Deb Hann – Senior Constable at the Cambridge Farmers’ Market. Photo: Mary Anne Gill

Last Tuesday we had an aggravated robbery at a local liquor store.

Police enquiries are continuing, however people have been identified and an associated search warrant has been executed in Hamilton.

The alleged offenders, as is often the case, were from out of town.

They used a car stolen earlier that day from Hamilton.

Fortunately, no one was hurt and minimal property was taken.

It is important however not to be complacent about the potential for such events just because they may not occur in Cambridge as frequently as elsewhere.

I would also give another strong reminder to call 111 immediately that you are the victim of a crime.

The sooner we know a crime is in progress, the sooner we can respond.

In other news, we have had a report of stray projectiles going into rural properties in the Hautapu area, potentially when people are conducting pest control nearby.

Remember that one of the cardinal rules of firearms is to identify your target, what is behind and around it.

A .22 projectile has a maximum range of 2.5km and even an airgun projectile can travel up to 400m.

It is not safe to aim in the direction of close neighbouring boundaries.

Always ask yourself, “what if I miss?”.

We would hate for anyone out on a neighbouring property to be wounded or worse.

Scammers

Another issue relates to scammers, who are continuing to impact our residents.

The scams range from Facebook Marketplace scams (where a high value item is paid for then never materialises), to romance scams (where someone is enticed into an online relationship following a random contact on a messaging app and is ultimately asked to help the scammer out by sending money), through to complex and lengthy investment scams (where a victim is contacted via whatsapp or similar messaging platforms and lured into investing in overseas investment funds/ bitcoins).

The financial losses suffered may be considerable and especially where funds are sent offshore, the likelihood of recovering funds is minimal.

The best prevention is to be ultra cautious and scam aware.

For Marketplace, the easiest solution is to never pay for any expensive item online, sight unseen.

Arrange to pay only on collection and if excuses start coming as to why that is not possible, walk away.

In this way you know the item advertised actually exists and can confirm the details are as portrayed before parting with your money.

A rule of thumb may be to never pay more money for an item advertised online, than you would be happy to lose.

Do not engage with contacts from random Whatsapp or Snapchat users.

A false identity is very easy to create and you can not be truly sure with whom you are communicating, even if they provide a name and phone you.

If you did not initiate the contact yourself, are not expecting the person to contact you or do not know the person messaging, do not engage.

Give Way

Lastly, I have been asked to also remind the cyclists in our community that they must give way to pedestrians using a crossing.

Remember to slow down and be ready to stop for anyone on a crossing or waiting to cross.

If we all adhere to the road rules, we make our town safer for all.