Deb Hann
Greetings, I hope the start to term three is going well. I know you will be paying extra attention on the roads now that our school aged pedestrians and cyclists are increasingly around as they commute. I also hope you are managing to avoid those winter bugs that are hitting so many of us.
Deb Hann – Senior Constable at the Cambridge Farmers’ Market. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
First up this week, there is a saying, ‘Not all superheroes wear capes.’ I saw some direct examples last week when working a Thursday late shift. When a visiting man driving on Maungatautari road experienced a medical event, his partner in the passenger seat, managed to bring the vehicle to a stop off the road. Several passers-by quickly recognised her distress and need for help. They stopped, extracted the man from his vehicle and as a group, immediately began administering first aid until ambulance could reach him. Some, like the man, were not local to Cambridge and on a journey elsewhere, while others lived nearby. Working together, they gave the man the best possible chance they could through their actions, whilst ensuring that the road was secured for safety reasons. The subsequent care they showed his partner, putting her needs above their own were admirable. I appreciate their quick thinking, selfless actions and say Thank You.
Secondly, I regularly say our neighbours are our ‘capable guardians’; those people who get to know our ‘normal’ – our routines and visitors. Later on Thursday, one such guardian in Taylor Street noticed her elderly neighbour’s security light activate. She observed a young man run from the garage, down the driveway and away. He was followed by a second, a short time later. Being aware this was hugely suspicious and concerned for her neighbour’s wellbeing, she called 111.
I responded and discovered the garage door had been forced open. When subsequently clearing the house, the homeowner was naturally surprised by my arrival, but grateful for her neighbour’s vigilance. I am in no doubt that our good Samaritan’s early intervention stymied the pair’s plans to steal, as nothing was taken. A Police dog handler responded but was unable to track the pair far. It appears however that the two offenders may have been subsequently involved in another incident later that same evening, so the reporting of both provides important information.
It takes a community working together to keep Cambridge safe. Get to know your neighbours and consider joining Cambridge Neighbourhood Support to build resilience in your neighbourhood. Until next week, keep up the good work!
