Kim Nye-Picknell is the manager for the Kapiti Safer Community Trust. A former sworn officer of the New Zealand Police, Kim’s career has followed her interest in community development. An avid soccer player, Kim scored the only ever goal by the New Zealand Women’s Soccer Team at the Women’s World Cup in China in 1991.
The Kapiti Safer Community Trust has been implementing crime prevention initiatives on the Kapiti coast since 1994. Essentially as New Zealanders we want to feel safe in our homes and community. We have always thought of that as being a ‘right’.
Crime Prevention needs to come from a consolidated community effort.
We are very lucky to have three Community Patrol groups in Kapiti; the Kapiti Community Patrol, Waikanae Community Patrol and the Otaki Volunteer Community Patrol. They work alongside the Police patrolling the community and adding additional volunteer eyes and ears.
Neighbourhood Support is another way to improve the security of your community and get to know your neighbours at the same time. In the Manuwatu the crime rate decreased by 40% after the instigation of a Neighbourhood Support network.
Here at the Trust in Kapiti we are looking to further support Neighbourhood Support this year to extend their existing capabilities to help promote the availability of resources in Kapiti in times of emergency as well as better informing emergency services of the communities’ individual needs.
There is some excellent advice on how to make your home safer on the Neighbourhood Support website, www.ns.org.nz/fact_sheets.html
If you are interested in more information or in joining one of these groups please contact us at kim@safercommunity.org.nz