The Whanganui Rural Community Board has put in place a contractor to regularly service rural CCTV cameras. Photo / Bevan Conley
The Whanganui Rural Community Board has put in place a contractor to regularly service rural CCTV cameras. Photo / Bevan Conley
Security cameras installed on rural Whanganui roads are proving their worth with crime rates showing a strong decline in several areas.
Over the past three years, police have been working with rural communities to install around 40 cameras on rural roads within the Whanganui District Council boundary.
Senior constable andrural liaison officer Keith Butters said offences have decreased in six out of the eight locations where the cameras are installed.
Graham Palamountain, of Town & Country TV and Surveillance Solutions, has been working with rural communities for several years to install CCTV number plate cameras on their roads and in 2018 the Whanganui Rural Community Board developed a rural crime prevention strategy.
The board made grants totalling $6500 to fund the installation of 13 cameras for applicants who met the funding criteria.
With rural security and safety as its goal, the board teamed up with the police and decided automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras were the most effective tool in reducing rural crime, including stock and machinery thefts.
Whanganui Rural Community Board chairman Grant Skilton said each pole where they are installed has two cameras, one to take pictures of the vehicle and the other specifically focused on identifying number plates.
Butters said these cameras capture every vehicle on the roads that they are installed on and on the busier roads the high quality cameras can capture number plates at very high speeds, day and night.
"Information from a lot of these cameras are passed on to police on a regular basis for crime investigation. The cameras are used not only for investigation but as a deterrent."
Data for 2017 showed there were five offences along Maxwell Station Rd and Waikupa Rd, 10 offences on Handley Rd, and four offences on State Highway 4, Whanganui River Rd, Kauarapaoa Rd, Kaitoke Rd and Rangitatau East Rd.
Since then, the number of offences has declined in most areas.
In 2019, there were two offences along Maxwell Station Rd, State Highway 4 and Whanganui River Rd.
Offences on Kauarapaoa Rd declined from four to zero and Waikupa Rd incidents decreased from five to four.
Rangitatau East Rd had a rise in offences in 2018 bringing the total to seven but then declined in 2019 to four.
Senior constable Keith Butters has been working closely with rural community groups for three years to help prevent stock and machinery thefts. Photo / File
However, in Handley Rd there was a decrease from 10 offences to one offence in 2018 but a spike in 2019 with eight offences.
Kaitoke Rd offences rose from four to eight by the end of 2018 and then to 10 in 2019.
Butters said even if the number of offences increased at a location, police now had access to camera footage and could take action in the future.
"It helps inform us as to where to deploy our resources appropriately."
Skilton said the board is pleased with its investment in security cameras.
In April 2019 the board was rewarded for its leadership in rural crime prevention at the New Zealand Community Boards Conference in New Plymouth.
At its February meeting, the board agreed on a contract to have Town & Country TV and Surveillance regularly service and clean the cameras to ensure better quality footage.
Despite the progress made, Butters said he would remind people not to take the cameras for granted.
"Police can't be everywhere at once, and we still want to hear from you directly if you see or hear anything suspicious."
If you see anything suspicious happening call 111; if it is no longer happening but you have information that may be useful to police call 105.
Butters said witnesses should take note of as much detail as possible, such as descriptions of people, clothing, vehicles and registration numbers.
