Di Martin of Katikati promoting the Neighbourhood Support signs that she says deter crime. Photo / Supplied
Di Martin has been around long enough in Katikati to remember when neighbours helped each other and kept crime down.
The good news is she thinks it hasn't changed.
A Katikati local of 50 years who heads up the town's Neighbourhood Support movement, Di says Covid-19 also brought out the best in the town.
"I think through Covid people were more caring."
Di is the Katikati convener of Neighbourhood Support, a nationwide community-led movement that brings people and neighbourhoods together to create safe, resilient, and connected communities that deter crime.
She says it's proven that Neighbourhood Support networks that promote themselves with signage and stickers on their letterboxes are a deterrent for burglars.
The Katikati group is doing well with more than 1480 households onboard out of Katikati's 5000 population.
With a growing town, she wants to see more groups set up street by street.
"I used to know 90 per cent of people here and now I'd be lucky to know 9 per cent. But the community is helpful, always doing good things and lifting people up, it's overall a pleasant and safe place to live."
Di spends every Wednesday at the Katikati Police Station in her role with Neighbourhood Support. Katikati police now cover an area from town to the Wairoa River Bridge near Bethlehem, including Omokoroa and Te Puna, but they are staffed with nine officers and two transport patrol officers, she says.
Alongside Neighbourhood Support is the Night Owls of Katikati. Spokesperson for this community patrol voluntary group, Ross Sutherland, agrees the town is generally in great shape.
"We can go out for a whole month, and nothing happens. That's a good sign, isn't it?"
The community patrol has 18 drivers and is currently applying for grants and seeking donations for another patrol vehicle.
Ross says they welcome volunteers.
"We are the eyes and ears of the police, and police can't be out all the time. We also enjoy doing it. You drive with others, so you get to meet people, and we know we're a deterrent to crime.
"People know us and know we're out there and a lot of residents have said they feel safer."
Neighbourhood Support groups minimise anti-social behaviour, support victims of crime and learn how to cope with civil defence emergencies. They receive tips on how to keep safe in a variety of situations such as scams via emails sent weekly by a nominated street contact person receiving information from local police via Di.
"Some say it's 'nosey neighbours' but close neighbours is what it's about," says Di. "It's people helping people."
Each street contact person helps keep data that is provided by each family up to date, which in turn feeds into the convener role that Di holds at the Katikati Police Station.
"Any information that is held in the database by Neighbourhood Support is confidential to your area coordinator," explains Di.
Some groups are social – with an annual get together, meetings with barbecues, potluck dinners or afternoon tea gatherings introducing any new neighbours to the group.
"Starting a Neighbourhood Support group is easy as talking to your neighbours, then set a date and time and place and the local Neighbourhood Support coordinator and possibly a local policeman will come and speak to the group and answer any questions that the group may have."
Ross believes the work of voluntary groups but also Katikati's smaller population helps to keep crime down.
"There's not a lot of places to target. We had graffiti happening a few months ago but people paint over it quickly which seemed to work. You come across the occasional business with gates wide open at 11pm and they wonder they things are stolen.
"But we're pretty lucky. It's nothing like Auckland."
Meanwhile a Safer Plates event will be run by Omokoroa Community Patrols on October 15, with patrollers replacing the regular screws on number plates of private vehicles to reduce the incidence of stolen registration plates. This helps greatly with vehicle-related crime.
INFO: To set up a Neighbourhood Support group get in touch with the area coordinator Di Martin on a Wednesday at the Katikati Police Station or email her at ns.katikati2@gmail.com