Guardians of the night
As darkness falls, Ethan Paul and Jason Atutolu reach for their hivis jackets.
The thermos is full and the ham and tomato sandwiches are packed as the pair hop into their patrol vehicle – a blue and camo station wagon.
The two dads have started a night patrol in Nga¯ ruawa¯ hia to try to reduce the amount of crime in the town.
‘‘We sing songs, have a bit of a drive and keep going,’’ Paul said.
‘‘We listen to the likes of The Manhattans, Steel Pulse and Bob Marley.’’
Paul and Atutolu have been friends for a while, but have become closer since starting the patrol a fortnight ago.
‘‘Mostly we joke with each other to pass the time,’’ Paul said.
‘‘One of us might have a bad hairdo and give the other cheek about it.
‘‘I get this squinty eye in the light, so I get called Captain One Eye.’’
They teamed up so their children would feel safe walking around at night.
‘‘We’re both passionate about keeping our community safe.
‘‘We conduct external searches around buildings and make sure there are no loiterers.
‘‘We go around talking to youth and report on any danger, crime or vandalism that occurs.’’
Paul said they’ve encountered a few incidents.
‘‘There was this group having a few drinks and arguing and causing a scene, so we picked them up and took them home.
‘‘There’s also been a car stolen and a bike.’’
There’s stuff police can’t do because they’re already stretched to the limit dealing with a higher level of crime, Atutolu said.
‘‘We take care of that and then report back to police if necessary,’’ Atutolu said.
‘‘If police are searching for someone or something, they might let us know so we can keep an eye out and let them know if we spot anything.’’
Atutolu said there is a lot of tagging and older kids picking on younger kids.
‘‘The youth just need to be educated and if someone doesn’t take a stand now, then when?
‘‘We don’t want our youth to end up with criminal records because then it makes it hard for them to travel and to get jobs.
‘‘They are the next generation and we need to teach them the right way to let their frustrations out.’’
Paul and Atutolu are generally funding the night patrols themselves, though they get a bit of help with donations.
Anyone who would like more information can visit the Nga¯ruawa¯hia Patrol Facebook Page.