Community fighting back
Housing development residents push for CCTV after ‘devastating’ thefts
Fed up with crime, the residents of a North Canterbury housing development are determined to fight back by installing CCTV cameras.
At a meeting on Monday night with National MP Matt Doocey, Sovereign Palms’ residents overwhelmingly supported moving forward with a proposal to install up to 10 cameras in their Kaiapoi neighbourhood.
It is hoped the project will serve as a model for other Waimakariri towns, including Rangiora and Pegasus.
Sovereign Palms resident Wendy Tait has led the community drive to get cameras after her motorhome was stolen in February.
She told the 100-plus crowd that she had worked hard to buy the vehicle, and it was the source of many special memories.
‘‘It was quite devastating.’’ Tait also said there was a lot of property being stolen in the area, with thieves becoming ‘‘more brazen’’.
Former police officer and CCTV expert Ken Eccles said criminals were becoming more
mobile, and were coming into North Canterbury from Nelson and the West Coast. Having a network of cameras would help police track the criminals and act as a deterrent, he said.
Eccles has been part of a rollout of CCTV in the Hurunui district and said each community had funded the cameras in various ways. In some towns, Lions clubs matched local business funding.
Waimakariri District Council greenspace manager Grant McLeod said the council would not pay for the initial outlay and
setup for the cameras, which is projected to cost around $60,000.
However, McLeod committed the council to taking over the maintenance of them once they were established.
Senior Sergeant Rob Irvine, of North Canterbury, said CCTV
had already been effective in Hurunui in catching a thief who had stolen a pounamu sculpture from the Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools and Spa Complex.
CCTV footage of the theft was released publicly soon after and the sculpture was recovered
from a house in Christchurch several days later.
North Canterbury Neighbourhood Support will now assist in facilitating getting CCTV cameras in Sovereign Palms, including taking donations from residents and businesses.