Community constable here for a chat
Whether you’re looking for advice, or just a yarn about your neighbourhood, Invercargill Community Constable Reuben Boniface is here to listen.
He and urban rejuvenation group South Alive have revived their monthly Community Constable Chat sessions, and Boniface said there was quite a queue waiting for him at his first postCovid chat last week.
Boniface is a familiar face in Invercargill, and spends most of his time connecting with community organisations and meeting with residents to see how police can help.
The chats at The Pantry offer a less formal setting for those that may be too intimidated to approach him at the Invercargill South Community Policing Centre on Janet St, he said.
South Alive admin and finance manager Claire McDonagh said it opened communication channels with the community. ‘‘It’s about having that face-toface interaction, or a go-to guy, you could say.’’
A previous version of the sessions was called ‘‘Cuppa with a Copper’’, and had fizzled out somewhat, McDonagh said, but when Boniface was looking for a way to get involved with South Alive, they decided to reboot the concept.
Boniface said he’d had a huge age range, from teens to people in their 70s, show up to chat with him.
People ask about minor legal matter, trouble with their neighbours, ‘‘or just some advice’’, he said.
Thanks to the digital age, the answers to most questions were at his fingertips, but if he couldn’t answer right away, he would get back to you.
‘‘I’m here for anything and everything,’’ Boniface said. ‘‘There’s no such thing a dumb question.’’
Policing work wasn’t just up to the police, but also the community, he said.
‘‘We rely on community assistance, and the community can rely on our assistance.’’
Police work, however, did take precedence, and if Boniface was called to a crime scene and needed to reschedule, South Alive would notify followers on its Facebook page.
The organisation will also resume its council community forums in August when Invercargill City Council Roading Manager Russell Pearson will be popping in for monthly community chats.