Welcome Bay mother Sarah-Jane Lawrence has launched a petition calling for more police resources in the suburb. Photo / George Novak
Welcome Bay mother Sarah-Jane Lawrence has launched a petition calling for more police resources in the suburb. Photo / George Novak
A Tauranga woman is calling for police to have a stronger presence in her neighbourhood after a spate of property crimes in the area.
But police say an increase in thefts from cars has occurred across the district, they have the resources to deal with "inevitable" spikes in crime andpatrols have increased in high-risk areas.
Welcome Bay mother Sarah-Jane Lawrence launched a petition on February 3 asking for a "stronger more visible police presence" in her community.
"There is lots of loud talk around the community and people are really getting wound up about it," she said.
"I'm not a qualified expert in crime ... but as an ordinary citizen I felt rather than just talk about it, I could do something.
Bay of Plenty electorate MP Todd Muller. Photo / File
"This parliamentary petition was one avenue available to me to try and get some systemic change and extra police resources for the area if the crime figures show that is needed."
Lawrence said it was not just opportunistic thefts, but she had also heard reports of offenders scoping out specific cars to steal and using them to commit other crimes.
This included the theft of two white overland cars in Welcome Bay, one of which she said was used in the theft of two jetskis. The vehicle was later found trashed, she believed.
Senior Sergeant Eddie Lyttle, Western Bay of Plenty area response manager, said anecdotally there had been a significant increase in thefts from cars across the district.
Lyttle said police had recently distributed flyers to neighbourhoods experiencing thefts from vehicles and increased patrols in high-risk areas.
"Spikes in crime are inevitable and we have the resources to deal with it."
Lawrence said she discussed her concerns with Bay of Plenty MP Todd Muller and Bay of Plenty-based Labour list MP Angie Warren-Clark.
Warren-Clark had agreed to present the petition, which has more than 500 signatures so far, to Parliament, Lawrence said.
Lawrence said Welcome Bay was a difficult area for police to cover because there was no police station in the area and the typography meant there were lots of escape routes.
"We want to help the police get the resources they need if they are under-resourced," she said.
Muller applauded Lawrence for launching the petition and said feedback from his electorate made it clear the community was "deeply concerned" about rising crime.
He said he was concerned police resourcing in the area had not kept up with the pace of the population growth and increases in organised crime.
Muller is hosting a community meeting at the Welcome Bay Community Centre on March 8 to discuss these issues, attended by Lawrence, police and Neighbourhood Support.
Labour list MP Angie Warren-Clark. Photo / File
Warren-Clark said she would discuss the matter with the Western Bay of Plenty police district's area commander to better understand crime trends in Welcome Bay.
"I also want to know whether the police have sufficient resources to be able to make an appropriate and proportionate response to the reported rise in property crimes," she said.
"People leaving their vehicles unlocked is very disappointing as combating crime needs is not just a police responsibility, it needs a community-wide response."
