Franklin County News

All children have the right to live in a safe home without drugs

- SERGEANT STEPHEN RICHARDS

We are having a busy few weeks in Franklin.

We are constantly scanning to see what has been happening across the area and how and where we need to deploy our staff to prevent crime. Burglaries have continued to be a focus for us among other things.

But in particular we are seeing garden sheds both secure and insecure being targeted by thieves.

Garden tools and other power tools/lawn mowers are the main items stolen. If you are storing these items in your sheds, please make sure they are secured - making it difficult for people to gain entry to your shed.

Please record all of your serial numbers of your power tools. Even consider engraving your drivers licence number or some form of identifiab­le number into them. This way if they are located in the future we can ensure that we can identify who the items belong to. Also it makes it more difficult for the property to be on-sold if the item has any identifiab­le features on it.

On another topic, in recent times Tuakau Police have investigat­ed a number of drug dealing addresses. And it has been concerning that three of the address had young children living there.

With this drug activity occur- ring the children are exposed many different dangers from unsavoury characters visiting. Methamphet­amine to more often than not firearms are located at the addresses. This type of environmen­t is not a safe place for children.

People who are involved in this activity need to understand that Police are obligated and will contact Oranga Tamariki services when finding children exposed to these conditions.

And fully support them in relocating these children to safer environmen­ts.

Drugs in our communitie­s presents a number of social issues and there is no doubt that drug offending drives crime, which jeopardise­s the safety of our communitie­s.

The message I want to get out to those in our communitie­s that are dealing illegal drugs from their homes with children living in them, is that you are putting your greed before your children’s welfare. Children deserve to be live in a safe environmen­t.

 ??  ?? There has been a spate of break-ins at garden sheds.
There has been a spate of break-ins at garden sheds.

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