Community patrols receive funding boost

4 July 2005

Community patrols receive funding boost

Seventeen community patrols across New Zealand are to receive a boost to help in their fight against crime.

The awarding of State’s inaugural Community Patrol Grants will help community patrols prevent crime and reduce other problems that may impact on the local community and businesses.

The grants scheme sees each patrol awarded a package ranging from a $1,500 cash grant to a patrol car.

The successful patrols are:

Invercargill Community Patrol Dunedin South Community Patrol North Dunedin Community Patrol Community Watch Hornby Papanui Community Watch Greymouth Community Patrol Porirua Community Guardians Waikanae Volunteer Night Patrol Palmerston North Community Patrol Hawera & District Hawk Eyes Taupo Community Patrol Western Knights – Rotorua Kawerau Citizens Patrol Group Whakatane Night Owls Papamoa Night Owls & Day Larks Katikati Community Patrol Papakura Community Crimewatch Patrol

Community or crimewatch patrols involve volunteers working with police to make their communities safer. They cover their local communities, focusing on hot spots such as car parks, youth hang outs and neighbourhoods with recent burglaries.

The grants scheme was piloted last year in the Auckland suburb of Botany Downs, and as a result State’s own burglary and theft claims decreased 21% in the area, despite strong population growth.

The new State sponsorship was announced by Kerryn Butler, Sustainability Support Manager at IAG NZ, which trades under the State and NZI insurance brands.

About State State is a business division of IAG New Zealand Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Insurance Australia Group (IAG), Australasia’s largest general insurer. IAG NZ has approximately 40% share of the general insurance market and manages 2.5 million policies on behalf of more than 1 million New Zealanders.

ENDS

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