Minor offences too costly

GRAFFITI CRIME: Community Constable Richard Hurrell believes the current rash of graffiti can be slowed if people were more vigilant and reported what they saw. Offending, such as the graffiti to Kihikihi shop frontages above the verandahs, is blatant and obvious. 061061AD

By Dean Taylor

They are considered minor offences, and often the perpetrators are never caught, but they are costing this community money, time, effort and well-being.

Smashed letterboxes, stolen garden items, broken windows, damage to gardens, parks and sports grounds, graffiti and damage to vehicles occur too often in this community, mostly in the dead of the night.

The person with the best picture of the total damage is Community Constable Richard Hurrell. He collates information about reported damage in an effort to identify offenders and build a picture of the activity taking place in our town.

“$2000 to replace a smashed shop window or graffiti stretching down the entire back wall of a school block, plus neighbouring buildings, does not represent minor offending in terms of damage and cost,” he says. “Te Awamutu would have had some reported damage most weeks over the past year or two and the cost adds up.”

There are trends to the offending that Mr Hurrell can investigate. He says at present there are two distinct graffiti groups operating, and he is keen to apprehend the culprits.

Some of the offending occurs during the day, and is blatant, such as graffiti at the rear of Alexandra Street shops and businesses on a Saturday afternoon and the setting fire to trees at Memorial Park at various times on weekdays.

Others are night time ‘pranks’ - ‘drunk people doing stupid things’. Mr Hurrell says there is often a trail of destruction following large parties or the emptying out of a busy night at one of the town’s bars.

Police would like to hear about these offences as they happen. Mr Hurrell says residents often report the incident after it occurs, but say they heard or saw something at the time.

“Tell us how many people are involved, what they look like and what direction they are heading,” he says.

In a report into the formation of a Safer Community Council, Mr Hurrell stated that offending by a few was trashing the town for the majority. He said it was time good citizens took back ownership.

Community Patrols are one of the recommendations being investigated as they are proving effective in a large number of New Zealand towns and cities.