Ensuring public safety across Gisborne district
Group Emergency Coordination Centre
MEDIA RELEASE
13 December 2016, 12.30pm Release No: 11
Ensuring public safety across Gisborne district
Gisborne police have increased their presence in the Gisborne district to ensure people are safe and feel safe while the power remains out.
Area commander Sam Aberahama said his team was talking to local business owners on various platforms - including Facebook - to ensure their premises were not at risk from any opportunistic crime.
“One of our key messages is for retailers to move cigarettes and alcohol to secure locations.
We also suggest they leave cabinets open so potential thieves can see they are empty.”
Business owners could put notices on the doors or windows of their stores stating items such as alcohol and tobacco are not stored on site. Businesses – such as dairies, liquor outlets, pharmacies and service stations, and others - might find all of that advice to be an effective deterrent.
“We’d like to remind everyone - not just business owners - that we are here for them 24/7.
We have extra staff on duty and will continue to do so until everything has returned to normal.”