Coppers head out on bike patrol in Huntly
Here’s a look at what’s been happening this week in Waikato community newspapers.
Huntly police officers are swapping four wheels for two.
Senior Constables Winiata Leonard and Jay Ferguson will be pedalling through the neighbourhood, after forming the town’s first bike patrol.
The new form of policing is still in its early stages, but it’s been going well, Ferguson said.
‘‘We went out for about an hour and had a good response from the community.
‘‘Already, we’ve noticed they’ve talked to us more, but it’s a bit warm.’’
The officers have been given official police cycling shorts, shoes and helmets for health and safety.
But, the rest of their uniform remains the same, including a stab resistant vest and a yellow, police high-vis.
‘‘I don’t know whether they’ve been enjoying the sun too much,’’ Sergeant John Stapleford said. ‘‘It’s very hot, especially with their uniform, so we have to be conscious how long they are out there for.’’
Stapleford was one of the main instigators behind the bike patrol.
‘‘The station already had the bikes, but no one had taken it further. As soon as I found that out, I got the approval to get the rest of the bike gear for the officers.’’
The bikes will generally be used for patrolling down the main street and the west side of Huntly, Stapleford said.
‘‘They’re a good tool for patrolling because it gives people a chance to come out of their houses and talk to police about what’s going on. Instead of just driving past in the car, it’s a way of engaging with the public, being proactive and building trust with the community.’’
Stapleford said the bikes allow officers to be immediately available to people.
‘‘They can also be a deterrent for crime because the offenders can’t hear the bikes coming.
‘‘They don’t have sirens, so officers might come across more crime and see more.’’
The station only has two bikes currently and two officers equipped to ride them.
That may be reviewed if it becomes more successful, Stapleford said.
The patrol will run for as long as the weather allows it too.
Stapleford didn’t think the idea was new, but wasn’t aware of any other bike patrols running in the Waikato.
North Waikato News
SPCA changes called for
A Tokoroa woman is calling for policy changes at the South Waikato SPCA after it euthanised her family’s beloved pet cat.
Tokoroa mother Tina Hitchens became worried after her family’s two-year-old black and white manx-cross cat Lestat hadn’t returned home for a week.
She’d made calls to local vets to see if Lestat, who had a distinct stump tail due to his breeding, had been brought in injured but no one had seen him.
‘‘At first I didn’t think much of it as it wasn’t unusual for him not to come home for a night but I was getting concerned when I hadn’t seen him by Sunday afternoon,’’ she said.
Hitchens, who lives in a built up area of Tokoroa, said the last thing she thought was that the affectionate cat would have been picked up as a stray.
‘‘Friends were keeping an eye on Facebook buy sell pages because they all knew he was missing and then the New Zealand Lost Pet Register shared the South Waikato SPCA’s post of him being held as a stray hold,’’ she said.
‘‘My mum saw it and instantly sent it to me. At that stage I was so elated I had found him.’’
But she discovered the SPCA had euthanised Lestat when no one came forward to claim him after its standard eight-day holding period was up.
Their vet had discovered he had a kidney problem which meant he couldn’t be re-homed.
‘‘I kind of lost it. I’d finally found my cat but I was too late,’’ she said.
She said she was told Lestat had been caught in a cat trap while the SPCA was trying to catch a white feral cat in her area.
Hitchens said while she could understand a sick stray being euthanised, Lestat shouldn’t have been caught in the first place.
‘‘Because he did not match the description of the cat they were trying to trap I asked why he hadn’t been allowed out of the trap,’’ she said.
‘‘The manager said it was not the SPCA’s policy after they had issues with releasing another cat so now they don’t let any cats go.’’
Hitchens said the SPCA needs to change its policy to prevent further heartache.
SPCA chief executive Andrea Midgen said she felt for the family but denied Lestat had ever been trapped by the SPCA.
‘‘The cat was not trapped by the SPCA but rather by a member of public who had seen the cat wandering around alone for three weeks,’’ she said.
‘‘The South Waikato SPCA then followed our standard processes for all incoming animals. Unfortunately, after eight days, there was no response.
‘‘Due to [his] illness and its poor prognosis, the veterinarian recommended that euthanasia was the best option for this cat.’’
South Waikato News
Alpine rescues concern
A shuttle bus driver who hiked up the Tongariro Alpine Crossing to rescue an overdue passenger says it happens all the time.
Earlier this month, a 74-yearold Finnish woman was walking with her husband when she became so exhausted she could not walk any further.
Her shuttle bus driver, Terry Steven – owner and operator of Roam Aotearoa – walked up the track and found her 2.5 kilometres from the end.
Steven, who was waiting at the Mangatepopo end, said their last bus is at 5.30pm so when the woman and her husband did not make that, he had to ’quickly ascertain where they were’.
‘‘People were coming out at the end of track so I asked them if they had seen anybody around her age,’’ he said.
‘‘I got a report they were in the bush section of the track but were still some distance from the end and were going really slowly. So I started walking in.’’
Steven said this is not the first time he’s had to meet someone struggling, he does it frequently.
‘‘We’ve had a little bit of a run of it lately,’’ he said.
People underestimating the Tongariro Alpine Crossing has been linked to six rescues in the past month and Police Search and Rescue (SAR) is asking people to be more prepared.
Senior Constable Barry Shepherd said the key message for people taking on the crossing, is to plan the trip and be prepared.
Chief executive of the Mountain Safety Council, Mike Daisley, agrees.
‘‘Constable Shepherd is absolutely right in feeling frustrated about the frequency and similarity of these rescues, we are as well,’’ he said
Daisley said Tongariro Crossing was renamed to the Alpine Crossing for a reason.
‘‘The conditions in the region are highly changeable and often very cold when the wind chill is factored in.’’