Editorial: Police need to revisit policy

Burglaries have become a massive PR headache for police in the past few years.

The headache formed after a change in protocol meant break-in victims were not guaranteed to have a police officer turn up.

Rules like this are not set by Northland police - they come down from "on high".

And like all ideas, they don't always work.

A downside of this protocol, was that it gave the public an opportunity to throw out the "don't care" whinge.

Which annoys the hell out of a cop who has joined the police because, actually, he does care.

But it also annoyed the hell out of burglary victims, and there seem to be plenty.

A lunchroom conversation at our workplace revealed three people who sat within a 5-metre radius of each other had all been burgled.

Most burglary victims will accept the news that it could be difficult to track down the offenders, but not having anyone show up is hard to take.

Perhaps police top brass had lost sight of the fact that the mere sight of that blue uniform is a powerful tool. It engenders safety, and comfort, as well as having a preventative power.

We learned last month that there are about 10 burglary victims a day in Northland.

That's a lot of break-ins to show up to. But hopefully, the new policy means people will feel better about their local cops, and burglaries will drop.

It can't be ignored that gangs have taken advantage of Northland's economy not providing jobs in the past decade.

Gangs have created their own economy built around a product that is high risk but has massive profit margins for little capital outlay.

Many Northlanders will tell you that along with burglars, they fear P: the drug many thieves are addicted to.

Perhaps some of those other ideas from the top brass could be revisited.

The one that disestablished specialist drug squads would be a good starting point.