Community volunteers help Police tackle crime on South Auckland's streets after dark

Volunteers helping Police address retail crime and public-place violence in Papatoetoe are calling for more funding and better equipment.

Members of the Counties Manukau Community Safety Patrol Trust work into the early hours, observing and reporting incidents in an area where a senior Police officer says crime is high but staffing is low.

The patrol group appealed to the Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board for help at the board’s monthly business meeting on Tuesday, with trust representatives John Kumitau and Bella Tamotu, alongside NZ Police Senior Sergeant Nora Poching, outlining the patrols’ work and needs.

The trust called for investment in its community-led safety programme, including patrols, volunteer recruitment and training, community walk-throughs and partnerships. No specific funding amount was requested.

Tamotu said previous local board funding had helped establish the trust and contributed to uniforms and first-aid training for volunteers. The trust also holds monthly volunteer training.

Papatoetoe resident Tamotu, who volunteers and leads one of the local patrol teams, said local knowledge was central to its work.

Volunteer patrol teams operate across Papatoetoe, Māngere and Ōtāhuhu in South Auckland. Photo/Google Maps.

“I believe that local, led by local, is something very important because we know our streets, we know our people, we know the local community.”

Tamotu said volunteers used their phones to take photographs while patrolling, which could raise safety concerns.

“The main things that we face at the moment is, yes, we’ve got the volunteers, but we also need to equip our team with the right tools to be able to do the roles that they are in as well,” she said.

The trust has three locally led teams covering Papatoetoe, Māngere and Ōtāhuhu.

Papatoetoe patrols include a team Tamotu manages on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 8pm until midnight, and another operating from 11pm until 3am. Tamotu asked the board to continue investing in the programme and help provide equipment for volunteers.

“We are not trying to take over the Police. We’re just there to observe and report.”

Volunteers refer concerns to Police, Auckland Council or Auckland Transport and encourage businesses to report offending.

Poching, who oversees Counties Manukau West, said Papatoetoe was the busiest of the three communities in her area.

“Our crime stats are high, but our staffing is low,” she said.

“The number one complaint we get is that we don’t see enough Police, you know, walking the strips or doing a lot of prevention activities.”

Poching said Police had one dedicated community engagement team in Papatoetoe and relied on volunteer groups with local knowledge.

The partnerships supported two national Police priorities: retail crime and public-place violence.

The trust was the only group in the partnership patrolling at night, while the other main volunteer patrol groups operated during the day.

Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board members heard the patrol trust’s request for continued investment and better equipment. Photo/Auckland Council.

“So the gap has always been during the night time and public-place violence tends to happen at night time where there’s alcohol,” Poching said.

She said retail offending was often not reported, but volunteers provided information through reports submitted after their shifts.

Police planned to use crime data to identify where and when harm was occurring and target prevention work involving officers and volunteers. Poching identified Hunters Plaza as a hotspot for public-place violence and described Papatoetoe as a high-volume crime area.

Tamotu said the trust had not yet engaged with the Ōtara Police team because it wanted to establish its volunteer group there first. The trust wanted to work with existing groups, including The OG’s, rather than duplicate their work.

Board chair Apulu Reece Autagavaia said volunteers were giving up their own security and wellbeing to help keep the community safe and needed proper support.

“Thank you for what you’re doing, but we need to make sure you guys return home to your loved ones as well every night.”

Apulu encouraged the trust to work with council staff to identify its equipment needs and funding gaps for future consideration.

The board formally received the presentation, but no additional funding was approved at the meeting.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.