Richmond’s Community Patrol thanked the community for it’s continued support last week, presenting a gift of flowers to two of its long time sponsors.
Community Patrol aims to help prevent crime and reduce harm through the active presence of patrollers in the community. Patrollers work closely with Police to be an extra set of eyes and ears. Community Patrols are organised and operated by their local communities and raise their annual operating expenses through local grants, sponsorship and donations.
Each Patrol caters to the needs of its local community, Patrolling where and when best supports the local Police and the local community.
Mike Gill, organiser for Community Patrol Richmond, said that they wanted to do something to recognise the value of their supporters.
“We need support from the community.”
Marie Nailer, from Shapers in Richmond who supports the community patrol, says that “It’s really just about giving back to the community.”
Louise O’Donnell, from Community Patrol, says that fundraising is key to the Community Patrol’s success. “We do need to do a lot of fundraising, so the support from different organisations in the community is hugely helpful.”
Joe Sims, from Knapp’s in Richmond, says that as a former police officer, he recognises the value of community patrol.
“Having that extra set of eyes and a friendly face in the community is vital.”
“All of our supports have been a great help,” says Mike Gill, and that the organisation couldn’t continue to operate in the region if it wasn’t for the support of the community.
“We wanted to do something just to show our appreciation, their support is vital to us.” Mike says that anyone interested in finding out more, or that is interested in joining the Richmond Community Patrol can email recruitment@rdcp.org.nz