In his three-monthly briefing at a meeting of the Vincent Community Board yesterday, Alexandra Police Senior Sergeant Clint Wright said it was probably only a matter of time before family harm incidents became more apparent in Central Otago due to job losses and financial strain caused by the pandemic.
That was something the community and those charged with intervening, such as police needed to be prepared for.
Board chairman Cr Martin McPherson said it was important for the community to be engaged with social service providers in an attempt to "front foot" the negative repercussions of Covid-19 and the stress of job losses.
He predicted that people who had never had to would have to visit Work and Income.
"We are going to see a lot of middle-class beneficiaries."
