Neighbourhood Support

Get neighbourly

There are more benefits in getting neighbourly than just borrowing a cup of sugar. Being part of a Neighbourhood Support Group could save you property loss and the grief and hassle of a burglary - it could even save your life.

Nelson has about 200 Neighbourhood Support Groups and Neighbourhood Support Co-ordinator Kim MacDonald is keen to see this number grow.

"Ideally we'd like to see every street in Nelson with a support group," she says. "Nelson is the safest place to live in Australasia - and this is an easy way to keep it that way."

Give Kim a ring

Kim is embarking on a review of Nelson's registered neighbourhood support groups, and is keen to hear from anyone who is or has been involved. Contact Kim on +64 3 546 4902.

"Some of these groups may have gone into recess if the coordinator has shifted or something like that," she says. "There may be someone else in the street who's keen to kick it off again and we'd like to help them out."

Getting started

If you want to start a Neighbourhood Support Group in your area, give Kim a call. The police will come along and speak to the people in your street. They will arrange to have a sign put up at the entrance to the street and will provide a pack with window stickers, info sheets on crime prevention, and brochures from the Fire Service and St Johns. From there, it is over to the group to decide how often they want to get together.

"The stickers and street signs definitely have a deterrent effect on the bad guys," says Kim. "We also get people to complete an information sheet that we hold here. We can use this, say in the case of an elderly person who might have a fall and be found by a neighbour. We'd know the right doctor to call."

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Simple steps to safety

Some of the crime prevention and support methods suggested in the information kits are:

• Keep your car in a neighbour's driveway when they are away on holiday
• Clear junk mail from letter boxes of people who are away
• Put a bag of rubbish out for collection outside a vacant house
• Check on elderly people if their curtains stay drawn.

Safe City NELSON working to keep you safe

Neighbourly Mill Street, Nelson's newest Neighbourhood Support Group. Paul Jonkers is the at-home parent for two-year-old Siobhan, and freely admits his initiative in starting the group was just as much about getting to know the neighbours as stopping crime.

"We've started small with just eight houses," he says. "People were really positive and it was reassuring for some elderly people to know there is a man around here during the day that they can call on if they need to."