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Bulletin Board Issue 13August 2009 FROM THE DESK OF ROGER EYNON
As our journey basically started with a stay over in Singapore, I should have known better when I demanded that we have some pictures taken of the Singapore Community Policing base. Following on from that were a couple more photos of pedestrian crossings with timers on the other-side of the road that clearly lets you know whether it's a good idea or not to dart out and risk it. The final straw was when I realised that taking pictures of nice clean streets and shiny bright rubbish bins was not the usual holiday snap and in that moment of realisation - it dawned on me - OMG! I simply can't leave the job at the office. So here we are - a slightly different Bulletin that touches on issues that I think has relevance here in the Land Of The Long White Cloud. The inclusions are my choice only and I don't expect all to agree with me but that's the beauty of Neighbourhood Support! Although we all have a common goal and an accepted set of objectives, each area is different. Similar to a microclimate where there are different influences and therefore a different weather situation but there are still all the usual ingredients. We have a Board meeting coming up on 25th August with the AGM the following day - all at Police College. I'll be planning to release the usual instalment of the Bulletin after the meetings when it's all quietened down. You can contact me on: roger.eynon@police.govt.nz or ddi - 04 470 7022. PLEASE PASS IT ON TO YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD SUPPORT CONTACTS
First Things FirstFrom the moment we settled back into some sort of life back on Wirral, albeit for four and a half weeks only, I noticed that the tone of the news was pretty bleak. Not surprising really. The papers were rife with the MPs expenses "row", financial bail-outs and a government that was continually under pressure. There is a growing movement to ditch "wheelie bins" as they are detrimental to the community. That in itself is big news, simply because of the original cost to councils to distribute them in the first place. Lots of reasons why communities are rebelling against them:
Not a big surprise but it has occupied many column inches and is perhaps a reaction to things that communities have felt unable to influence themselves (MP expenses issue, global financial crash and growing unemployment). Maybe this is the manifestation of local people working together and taking back their own identity and improving their neighbourhood. Time will tell. To Booze or Not To BoozeOne thing that was very apparent to me was the face of the young drinker or the sheer availability of alcohol. Yes - I went out one night for a drink with old school mates. I know my limits as we all did and after a good night felt no worse the day after. Stuck to what I knew - a nice pint of bitter. However, this is the bit where there is a big BUT! I took a clipping out of the Telegraph that referred to the death of a young man from a short life of alcohol abuse. This young man started drinking at 13 and died aged 22 from advanced cirrhosis - yellow faced and bloated. I still have the photo on my desk and it is hard to ignore. So, why have I included it here? Well, Alcohol Concern have stated that ₤848 million is spent by 11-18 year olds in the UK (a year) and the British Medical Association reported that every 48 hours, a child under 12 requires emergency treatment because of binge drinking. A sobering statistic for a not so sobering activity. Whilst on my travels, I encountered a new kind of alcoholic drink that was being advertised all over the place. At 5.4%, it is stronger than a decent pint of beer or lager has no smell of alcohol or even (to me) tasted of alcohol. It is fruit based and can be drunk just like a tumbler of fruit juice. I couldn't tell the difference between a standard kind of fruit juice and the alcohol based fruit drink. Cider that did not taste like cider, but is more potent than recognised strong lagers. Based on the statistics above, I doubt this new product will improve the situation and at ₤2 for 4 bottles - it's fairly dancing off the shelves. BackgroundFor those who don't know much about me, I spent my formative years working for Midland Bank and HSBC (Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation). I moved from there to work and then manage a Healthy Living Centre in Bootle near Liverpool in UK. My next stop was to be invited to work for Merseyside Police as a Financial Investigator - which I did and stayed there until I came to New Zealand. Now I work for Neighbourhood Support New Zealand at Police Headquarters in Wellington. Hopefully, you'll forgive me for the fact that certain headlines grab my attention more than others. Whilst I am accused from time to time of only being interested in footy (soccer to you!) and being unable to find things as the result of a "man look", I can get really absorbed in community focused issues, never-mind whose community it is. The Manchester Evening News came up with two such community focused stories on the same day: It's The Short Arm Of The LawGreater Manchester Police (GMP) are building links with 3-5 year olds at a primary school in Northenden. They have been the first to be given mini police uniforms to use in role play lessons. The children have been kitted out with miniature high-visibility jackets and they will be issued to every primary school and nursery in the area. Assistant Chief Constable Rob Taylor commented that "engaging with children at an early age is an important aspect of neighbourhood policing. As well as becoming used to police officers, it enables them to learn the difference between right and wrong. GMP is committed to building links with all members of the community, whether they're 90 years old or 3 years old." The second feature is one that most people can identify with. Bus BobbiesAlso in Greater Manchester, bus workers have become special constables to make the experience safer for the travelling public. A small group of volunteers have been trained and give up 1 day a month to assist Police. They have the uniforms and all the powers of a regular officer and one in every five working days is spent as a special constable on buses, sponsored by their employers. One of the volunteers stated that "what this is all about is protecting the public and staff from anti-social behaviour". They evidenced locating drugs and weapons on public transport and their contribution to removing these from the wider public arena. Ice BanditsNo - not the kind of "ice" we normally hear of but the normal frosty ice. Two ice bandits who stole high performance cars on frosty mornings were convicted at Bolton Crown Court. They frequently took cars that had been left unattended with the engines running on frosty mornings. They were careful and after taking precautions, swapped the plates and sold them on to unsuspecting purchasers. They also provided vehicles to other gangs to be used in further offences. It was estimated that they may have pocketed close to $1m in proceeds and also placed their vehicles on the internet to sell. The moral is don't "warm-up" an unattended car. Community PaybackSome months ago, I was invited to take part in the Minister of Justice Drivers' of Crime initiative. This I did and also contributed to the process by submitting a short response to the issues that came out of that day. Anyone had the chance to place a response and I took that opportunity. One thing that was mentioned on the day but may not have attracted the kind of emphasis that other subjects did was the importance of allowing the community to have the power to demand payback. In other words, local communities could have a greater say in determining the punishment meted out to young people. UK government is piloting a number of community based judicial initiatives. They have been influenced by the schemes such the one at Red Hook Community Justice Centre in Brooklyn NY where community members meet offenders to agree "payback" contracts or to negotiate "restorative conferences" where the offender meets the victim to "face up to" the impact their crime has had. This is also a feature within the Restorative Justice system New Zealand. The article goes on to include a lot of statistical evidence and is an interesting read if taken in context, i.e. it is Brooklyn NY. They state that it has worked for them. STO - (stating the obvious)The Mail on Sunday carried a decent piece featuring BBC TV's Nick Ross - the presenter of Crime Watch. He spent 14 days on the streets in London and basically made all the comments you would expect if in a big city, at night and looking for incidents. He did however make some concluding comments that are thought provoking but not new territory - victims are mainly young males; hospitals and Police are run ragged mainly due to alcohol related issues. Love Thy NeighbourAlways end on a good note! Not to be confused with the UK 70's sit-com that many would rather not remember, but rather a nod to the efforts of two heavy hitters (one is the CEO of Eden Project and the other is a social entrepreneur) who came up with the idea of the Big Lunch. This is an initiative that aims to bring neighbours and communities together by stringing up bunting and sharing a plate of sandwiches and a cream tea: "human warming" they like to call it. More than 7200 people have been busy organising Big Lunches right across the UK. New Zealand is good at this kind of thing. It harks back to the old style street parties and gatherings that when recalled many years later all seem so much more memorable (whether they were or not!). The article goes on to discuss the numerous benefits that people can receive from entering into the whole spirit of the thing. The financial downturn means that looking after your community can help protect the value of your property or just make it a place that you look forward to returning to and various other good points. Go to: http://www.thebiglunch.com for more information. A couple of inspirational stories also came to my attention. The first of which was an ex-soldier who was blinded whilst serving in the army and was just about to win his first international cap for the Blind England Football team and also the person who found ₤10,000, handed it to Police, the cash eventually returned to the rightful owner - all above board. I also spent a few days in Stockholm which was great but very wet (didn't see one Police officer - but did hear sirens). In fact the last 3 weeks of the 5 weeks spent away from New Zealand was wet but we have enjoyed mostly good weather since we returned to Wellington - I kid you not. We were lucky to miss the big bad storms that left many facing disruptions to journeys and even being stranded for hours waiting for assistance. Heoi anō Roger |
