The matter was discussed at a Linwood-Central-Heathcote Community Board meeting, which included informing residents on how to keep themselves and their homes safe via social media.
It comes after a 31-year-old man was arrested last month on charges of burglary and assault, allegedly attacking a father and daughter while attempting to burgle their Fifield Tce home.
“It’s a stressful time for people, they don’t really know what’s around the corner,” she said.
“So we’re trying to remind the community to stay vigilant, look out for one another, making sure they’re locking their homes and being a bit more mindful that unfortunately, this is happening.
“There’s not a lot the council can do, but having a platform to be able to remind the community to be vigilant is a great opportunity for us.”
Additionally, several posts made by residents in the Opawa Neighbourhood Facebook page stated similar incidents involving robberies in recent weeks.
One resident feared for her family’s safety after thieves broke into their home while they were sleeping, stealing tools.
Another resident said their child’s bike was stolen from the property in broad daylight.
As a result, the Christchurch South Community Patrol leapt into action as stated in a post made by a patrol spokesperson.
“We’re always keeping an eye out in the community groups and have seen the recent posts. I’ve passed on relevant information to our patrol leader and we will increase the number of patrols in the area,” the post read.
“If anyone has any information on the robberies in the area, please let us know the times they have happened as well as the street, so we can better target our patrols.”
Davids said Opawa was lucky to have community patrols that can pick up extra monitoring work when police resources can often be stretched.
Although she was concerned about the type of incidents occurring in the area, the problem was not exclusive to Opawa, and that they often occurred in cycles.
Said Davids: “Burglaries and home invasions, whether influenced by gangs or petty crime, do seem to come in cycles and we do see some communities targeted from time to time. But you see it drop off as well when they change their locations.
“We’re lucky to have those community patrols that do hover around and keep an eye out.”
Police did not respond to questions from Star News, but the board is meeting with police in the coming weeks to discuss community concerns, including the burglaries, as well as “issues around drinking in public,” and installing security cameras in public places.
“We’re always there to advocate for the community and we welcome anyone to come up to us with their concerns, giving us the opportunity to speak to the right people,” Davids said.
“When people are looking out for each other, others looking to do something negative will be put off knowing everyone is banding together.”
