Small towns face their hour of need

Few things assure us we live in a strong, secure community so much as the visible presence of a local police station and a community constable out and about.

Losing your police station is worrying for any community.

Over in Waihi at the bottom of the Coromandel, the police station closes in the middle of the afternoon.

Locals believe that emboldens the criminals. In July, Maybelle Superette owner Lala Patel was forced to lie down on the floor as a pistol-wielding robber stole money and cigarettes.

‘‘It’s still upsetting,’’ he tells me, this weekend. ‘‘But they caught him so he’s not going to do it to someone else.’’

Others feel the same: ‘‘We have had many dairies robbed and I suspect it’s because they know that if they do it say, 4pm onwards then they have ages to run away and not be caught,’’ says Waihi mum Laura Sharma, 28.

Police are reviewing the security of 121 stations and kiosks the length of the country. This week they shut down Waikanae police base. Already, some stations have had their hours reduced, some bases are temporarily closed.

The problem is wider than police stations. ‘‘We used to have two big grocery shops and now we only have one left that’s always running out of stock and only sells half as many brands,’’ Sharma says.

Countdown has announced it will shut its Rangiora supermarket and five others around the country. Westpac bank is to close 19 smalltown branches; this week ANZ said it was looking to close six.

A Neighbourly.co.nz survey of its 300,000-plus members finds New Zealanders would feel safer if they knew the local community policing team, and had more positive relations with their neighbours. Burglary, graffiti and other crime top Kiwis’ concerns in their communities – they want to eradicate crime in the same way politicians want to eradicate pests.

Remember those police recruiting ads in the 1990s, with the white-helmeted officer scooping up a tearful little girl, lost at the fair? Well, 55 per cent of survey respondents say our neighbourhoods aren’t as safe as when they were growing up.

Some are worried about their supermarkets or RSAs or banks shutting down; most fear their police base is under threat of closure.

We all know our towns are at their strongest when local businesses flourish alongside key services like schools, banks and community police bases. We want to keep our communities thriving – and that’s why the Star-Times is working with our towns to keep the main streets safe and vibrant.

At Maybelle Superette, Patel says there are too many robberies. ‘‘It’s getting really scary now. They need more police stations and police based in every town.’’

The good news is, the Neighbourly survey shows more that 80 per cent of us would help our neighbours in a time of need.

On many towns’ main streets, that time has come. Is your local police base being shut down or mothballed? Are you fighting to keep your bank or supermarket open? We’ll report your stories of communities fighting back.

Tell us what your community is doing to save its police bases, banks and supermarkets. Email editor@startimes.co.nz