Editorial: Nothing wrong with wanting to feel secure

More and more people are installing security cameras to help protect themselves and their property. Photo / NZME

Our police did excellent work earlier this week in arresting a man following an attack on a woman in Napier.

The victim must have been terrified as she was reportedly threatened with a hammer and pulled from her car in a Napier supermarket carpark.

His alleged attempt to steal the car failed as he couldn't get it into gear. That says it all really. A stupid thing to do that could have ended very badly.

The incident happened around 7.30pm in a busy public place. People should be able to go about their business without having to worry about being robbed or assaulted. Sadly it's becoming more and more common.

Recently I heard a television presenter making fun of plans for a gated community in Napier.

They called it elitist and implied it was only for the wealthy.

I beg to differ. It's called security — it's nothing to do with being a snob or having lots of money in the bank.

The housing project of more than 180 homes is planned for the outskirts of Napier. There are still issues to iron out with the Napier City Council but an independent commissioner has given the green light to the developer's plans.

Nearly every day we hear about someone's car being stolen or someone sneaking around in other people's property.

It's scary. More and more people have security cameras, locked gates and dogs to protect themselves and their property from a bunch of people who think it's okay to help themselves to whatever takes their fancy.

If it makes people feel safer living in a gated community, good for them. It's not to say robberies won't happen but sadly the more security these days, the better.

Another plus about it is we need more houses. Building 180 new homes will ease the housing market slightly. People buying them will most likely sell their current homes, allowing first home buyers a chance to get onto the property market.

And while it's important to have more houses, both the council and the building company must ensure the infrastructure can cope.

The last thing we need is a repeat of the Napier floods.