Time to give a hoot about crime
LIKE EVERY town in New Zealand, Kaitaia has a problem with crime, particularly petty crime. And after years of underfunding of the police force in the country, sadly there are not enough officers to cover as much of those towns as they, or we, would like.
Crime has a serious effect on people, making them feel unsafe in their own homes. Burglary is a particularly personal crime — it means somebody has invaded your home, stolen your possessions and often caused a fair amount of damage.
The police do the best they can, of course, but they can’t be everywhere at all times.
Small towns like Kaitaia often struggle to come up with solutions to help their community feel safe and deter crime, because, let’s face it, there is no simple solution. The reasons people commit crime are many and varied and a longterm solution has not been established.
But in Kaitaia three blasts on an air horn could be the start of making the town’s residents feel safer in their homes and on their streets.
Kaitaia man Matt Hobman came up with the idea of using air horn to deter crime just last week, and already it’s starting to garner plenty of interest.
Supported by John Hunter, from Kaitaia Hunting and Fishing, who is providing the air horns at half price — more than 80 have been ordered so far — the pair will host a public meeting tonight in the car park in front of Hunting and Fishing on Commerce St, to go through some protocols for the initiative and show people how to use the air horns.
Mr Hobman said the idea — which is now named Taking Back Our Streets — was sparked after a neighbour expressed concern about her grandmother.
Mr Hobman suggested the young woman get her nana an air horn, like the type used to start sporting events, and if she had any concerns she should give three blasts with it.
“I told her that if I heard it I’d be around there in a flash,” Mr Hobman said.
And now the idea has blasted off. Police are aware of the community initiative but say phoning 111 was always preferable when anyone felt unsafe or in an emergency.
Mr Hobman said the idea was a way for the community to claim back their streets and would alert neighbours to one of their own in distress or danger.
Mr Hunter said ultimately the air horns are about deterrence and peace of mind.
“Hopefully nobody will have to use them because the potential criminals know that this will draw attention to them.”
And what a great community initiative it is. It’s not about vigilante action, but about ordinary people taking a stand — and making a bit of noise if necessary — to try to prevent crime in their neighbourhood.
So the idea is if you see somebody committing a crime, on your property, or acting anti-socially in your area you give three short blasts of the horn. Your neighbours will hear and come to your aid — and call 111 to alert the police.
Mr Hobman, who would run the meeting, said it was about the community taking back the streets.
“If you see someone who’s up to no good then three blasts of the horn will alert the neighbours, who will look out for someone running or getting away. It will make the thief’s presence known, and if they are on foot then maybe they can be tracked back to their home. Then phone the police.”
He said it was about neighbours looking out for each other, as they once did. It was also about helping the police.
The idea had taken on a life of its own, and would hopefully reduce crime and help make a lot of people feel safer in their own homes.
“All it needs is for lots of good people to take this passive aggressive approach to fixing our problems,” Mr Hobman said.
And it’s an idea that’s simple, inexpensive and something that other communities around the country — and the world — can pick up on too.
It’s citizens taking action and it should be encouraged and supported by all people who want to make their town a safer, and better place to live in.
Like many people I’ve been burgled. It happened when I was overseas and I came back eight weeks later to find the place a mess and the burglars had left an extra ‘present’. One, in their excitement, or deviancy, I’m not sure, had urinated on my bed. You can imagine what it smelt like after eight weeks.
One of the people was caught and they had done a string of burglaries in my area. I got some of my possessions back, the guy got jailed, but I was left with a sense that my home was no longer my home if somebody could break in and do such a despicable act.
Hopefully this initiative will let burglars know that there’s a new crime prevention tool in the arsenal against them.
And good on Mr Hobman and Mr Hunter for coming up with such a simple, but hopefully effective way, of making their town safer.
Because, let’s face it, not much else seems to be working in reducing crime.