Crime rising as Christmas nears

It has been a very busy week for police and we attended 25 family violence incidents which is getting up there.

Of those, there were four arrests, one of which was for a serious assault with the victim needing medical attention.

At this time of the year we do tend to see a rise in family violence numbers so remember to seek help before things get out of hand and take a break if you need to.

‘‘Even if you see something suspicious two streets away give us a call because in small towns like we live in these people are not going to be restricted to one street, they will be moving everywhere.’’

There were nine burglaries during the week which is twice the normal number we tend to see.

A lot of these are what I’d call minor in nature with small amounts of property being taken but there have been a couple of more concerning ones in the Benella and Manaia St areas where all electronics without exemption and cash have been taken. At Christmas the victims are really feeling it.

Not that these people hadn’t but the message here has to be around making sure you secure property and if you do see someone hanging around call the police.

Even if you see something suspicious two streets away give us a call because in small towns like we live in these people are not going to be restricted to one street, they will be moving everywhere.

If you are going away let family and friends know so they can keep an eye on your house and so there are people moving around. You can also let us know and we will try our best to drive by and check that everything is okay.

Remember at this time of the year there is going to be more traffic on the roads and that trips are going to take longer so plan ahead and watch speeds and following distances.

Over the weekend there was a spate of graffiti in the Papanui, Duke St area where houses and fences have been hit. If anyone has got information about this get in touch with us. You can do this anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.