Fighting the meth trade starts at home
Rodney continues to be a safe and community-minded place to live, but if you are the victim of crime, there is a very high chance that the offender is stealing to feed a methamphetamine drug habit.
Many times, we make it too easy for the criminals to steal our hard earned property, which are then swapped for drugs.
Tools and trailers have become the new currency of the meth trade. In the past few months Rodney Police have executed search warrants and arrested a number of people and the same trend keeps emerging.
Every time we close down a dealer, drugs and tools are present together. We are seeing high value construction and farm tools in large numbers at drug dealer’s houses. Very often serial numbers are present, but we can’t track down the original owner as the identifying particulars were not recorded by the original purchaser.
We have noticed shed and barn burglaries along the main urban and rural corridors in Rodney, which tell us offenders are driving along looking for open sheds, garages and barns, and stealing anything that is not secured. They then head off to their dealer, hot tools in hand, and secure their next drug fix with your weed eater or battery drill.
Domestic and commercial trailers are also popular with the underworld at the moment, they are easy to steal and offenders change the identity, then sell them through various mediums. Crooks these days tend to hide in plain sight, very often wearing hiviz jackets to give an appearance of legitimacy as they hook up your trailer and drive off.
Government and Police are tackling the meth problem at a number of levels, and everyone has a part to play. Police will take apart the dealers and organised crime networks, but let’s not make it easy for the clients of this clandestine trade to get funds for their habit.
We’ve all seen those criminal profiler shows on television, so why not try and think like a criminal? Just before you enter your driveway, stop and think like someone out for an easy score. Do you have attractive items in plain view? From the road, can you see open sheds, barns or garages with all your toys on display? If you were a crook, would you burgle this place? If the answer is yes, then make some changes and do it now.
Trust your instincts. If someone drives up your driveway with a half-baked story that just doesn’t feel right, check credentials and if they don’t stack up, record the registration number and call Police.
We want to hear about those suspicious vehicles, we find that most citizen’s intuition is usually spot on about these things.
Police are working really hard to reduce the effects of methamphetamine, you can help us by being our eyes and ears, and locking up your tools and toys.
If you see suspicious activity call 111 immediately. If you know someone involved in methamphetamine dealing or manufacture please contact police either directly or anonymously on the Crimestoppers Line 0800 555 111.
If you or someone you know is having problems with methamphetamine, other drugs or alcohol, it is important to know there are people who can help. To find out more, visit the Police website: http://www.police.govt.nz/advice
To find out more about methamphetamine, its risks and effects, visit the website of the New Zealand Drug Foundation : http://www.drugfoundation.org.nz/