians and New Zealanders. Also thank you to the many drivers who were
directed to road detours during those commemorations, I thank you for your
patience. The crowds have increased so much
that we must close roads and set up detours for the safety of all.
Now
to comment on something distinctly Un-Australian:
The
crime stats for February through to the end of April are out. The majority of offences reported are Break
and Enter (B&E) of dwellings. Wilful
damage reports are down to one only in the reporting period and there is one
“shop stealing” offence recorded. The
offence of shop steal is usually an offence whereby less than $150 of goods is
stolen by an offender.
On
the Mountain it appears this offence is reported rarely and this is probably
due to many shops and businesses on the mountain having CCTV recording
capability and shop assistants being vigilant at work. And you would be amazed at the quality of the
cameras in the IGA shopping centre carpark for instance.
Some
incidences of stealing from road side stalls have occurred in recent times,
usually this is as a result of the offender putting a much smaller amount of
money in the cash tin compared to the amount of goods taken. Many of our local stallholders have CCTV as
well.
Vigilant
neighbours are also a good source of information for police attending an
offence location for a scene examination.
A part of any investigation for a B & E offence will involve police
talking with neighbours and the complainant.
Some neighbours recall registered numbers of vehicles observed in the
area at the reported time of crimes being committed, some even take photos, and
some neighbours have even recorded dash cam video. The more information we can collect the
better our chances are of catching thieves, putting them in front of the
Magistrates and having stolen property returned to rightful owners.
If
a Scenes of Crime Officer (SOCO) is tasked to attend your address, evidence may
be collected in the form of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) which can include
samples of blood, skin, hair or saliva.
Fingerprints and professional photographs are also taken of the crime
scene including damage caused by the offenders.
If you are at home when the SOCO attends the crime scene, watch them and
have a look at what they do for a living, it is quite interesting. But in all honesty I hope they never have to
attend your home.
There
will be a police presentation on Domestic Violence at our next NHW meeting on
30 May 2017 and your attendance as we talk about this very important issue is
encouraged.
Constable Pete BLUNDELL
NHW Liaison Officer
NHW Liaison Officer
