Made up of around 22 volunteers, the Raglan Community Patrol are the ‘eyes and ears’ for Police and are part of the national community patrol network providing vital support to prevent crime in communities around the country.
(Listen to the full interview below:)
With police unable to provide 24-hour coverage, keeping Raglan safe is an important issue for community members and the crew that volunteer for the patrol all have community spirit and safety at the forefront of their minds.
“Sometimes it’s just about being in the right place at the right time,” says patroller Dayle Merson.
Dayle recalls an incident at Bridal Veil Falls where visitors had their cars broken into and the community patrol had just passed a red car that was identified as the suspects vehicle. The patrol were able to pass this onto police who were able to apprehend the suspect.
While the patrol don’t have the jurisdiction to make arrests, they have a direct line to police through their radio so that police can respond to incidents accordingly. They also have front and back dash cams on their patrol vehicle to capture anything going on.
The patrol is made up of one driver and one observer per shift where they keep watch and listen out for any suspicious activity. With their current staffing, the community patrol are able to do one patrol per day and night.
“We’re always looking for new people to join because more people means we can do more patrols,” says Dayle.
Training to become a patroller can take about three months before they are ‘let loose’ to patrol in the community. Patrollers also get vetted by local and national police departments. These processes are to ensure that volunteers have the right skills for the patrol.
Community stalwarts Narina and husband Peter Hurst have been involved with the patrol for well over a decade, first joining when the patrol was called the Night Owls.
Peter recalls a Town Hall meeting addressing crime in Raglan held about 25 years ago that led to the Raglan Night Owls forming, saying that the recent spate of crime reinforces the need for a community approach.
Peter says that you don’t have to live in Raglan to join and that most volunteers spend about 4-5 hours a month patrolling - although this is dependent on how much time volunteers have available to commit.
With three quarters of the patrol volunteers either retired or semi-retired, the crew are also looking for younger members to join to ensure that the patrol is able to continue into the future.
To join the Raglan Community Patrol you can contact Peter on 07 825 8473, cookiebears@gmail.com or head to the Raglan Community Patrol AGM which will be held on Sunday 19 June at 3pm at the Raglan Community House basement meeting room - all welcome.