Police volunteers recognised

 

Honour and appreciation were recently given to a group of volunteers who supported Mangawhai’s thin blue line for over 15 years.

The occasion took place at Mangawhai Museum on October 27 with the seven volunteers shouted lunch at Jessie’s Cafe and a free ticket to tour the Museum. They were presented with Certificates of Appreciation as a thank you for their dedicated years of service.

Front counter volunteers helped keep the police station doors open to the community, providing a friendly face when officers were out of the station. Their duties included attending to enquiries like minor offences, lost and found, giving crime prevention advice and forwarding messages on to the local officers.

“Mangawhai volunteers began in 2002 and it was a system that worked very well,” Senior Constable Graham Gough says. “They provided a significant service to the police and community, as many small towns and rural police stations generally have only one officer rostered on per shift.”

The volunteers were disbanded nationwide earlier this year due to safety concerns about non-police workers being left to attend the station for long periods of time without the presence of a police officer.

Gough also says he has noticed a downturn in the amount of lost and found property being notified or brought into the station due to the office not always being open to the public.

“The volunteer’s presence is still being greatly missed by local police and this community.”

n To report lost and found, please ring Mangawhai Police Station. If not manned, calls will be transferred to another available station and messages forwarded on to local police.

SERVICE: From left, honoured volunteers Pip Beven, Helen McDonald, Senior Constable Graham Gough, Sheryl Blundell, Bev Ross and Ron Taylor. Absent, Sally Green and Nola Smith.