On the Beat – police
Each week, I review the past seven days of reported incidents in Cambridge in preparation for writing this column.
Deb Hann
As always, our team responded to a wide variety of calls. This week, we attended four assaults, two incidents of threatening behaviour, three mental health-related calls, two missing persons, five burglaries, three family harm incidents, we assisted Fire and Emergency New Zealand with a house fire and responded to one case involving an unaccompanied child.
What really stood out though this week, was the number of reported traffic crashes: 10 in just seven days.
These ranged from minor fender-benders and expressway nose-to-tails to more serious crashes involving vehicles going through fences, rolling or ending up in ditches. Distraction and speed are common factors. Mobile phone use continues to be a major issue. Taking your eyes and mind off the road for even a moment can have serious consequences.
With summer nearly here, roadworks are appearing across the district. Freshly completed works often leave loose shingle on the road for a few days, creating slippery conditions. Combine that with inattention or ignoring reduced speed limits, and it’s a recipe for crashes, smashed windscreens, and worse.
A crash doesn’t just affect those directly involved. It can cause traffic build-up, leading to secondary nose-to-tail accidents. This is made worse when holiday traffic levels come into play. If you’re driving past a crash scene, please don’t ‘rubberneck’ or video it. Such behaviour is not only unhelpful to attending emergency services, but it can also add to the stress for those involved and their families. Be a considerate driver, drive defensively, follow the road rules and be patient.
On another note, I’ve again been asked to remind everyone about scams, to which people continue to fall prey. In the past seven days, we received four reports where people fell victim to scams locally and across the wider Waikato this number was in excess of 30. These included cases of WhatsApp scams, including fake friend or kidnapping messages, phishing texts pretending to be from the New Zealand Police or banks, and financial (crypto investment) scams; each designed to trick people into handing over personal details and varying sums of money.
Most scammers operate from offshore and are very cunning. They use deception to manipulate victim into voluntarily sending money to them or inadvertently providing banking details which enable unauthorised access to the victim’s accounts. Please stay vigilant. Educate yourself and spread the word to others. If you are targeted, don’t engage, and trust your gut. If something feels wrong, it probably is.
Senior constable Deb Hann inside the police station. Photo: Aaron Radford.
