Cathy Dee makes people talk -
then
shoots them...
Robin
Day is a coordinator for one of the many Neighbourhood Support Groups
in our community. Formally Neighbourhood Watch, Robin said the organisation
felt that the term ‘watch’ concentrated too much on the crime
aspect of the group when in fact what it is about is
supporting your neighbours.
Robin said dealing with crime is a tiny part of what they do and the most they
have come up against lately is a small amount of vandalism to letterboxes.
Neighbourhood Support primarily keeps an eye out for each other – a classic
example is the case a few years back where an elderly neighbour had not been
seen for two days. After trying to gain entry to her house, the police were called
and had to break into the flat where the elderly resident was found on the floor
of her shower unable to get up. She had been there for around 22 hours. Fortunately
she survived her ordeal but it could have been a lot worse.
“It’s about helping one another - people looking after
people”.
Another branch of the Neighbourhood Support group looks after new immigrants – showing
them where facilities such as the Library, the Doctors and the Council are. This
branch also helps with teaching the newcomers about rates and taxes and enrolling
children at school.
Robin looks after a small cluster of around five houses but there are bigger
groups of Neighbourhood Support. One such group is in an ‘over 60’s’ housing
estate in Kaiapoi. There are 69 units housing around 100 residents. The Support
Group has split itself into a team of six, each of whom is responsible for ten
or eleven people.
The group has two main purposes, watching out for criminal activity – something
which, they point out has been negligible within the complex; and keeping an
eye out for each other. When I ask if they have any trouble with BMX bikes zooming
around the complex, I was informed cheerfully that bikes seem to have been replaced
by mobility Scooters.
