Tūrangi Police report: Don't forget to look after yourself

A CCTV grab of Tūrangi community constable John Malpas out on bike patrol in the Tūrangi town centre. Photo / Supplied

Kia ora koutou.

By now, I hope most of you will have heard the messaging 'stay home for Easter' which is coming out from Police nationally and I've also received concerns from our community about people coming to our area.

People are worried that new people are going to be out getting groceries or petrol or medicine and could put our own community at risk. This is a difficult situation for everyone but if we are advised that people are breaking their bubbles, we can go and see them.

We will also be stopping people out on the road and we can turn them around if need be, although chances are if they're coming from Auckland or Wellington they will have already been stopped before they get here. We're just trying to educate people to stay in their bubble and if they are already here then they have to isolate at their house for the whole time.

We'll have extra patrols over Easter so if you are out in your vehicle you can expect to be stopped and questioned about what you're doing and whether it's essential.

We're keeping a high profile in the community at present and so you will have seen us, on foot, in cars and doing checkpoints, and perhaps also our community constable John Malpas, who has been out patrolling on his bike. Yesterday my staff went out to Whanganui Bay again, this time taking with them some hokey pokey icecream for the nannies out there, and on the way back visited Whareroa, Omori, Kuratau and Pukawa.

We've been getting a few 105 calls about non-compliance with the lockdown, from all over the area, and please be assured that they all get recorded in the system. I have a staff member that goes through them every day and those that can be followed up are, with him visiting people to educate them about the Covid-19 restrictions.

Generally, compliance in Tūrangi with the lockdown has been really good and we are lucky to have a lot of good people here who are listening to the messages. To you all, I say thank you, keep doing what you are doing.

However our 'eggs' are still being eggs and we've just got to deal with them. The people who aren't listening are pretty easy to find, especially after places like New World close because the traffic drops right off and if there's anyone around they're being stopped and questioned as to why they're out. I've also kept an eye on our CCTV cameras during the early hours and finding no one out there who's not an essential worker.

We have done a few warnings and are getting very close to arresting some people. We've had two weeks of education now and some of these people have been educated so a more affirmative action will be taken.

Sergeant Te Reipa Morunga, Tūrangi Police. Photo / File

After 14 or more days at home with your family the walls may be closing in for some people. It's important to look after your own mental health. Find some time to go for a walk in your area to get a break. If you have children, work with your partner so you share the load and allow the main caregiver time away.

I'm aware that alcohol sales locally have been higher than usual but in saying that, family harm hasn't risen in response. Last week we had six incidents reported. In one, officers were called out to an older couple looking after their mokos and once they got to the bottom of it, the argument was about lack of food.

The foodbank and other local services were shut until Monday and so these two officers went to New World and from their own pockets, spent $50 on food to tide the family over. They didn't keep the receipt for reimbursement from Police and weren't seeking any when I asked them about it, said they just felt it was the right thing to do, and what's more, the family really appreciated it.

It's that trust and confidence and empathy and all that other good stuff we do in our community, and that makes me really proud to do the job we do.

Until next week, stay in your bubble and look after each other.

Nga mihi, Te Reipa.