Former Police Officer Chris Lawton on the value of Community Patrols

Police say community patrols are playing a key role in helping them investigate and stop crime.

Some victims of violent crimes have been joining their local patrol in hopes of making the communities safer.

However, patrols still need more members to keep up with rising crime.

The CEO of Community Patrols New Zealand called in for a chat with Simon Barnett & James Daniels.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Simon Barnett and James Daniels Afternoons
podcast from News Talk ZEDB.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Chris Lawton happens to be the chairman of Community Patrols
Charity and CEO of cpn ZD. He joins us on
the line.

Speaker 3 (00:19):
Hello Chris, Yeah, good afternoon guys and thanks for having us.

Speaker 2 (00:22):
So how do people get involved if they're listening to this.

Speaker 3 (00:24):
Yeah, on our on our website Community Patrols or cpn
Z there's a join now page and that will link
them up with the nearest community patrol or that can
simply contact our national office and express an interest and
we'll get them in touch with the right people.

Speaker 2 (00:38):
How many patrollers do you have present across the country?

Speaker 3 (00:41):
We've got across the country as a national organization, we've
got nearly one hundred and seventy patrols with almost five
thousand volunteers of patrollers as we call them, across the country.
And what's important also is recognize that we have a
very very important relationship with police built on over twenty
years of working together with police under an MoU Our

(01:03):
office is based at Police Headquarters in Wellington and all
the patrols have a dedicated police liaison officer that they
can be in touch with, and when they go on patrol,
they don't just go out the aimlessly driving around. They
go out there with a knowledge of what's happening in
the community with intelligence which they keep to themselves. And
also at the end of every shift they supply a

(01:24):
report to their local police so that the police can
receive the information and utilize that for intelligence, et cetera.

Speaker 2 (01:32):
Interesting, the insurance companies should to get much funding from them.
They surely should support community patrols, given them.

Speaker 3 (01:38):
Pretty good Well, we're pretty good deal with AMI that
give us a good rates on our vehicle insurance. But
certainly it's an ongoing topic in terms of insurance of houses,
burglaries and all that sort of stuff that we had do.

Speaker 2 (01:51):
Community patrollers themselves. I would imagine that you have to
vet them. They have to be police checked today.

Speaker 3 (01:56):
Correct. In fact, we use the same vety forms that
an applicant to the police would use, So we look
at very clearfully, the police look at them, and then
we make a decision based on the context. They're not
going to be police officers, but they are out there
in the community. They represent the organization and of course
our linkers with police is very very important.

Speaker 2 (02:16):
Do you have a uniform?

Speaker 3 (02:18):
We have a CPN's AT logo and all the patrols
now use that logo high vis of course for safety,
not a black pants normally we've got a polo shirt.
So yeah, we've got a uniform which all patrollers use
around the country. With hard working patrols full of great
volunteers from the community.

Speaker 2 (02:35):
Amazing. What did you do before becoming chairman of the
community Patrols?

Speaker 3 (02:39):
When I was young and Cilia, I joined the police
for twenty years in Auckland City, so I did twenty
years in policing and really they have got my understanding
of the need to work with communities. There were times
when I would work in a particularly in a rural environment,
where you had to work with members of the community
otherwise you couldn't do your job. And today we recognize
that policing is not just about the police, and the

(03:02):
police are reaching out to all partners around the community,
collaborate with all sorts of organizations and ours is the
one that has a very very close relationship, but you
know there's many others. They would support Mary Warden's others
that also support crime provincial or issues in our communities.

Speaker 2 (03:20):
Do you have an upper age limit where you say,
look the cutoff is X.

Speaker 3 (03:25):
No, No, we have a fit for purpose policy. Sometimes
it's a tough decision that patrols have to make, is
when it's time for someone to finish. But our younger
patrols we start at eighteen and yes we go up
to the to eighty. Lots of good people doing good
workout there, and why would we not want them to
be involved.

Speaker 2 (03:44):
It's outstanding. Chris, thank you for coming on and you've
obviously got some wonderful patrollers of those five thousand just
brilliant have called in. So thank you very much for
your time. And how do people contact you again.

Speaker 3 (03:54):
Through our website Community Patrols of New Zealand cpn Z
and just get in touch with our national office and
we'll get them in touch with the right patrol.

Speaker 2 (04:02):
Good Man, Chris, thank you very much for your time.

Speaker 1 (04:04):
Thank for more from Simon Barnett and James Daniels. Afternoons
listen live to News Talk set B or follow the
podcast on iHeartRadio.