Camera man Laurie wins police praise
A chorus of welcomes and cheeky banter follows Laurie Christian when he starts his community patrols at Nelson police station.
When Christian arrives there isn’t a person the 77-year-old Nelson volunteer doesn’t know, and not one person who would miss an opportunity to stop for a chat. Especially when Christian has brought lollies.
For almost 24 years Christian has spent almost every weekend watching CCTV footage or patrolling the streets with his team of community volunteers. He’s the one who keeps a watchful eye over the town and its people, mainly on a Friday and Saturday night.
Over the years he has worked side-by-side with police through investigations and has continued to be an integral part of police prevention work across the region.
Last week Christian’s dedication was recognised when he was awarded the District Commander’s Commendation at the Nelson Bays Police annual awards on Friday.
‘‘It was an honour really to receive it,’’ Christian said. ‘‘Being a volunteer – it [the award] was something I wasn’t expecting ... being a volunteer, as the word says, that’s what I task myself as.’’
When Christian’s wife died six years ago he said the work with police offered him company. That same camaraderie had kept him on board for over two decades, he said.
‘‘They treat me just like one of the staff. It’s the way the police appreciate me coming in.’’
Christian usually starts work at 6pm on Fridays and sometimes he stays until 4am. On Saturday he is supposed to start at 10pm but often turns up at 8.30pm for a catch-up with the staff.
In the 1990s Christian would patrol the town with a team of three people in five-hour shifts. He mainly dealt with drinking teenagers but there had been other occasions when he was required to work more closely with police, he said.
It had ’’definitely’’ changed, Christian said. Teams of police were now the main patrol units in town and he spent his time monitoring the footage from the town’s CCTV units. ‘‘I enjoy doing the cameras. ‘‘We’re the eyes and the ears of the police.’’
Christian will help to train up some new staff in coming months to help him monitor the cameras at the station and after a few more years of service, the plan was to retire.