Hopes CCTV will curb rising crime in T¯ırau

Tı¯rau is set to have five CCTV cameras installed as violent crime rises in the small South Waikato town.

The South Waikato District Council has agreed to the move at a cost of $80,000 after requests from several residents, months of lobbying from the Tı¯rau Community Board and multiple serious crimes.

That includes the death of toddler Comfort Joy Witeri-Thompson, who died from head injuries believed to have been deliberately inflicted in 2018, the unsolved murder of grandmother Roma Joseph in

2017, and two burglaries and a robbery within six months at its supermarket last year.

Sergeant Daniel Peat welcomed the move.

‘‘The rural nature of the town means many offenders believe they have more chance of getting away with committing crimes,’’ he said.

‘‘CCTV cameras will greatly assist the police and the community as a whole. However, police still need the assistance of the community and anything suspicious needs to be reported.’’

Peat said due to Tı¯rau’s State Highway

1 location making it a stop-off point for travellers, it was popular with opportunist thieves, who often took aim at unlocked vehicles.

The cameras will come at a cost to the town’s ratepayers through a targeted rate:

$20.12 per ratepayer for the 20/21 year. Tı¯rau Community Board chair Kerry Purdy said the majority of ratepayers supported the decision.

‘‘The feedback so far has been positive. Obviously there were some concerned about the slight rate increase, but we wholeheartedly believe this will benefit our town in a positive way,’’ she said.

‘‘The Tı¯rau Community Board put it forward in our three-year concept plan and to hear it’s ‘a go’ is such a great feeling. Our whole concept for putting this forward was community safety, that’s the most important thing.

‘‘There has been a need for CCTV cameras in our town for a while with break-ins in our local shops, untoward activity and idiots on our roads speeding and doing skids. I personally have been told that Tı¯rau is a great place to ‘get away with things’ as there have been no cameras like in other towns.’’

Tı¯rau ward councillor Peter Schulte agreed with Purdy.

‘‘We have two unsolved murders in our village and I am sure that if the police had video evidence it might have solved at least one of them,’’ he said.

‘‘In my view it will increase the safety of all our residents.’’

South Waikato District Council communication manager Kerry Fabrie said it was not known when the cameras would be installed.

She said the town’s street light network would also be upgraded along with wi-fi in the central business district.

The project will be completed using the Smart City technology that has already been rolled out in Putaruru and Tokoroa. It will come at a cost of $55,000, which will be funded by loan over six years and paid through a 0.1 per cent rise to the district’s general rate.