Linda Hall: Middle NZ, police need our eyes and ears

Linda Hall, Assistant Editor, Hawke's Bay Today.

There are crimes and then there are crimes.

And the kidnapping and robbery of an 87-year-old man on Saturday is in my eyes is a despicable crime.

Someone must know who is responsible for this cowardly act on an innocent and vulnerable member of our community.

Hawke's Bay is not a big place. People talk — they post things on social media.
There really is absolutely no excuse for this.

Yes, people are struggling in our community but all they have to do is ask for help.
I've seen so many people reach out to help people down on their luck through social media and through Hawke's Bay Today.

We are a kind and caring community who look out for each other — well the majority of us are.

The victim of this crime must have been terrified. He was shoved into the rear of his car, robbed of his wallet and keys, but still that wasn't enough for these people — yes it took two of them to rob an elderly man.

They weren't happy with just that though. They drove him around Hastings stopping at money machines withdrawing his pension.

How absolutely disgusting of them. Imagine if it was your father or mother.

The lashback on social media has been fierce. Some of the comments very harsh. One poster wrote "There are those of us that are sick and tired of this selfish, greedy, lazy, disrespectful, undisciplined and money-orientated society."

Another said: "Hope the elderly gentleman is okay. What an appalling thing to do. We should be able to go about our business and not have to worry about what might happen and especially when you are retired."

How very true. We should all be able to go about our daily business without fear of attack or robbery.

Sadly in today's society that is not the case but in broad daylight at a busy supermarket one would never think they were in danger.

I remember a few years ago there was a spate of robberies from supermarket trolleys.
Thieves were snatching handbags from trolleys while people loaded their groceries into cars. These days I always put my handbag in the car first.

However, this latest act goes way beyond snatch and grab.

Luckily we all know that there are far more good than bad people in our community. Just look at the outpouring of care for this gentleman. Generous people have already donated more than $400 and he has also been offered a personal alarm.

These are a fantastic idea and have come about after a senior citizens group did a survey around money machines during a Stay Safe project in conjunction with the Hastings District Council last year.

The results have led to the group giving personal alarms to members so they hopefully feel safe when they are withdrawing money in the knowledge that if they are approached they can sound their alarm.

It's sad that the elderly people in our society feel the need to carry alarms when they are out on our streets but rather that than a repeat of what happened on Saturday. My heart goes out to the victim and his family.

I'm sure that the police are doing everything they possibly can to find those responsible. The eyes and ears of the community are an asset to police in these circumstances.

Let's hope the culprits are caught soon before they harm anyone else.

Linda Hall is assistant editor of Hawke's Bay Today.