Hello again, thank you to everyone who is being patient and following instructions when it comes to the continuing road works around Cambridge.
Staff working on these projects deserve to be treated with courtesy and respect – it is not ok for them to be subject to verbal abuse or driving behaviour that could put them or others at risk. Allow extra time for your travel and remain patient.
Retail theft continues to be a regular occurrence in town, with many offenders coming from other areas in the Waikato. The expressway offers us a great connection in and out, but this convenience equally applies to offenders entering Cambridge and then making their escape after committing offences.
Deb Hann – Senior Constable at the Cambridge Farmers’ Market. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
I’d like to remind everyone to be on the lookout for suspicious behaviour in store, especially where there are groups of two or three people together. We have many sole charge shops in town, making it easier for the staff member to be distracted by one offender, while their accomplice conceals items. If as a customer instore, you notice someone concealing items, please alert the store staff.
In one incident recently, brazen shoplifters sought customer service from staff while apparently browsing. One offender then took a full trolley of items up to the counter to engage the staff member. His accomplice hovered near the exit and in hindsight, looked very antsy. The first offender suddenly bolted for the door, and both ran out, pushing the trolley load of expensive items away to their waiting vehicle.
Thieves are increasingly confrontational. Another shoplifting incident saw a couple and their two children all engage in what was clearly a planned supermarket theft. Efforts by store staff to intervene saw even the children becoming aggressive, highlighting the willingness of many motivated offenders to assault staff in order to make an escape.
Staff safety should be held front of mind in that regard. If you call 111 in the heat of the moment, we stand a better chance of catching offenders when they are still present or having just left the location. Do not wait until after offenders have driven away to call police. Staff witnessing an incident in progress should feel empowered to make the call on behalf of their colleagues. This increases the chance of us recovering stolen property and strengthens evidence against them – for example CCTV images of clothing matching what they were wearing when arrested.
If we can identify and arrest offenders, we put a halt to what is often an ongoing pattern of offending, and address underlying issues. Have a good week.
CCTV cameras. Photo: Scott Webb, Pexels.com
