Police are seeing a reduction in dishonesty crime but a rise in family harm. Photo / File
Police are seeing a reduction in dishonesty crime but a rise in family harm. Photo / File
Burglars and thieves are losing business but family violence is still too common.
These are some of the trends starting to emerge for Western Bay of Plenty police after being in lockdown for a week.
NeedToKnow3
Western Bay Area Commander Inspector Cliff Paxton said while it had been too short ofa time period to confirm any real trends, anecdotally police had noted a reduction in dishonesty offences including shoplifting, residential burglary, theft from vehicles and general theft.
"We have also seen a reduction in disorder, particularly disorder involving alcohol in public places."
However, he said police continued to see calls for service for family harm events and additional demand related to reports of people and businesses not complying with the alert level 4 requirements.
Bay of Plenty road policing manager Inspector Brent Crowe said there had been a "significant" reduction in crashes and traffic infringements.
"Most people get the need to only travel for essential purposes, getting food or petrol, travelling short distances for exercise and those whose work is deemed essential.
"Due to the lack of vehicles on the road, traffic law enforcement has also declined sharply, however keeping our roads safe is still a top priority."
Meanwhile, Tauranga mayor Tenby Powell has this week warned residents to keep an extra eye out on the roads if they left their homes.
"Complete idiots" had been seen speeding, running red lights and driving on the wrong side of the road, he told residents in a video through his Facebook page on Tuesday.
"It's great to see so many people out exercising - however, we've seen examples of very dangerous driving," Powell said.
"Don't let light traffic lull you into a false sense of security."
This meant remembering to stick to footpaths or cycle lanes, and if you were on a bike, wearing a helmet as well, Powell said.
"We will continue to monitor reckless driving from the CCTV cameras and the Tauranga Transport Operations Centre, and police will be enforcing it."
Consultation with the Mauao Trust Board had shown the "best option" to protect the community was to close the track, Powell said, after it had been found there was no way to enforce the 2m distancing rule on some parts of the track.
"Although we've seen a drop in the number of people walking our tracks, our CCTV footage has shown several people ignoring the signs," he said.
"Any breaches of this will be reported to the police. This is about breaking the chain ... it's important we stick to the 2m physical distance rule."
Powell recognised that in some places it might be harder to do that than others, but urged residents to "be aware" of each other.
He told residents to visit the Tauranga City Council website if they required more information on the council's Covid-19 instructions.
"Please be kind, be safe - and stay in your bubble," he finished the message.
A police spokesperson said there would be a strong police presence across Bay of Plenty roads and communities during the lockdown while their focus was on prevention they would enforce restrictions if they had to.
"Our focus will be on prevention through education and encouragement. We don't want to get to a place where we have to enforce these restrictions that come with alert level 4, but we will if required," the spokesperson said.
Police urged people to not be complacent and to focus on home safety, property security and to report any suspicious behaviour.
"We acknowledge that the current environment is a stressful one for many in our community. We know that in times of high stress we can see an increase in callouts, and we would like to remind people to step back, take a breath, take stock of the situation and ensure you look after yourselves and each other.
"Please take the time to reflect on your safety around the home, the security of your property and the welfare of your loved ones. As you normally would, lock your doors and windows, lock your car and if you see anything suspicious call police."
