Members of Wanganui Community Patrol with their new car and patrol chairman Patrick O'Leary (left), Wanganui Toyota dealership principals Michelle and Richard Nessling and police liaison officer Constable Keith Thomson.
PICTURE / PAUL BROOKS
Members of Wanganui Community Patrol with their new car and patrol chairman Patrick O'Leary (left), Wanganui Toyota dealership principals Michelle and Richard Nessling and police liaison officer Constable Keith Thomson.
PICTURE / PAUL BROOKS
Whanganui's Community Patrol has taken possession of a 2017 Toyota Rav4 for their regular patrols around the city and suburbs. "It's a beautiful car and it's got great field of vision," says Community Patrol chairman Patrick O'Leary. "You can look round with virtually no obstruction."
Signwritten by Image Signs — withno charge for labour — and adorned with a lightbar on the roof, the car was bought through Wanganui Toyota at a very good price. "We decided last year we'd like to change one of our vehicles," says Patrick. "We applied to the Four Regions Trust for funding and they very generously gave us $10,000. The we looked at the funds we had — we get a lot of support from a number of generous supporters, the main one being the Whanganui District Council — and we managed to contribute to the total amount."
Wanganui Toyota gave the group a good trade-in on their old Camry and all they had to do was choose a suitable vehicle. "Richard [Nessling, Toyota dealership manager] found a nice Rav4 for us, a 2017 ex-rental with all the bells and whistles we require. "The police have helped us transfer gear over from the old vehicle and helped us sort out all the electronics. The lightbar is a revolutionary thing for us." Community Patrol New Zealand (CPNZ) has a set of standards with which patrol vehicles must comply. "We are fully compliant," says Patrick.
Wanganui Community Patrol has full partnership with New Zealand Police. "Effectively, although we're only eyes and ears, they treat us as a police unit when we're out. They look after us pretty well and in some areas have come to rely on us."
The Whanganui group is growing, with new members joining and they're of good calibre, says Patrick. "They all have to have police checks and there's an interview process to go through. Apart from that, all they need is a desire to be good citizens and want to help the community." Constable Keith Thomson (Tomo) is the Community Patrol's police liaison officer. "Since I've been in the Neighbourhood Policing Team I've taken on the role of looking after these young fullas. I attend all their meetings, assist them with training ... they do a fantastic job."
Wanganui Community Patrol is always looking for new members and applicants can go to the CPNZ website — CPNZ.org.nz "We get a lot of people who have ambitions to be police officers," says Patrick. "Police recruitment actively encourages them to join us first while they're going through the process. It introduces them to police culture and how they operate."
