Deb Hann
For our parent community, last night and tonight, Cambridge High School hosted Rob Cope speaking about online safety for our rangatahi.
Deb Hann – Senior Constable at the Cambridge Farmers’ Market. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
While the online world can have many positive impacts, there is certainly a troubling side to it which can affect our children’s wellbeing. If you were unable to attend the sessions, I would recommend you do your research around the risks facing our children online and how to educate and protect against them. There are many good resources online.
Sextortion is a more modern occurrence. This is where scammers use fake social media or messaging profiles to contact and groom people into a false sense of trust. They then coerce them to send intimate photos and videos. Once received the scammers extort sums of money from the victim with threats of exposure. This type of offending is also not something about which a young person will easily confide to adults, which can increase the stress and financial harm.
Online bullying can follow a young person from school to home and has a big emotional impact at a time when many are trying to find their place in the world. Knowledge of the risks can help you educate and support your children.
From our rural community, we have had more reports of rural burglaries. Burglaries in the Cambridge area have occurred in Kaipaki Roto-o-Rangi, Maungatautari, Fencourt and Ōhaupō. In Te Awamutu, burglaries occurred in Puahue, Ngāhinapōuri and on Kakepuku road. Items stolen have included a vehicle, various tools including chainsaws, batteries, a ride on mower and water pump.
This is a timely reminder that opportunists will strike at any time of the day or night. Due to the nature of farms, it is possible for people to enter a property and move around undetected, out of sight of the occupants and neighbours. Gate alarms teamed with CCTV coverage are a great asset – both evidentially and as a deterrent.
Where possible, lock out-buildings and sheds, keep keys stored out of sight and separate from the vehicles to which they relate. Record serial numbers of power tools, engrave them with a personal identifier and photograph them. If you see unknown vehicles arriving on farm and occupants possibly casing properties, record registrations and descriptions and let police know.
Offenders will hit multiple properties overtime, so let’s catch them.
