The Alexandra-Clyde Neighbourhood Support charitable trust was set up in July and its first public meeting will be held in Alexandra tomorrow at 7.30pm, at the Alexandra Community House.
''It will explain what the group is about and how it fits in the jigsaw and complements the work of other agencies - police, civil defence authorities, Red Cross and Salvation Army, for example,'' board chairwoman Ruth McNamara said. Neighbourhood Support Otago regional co-ordinator Sarah Hexamer will speak at the meeting, along with Sergeant Derek Ealson, of Alexandra. Sgt Ealson said the police were encouraging as many people as possible to become involved in the group.
''This is a fantastic opportunity to work together to help reduce crime in the area, which can only be beneficial, and the group will also provide another point of contact in our community which will be useful in times of civil defence emergency, for example,'' he said.
Mrs McNamara said the network would cover the two towns as well as Earnscleugh, Galloway and Springvale Rd, and she already had a list of 40 people prepared to be contacts for their street or road, but wanted to hear from more. The group was also aimed at fostering a sense of community spirit, so neighbours looked out for one another, Mrs McNamara said.
Cromwell police head Sergeant Simon Paget said about a quarter of Cromwell was covered by Neighbourhood Support and the initiative was an effective crime prevention tool.
''I had experience with it also when I was in the Bay of Plenty and it can be a very effective way of circulating information to a targeted area. We could highlight specific problems and mention the area and warn people to be on the alert and that worked very well, both in identifying problems and eliciting information from the public, which helped us catch offenders.''
