It was great to see so many people attend our Anzac Day services to honour our fallen last Thursday. As the speakers said, it seems even more pertinent in the current times. I was honoured to lay the wreath with Snr Constable Methven on behalf of Cambridge police.
Senior Constable Deb Hann – On the Beat
In other news, last week I completed my bi-annual Physical Competency Test (PCT) which all serving Police officers must complete as part of our operational certifications. The PCT is also completed by all recruits at RNZ Police College as part of their initial training. It is a time limited activity and requires each officer to complete a course composed of the following… a trailer push plus wheel lift and carry followed immediately by a 200m loop run, a beam walk, a long jump, a fence jump, a zig zag shuttle run, diving underneath two low hurdles, a jump up and through a window frame, then going up and over a 2 metre wall, dragging a 70kg dummy for 10 metres and scaling a high wire mesh fence before a sprint to the finish.
It is always good exercise and a measure of the levels of fitness maintained by police officers. Policing is a dynamic and rewarding career. If you have considered joining and wish to know more, visit www.newcops.org.nz.
This week I would also like to thank Te Awa Lifecare Village for inviting me to speak about crime prevention with their village on Monday. It is a topic about which I am passionate as Police work requires a team effort with the community to keep Cambridge safe and unattractive to opportunist offenders. It was great to see some familiar faces and meet new ones.
Finally in good news, last week it was just such a community effort that saw an arrest in Taotaoroa Road, rural Cambridge, following the theft of a vehicle from a farm. The culprit used the vehicle to run (or rather drive) amok across two rural properties causing damage. A male was located and arrested some hours later after evading police and being found on yet another property by locals. He was identified and found to be in breach of bail conditions. He faces four additional charges as a result of his activities and was remanded in custody until his next court appearance.
The local community were very supportive of police and did not hesitate to call 111 when he popped back up and came to attention. He was subsequently linked with further offences. We could not have put a stop to what might have been a spree without the help of the community.
