CHB on CCTV

Back row: The CHB Community Security Trust's John Brans, Mike King from Impact Alarms, CHB Police Sergeant Ross Gilbert, Di Petersen, CHB Mayor Alex Walker, trustee Gerard Minehan. Front row: CHB Community Constable Glynn Sharp, Hawke's Bay Police Area Commander Inspector Tania Kura and Lloyd Lawrence with the certificate presented to him at last week's celebratory afternoon tea, next to his wife Ruth. Photo / Clinton Llewellyn

Hawke's Bay's second-highest ranking police officer has praised the efforts of the CHB locals responsible for the establishment of a network of CCTV cameras, designed to deter crime in Waipukurau and Waipawa.

Hawke's Bay police area commander Inspector Tania Kura was a special guest at a celebratory afternoon tea last Tuesday at Waipukurau Police Station, held to congratulate the CHB Community Safety Trust and other individuals instrumental in raising the $45,000 needed to install the camera network.

"Firstly, congratulations to you as a community. What a wonderful project that you've all got involved with, to improve the safety of your own community. It's pretty amazing that you can all work together and the amount of goodwill is amazing," Inspector Kura told the gathering.

Eight of the state-of-the-art CCTV cameras have been installed across Waipukurau and Waipawa, with the trust confident there is enough money to install another four cameras.

The cameras are linked to the Waipukurau Police Station via wireless broadband, and record footage that can be reviewed by police when a crime is committed.

Community Constable Glynn Sharp and CHB Community Safety Trust founding trustee Lloyd Lawrence have been the major drivers behind the CCTV cameras.

Constable Sharp organised for Inspector Kura to present a police Certificate of Appreciation to Lloyd, who singlehandedly raised $12,000 after door-knocking 287 businesses and organisations for money for the cameras, which also received a $25,000 grant from the Infinity Foundation.

Constable Sharp said Lloyd had done a "tremendous amount of work, footslogging up and down and knocking on doors".

"We've been looking at these cameras for a few years now and the funding was always going to be an issue. He's done a really good job," he said.

Inspector Kura told Lloyd the police certificate was in recognition of his "tenacious and tireless" fundraising efforts for the cameras, which, when used properly, were an effective crime prevention tool.

"I look at your involvement with CHB Community Patrol, and this is an extension of what you already do and are passionate about.

"If everyone thought about what they could give back to their communities, rather than take ... we'd be in such a different place," she said, before reflecting the certificate seemed "a little trite".

"It's not nearly enough."

Lloyd, a founding member of the trust, said he became convinced of the need for cameras 14 years ago.

In accepting the certificate, Lloyd, who also volunteers as a driver for the RSA and NZ Red Cross, said he was not in it for the recognition.

"I'm a great believer in supporting your community. But this I will treasure," said Lloyd, who vowed he wouldn't sleep until all the remaining cameras had been installed and were operational.

"The job's not done yet," said Lloyd, who thanked his "darling wife" Ruth and fellow trustees, including an absent Bodee Oliver from DAC Legal in Waipukurau, who performed the legal work pro bono to set up the trust in September 2016.

Other key people who attended the celebration included trustees, ex-detective John Brans and CHB district councillor Gerard Minehan, former district councillor Di Petersen, who helped with funding applications, contractor Mike King from Impact Alarms, who sourced and installed the cameras at cost, CHB officer in charge Sergeant Ross Gilbert and CHB Mayor Alex Walker.

Ms Walker said that after Lloyd made a presentation to the CHB District Council earlier this year, staff had been instructed to find ways for council to contribute to the estimated $2000 a year in maintenance costs needed for the camera network.

"So we're definitely on board," the mayor said.