Senior Constable Deb Hann at the Cambridge Farmers’ Market. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
This week we have more good news stories to share. Police were called to a rural Fencourt address because of a disorder issue. Occupants called 111 early, enabling us to locate the offenders at the scene. Four males were arrested and appeared before the courts for various charges including demands with menaces and participating in an organised criminal group.
Another good arrest involved shoplifters from Hamilton. Police were called by a local supermarket after two women stole items and fled in a vehicle. Vehicle and offender details were provided. The car was stopped just a short time later as it travelled south on Victoria St.
Two women were arrested and checks showed they were already wanted for two further thefts at a Hamilton supermarket. They appeared in court on all three charges this week. Prevention activities were also undertaken due to the vehicle not being roadworthy, three children being in the vehicle without car seats and the five adult occupants of the vehicle not holding valid current drivers’ licences.
In other news, I have had a few conversations in the last two weeks around boy racers, particularly in rural areas. Many people still aren’t aware that a call to 111 at the time burnouts are occurring is the best way to deal with these and 111 is the number to call for any offending that is happening at the time.
This enables available units in the area to attend and builds up a record of the locations, times and days of the week where the activity is happening. As with most crime, if we all assume our neighbours are phoning, then it may be no one makes a call. The more calls we get about a situation, the fuller a picture is provided. If you can safely get a vehicle description and registration, even a video, that enables us to proceed with enforcement avenues.
Which path each case will subsequently take will depend on the offender’s age and the strength of the evidence obtained. It may involve a prosecution. If that is the case, we need members of our community to be willing to provide and sign a statement about what they saw and – if the defendant pleads not guilty – to stand up in court if necessary and give evidence. This ensures we can hold the culprits to account.
Lastly today, a reminder to our retailers to be proactive around loss prevention in the lead up to Christmas. Ensure your staff are empowered to call 111 when theft occurs and that they know how to pre-empt and address suspicious behaviour. When someone is seen acting suspiciously instore, targeted customer service is an effective response to deter someone from stealing.
It is better to prevent theft, or to have items dumped on a shelf rather than follow up a crime that has happened. We need to continue working together to make Cambridge unattractive to opportunists. My last column for the year will be next week. Have a good week until then.
