Community patrol searching for more volunteers

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28 Feb, 2022

BY JULIA WADE

 

Mangawhai’s band of dedicated community guardians who help keep the streets safe and brave facing the unknown events of the night, are looking for more volunteers to join their team.

After losing a few patrollers due to people relocating or Covid mandates, Mangawhai Community Patrol (MCP) are needing more members to monitor local streets and be the ‘ears and eyes’ of the police, MCP coordinator Dave Thomas says, who took over leadership from Wayne Price in December 2021.

“Our main purpose is to keep the community safe by stamping out the unruly and anti-social behaviour which often occurs through the night,” he says. “Currently we have sixteen patrollers doing a shift once a month, patrolling in pairs every Friday and Saturday night as well as some others, and long weekends, but with a few extras we could roster in even more. We also need a computer-savvy someone to run our website too.”

More patrols are required over the summertime he says, with Mangawhai’s influx of visitors, when youth in particular ‘start doing silly things like lighting fires and knocking down signposts’ as well as helping to redirect some freedom campers from illegal park ups. Thomas is also keen to set up a Saturday morning roster.

Focusing on the general Mangwhai area, MCP tours the majority of streets from the Heads to the Village, cruising at around 30kmh ‘to hear any noise and be aware of any situations’.

“As there is so much building going on in Mangawhai, we keep an eye on all the working sites as there has been a few things stolen like tools and wood including off the St John op shop site, and we also do drive-bys of clubs and business areas to make sure people are not doing things they shouldn’t be,” he says. “A lot of people who have been drinking can turn verbally abusive but you know it’s the alcohol talking, not them, so you learn to not react but respond politely to calm the situation… you grow a thick skin very quickly.”

Starting around 7.30pm most patrols he says last for about three to four hours, averaging 70-80km a night ‘so by that time we’ve gone down most streets’.

“I guess on average we drive through 99 percent of main routes and 85 percent of side streets in Mangawhai, checked out each small side street and every little lane if we can and even occasionally visit the cemetary,” he says. “Sometimes it’s less if the shift includes a static patrol which is parking on the side of the road for 15 minutes to stretch your legs and have a thermos of tea. Patrollers can decide how long they want to be out though, especially in winter, when no one really wants to be in a car patrolling in the freezing cold rain.”

Even in the warmer weather the hours can vary due to police needing assistance looking for a lost person or needing a hand with traffic management at vehicle accidents, ‘just got to go with the flow really’, Thomas says.

“One night after a crash on SH1 myself and another patroller diverted traffic down a detour route for nearly six hours, I was standing in the cold rain in a short sleeved shirt, was a nightmare, but it’s just what you do.”

A volunteer since 2017, a year after MCP was formed by Wayne Price, Trevor Downey and local police, including liason officer Constable Dale Wewege, Thomas remembers the early patrolling days in the group’s old van, nicknamed ‘the bone shaker’. Although it served its purpose he says, volunteers are grateful to be travelling in their comfortable 2018 Mitsubishi ASX, donated in 2020 by Mangawhai Central developer Viranda Partners, who also take care of maintenance and insurance.

“Gas Mangawhai also donate a certain amount of petrol every year too… we really appreciate assistance from these companies.”

He says it is surprising how many drivers actually slow down when they see the car due to the signage looking similar to a police vehicle at first glance, ‘which is a good thing’.

“Hopefully with the speeders and boy-racers that are around, it may curb their enthusaism a bit.. we also get a lot of friendly waves from people recognising us.”

Following mandates released by Community Patrol NZ, the vehicle is decontaimnated after every patrol and wipes are available for volunteers to use while on duty and masks have to be worn while in the car. Thomas has also carefully arranged the roster so each patroller is on duty with someone in their bubble and patrollers are required to be double-vaxed.

“We went through a lot of upheaval due to Covid but we can operate under the current regime and are hoping more people will join us. We’re a a mixture of women and men and get together for training sessions every two months followed with a social gathering like a BBQ… it’s a good group,” Thomas says. “We rely on volunteers and donations to keep ourselves running and give as much time as we can but if we can do more, all the better.”

n Patrol volunteers need to be aged 18 and up, be double-vaxed and will be police vetted on application. Wanting to join or for more information, please visit the Mangawhai Community Patrol facebook page.

 

Mangawhai Community Patrol coordinator Dave Thomas, who took over leadership from Wayne Price last December, is looking for more recruits to join the dedicated community patrollers and help keep the peace. PHOTO/JULIA WADE

 

“We went through a lot of upheaval due to Covid but we can operate under the current regime… it’s a good group.”

– Dave Thomas

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