The Onehunga Police Station has been under the leadership of Senior Sergeant Hirone Waretini for just over a year now, and in that time resources have increased, along with crime reporting. The increase in reporting crimes is significant as when incidents are not reported, obviously no action can be taken – including future prevention strategies.
Our local team at 126 Onehunga Mall is home to around 20 officers, along with the Family Safety Team, a group dedicated to dealing with high risk Family Violence offenders and their victims. This is a behind-the-scenes aspect of the police that is taking a long term approach to crime prevention by targeting recidivist offenders as well as assisting victims and families with the whole range of support, from counselling to basic living requirements.
The officers within the station are made up of Onehunga Community Constable Casey Broad, Ellerslie Community Constable Kylee Clark, Youth Aid Officer Jill Hemingway and the Youth Action team, and a six-person inquiry team. Between them they manage a vast workload, covering the physical area from Ellerslie to Hillsborough and the whole of Onehunga (including Penrose) from One Tree Hill to Mangere Bridge. Hirone also relieves the Station Managers at Glen Innes and Mt Wellington as necessary.
The NZ Police cannot operate successfully without help from the public and a vital part of this is the reporting of crimes – without necessary details and figures, they have no way of knowing the real statistics in our area. The Onehunga team has developed good relationships with the Community Board and the Business Association as a way of staying better informed of criminal activity in our area. As a result of this, they have taken on the task of monitoring the CCTV cameras in the bus terminal. Hirone is also looking at establishing a Community Engagement Forum in the New Year and hopes this will also be beneficial to them keeping abreast of matters of interest in Onehunga.
In addition, Community Constable Casey Broad has been working hard to make sure that he is involved with the people and businesses in our local community and both he and Hirone would like to stress that if you have any problems, don’t hesitate in approaching them – whether this is to inform them of something that has taken place in the area or to actually report a crime. Relationships within the business community are something our local police value and are keen to develop.
The station hours are Monday to Friday from 9.00am to 4.00pm but crimes can be reported at any time on 302 6400. Many people think they have to come into the station and spend a long time filling out forms but in many cases, a phone call is all that’s required. To speak to someone at the Onehunga station, call 634 1064 and as always, in emergencies dial 111.
