Police call for community watch support to fight organized crime in Nuku'alofa [1]
Wednesday, May 9, 2012 - 18:23. Updated on Monday, September 9, 2013 - 18:40.
Seventeen men were arrested over the weekend in relation to a range of robberies in Nuku‘alofa, including a violent robbery at the Tau'olunga Komipiuta in Fasi mo e Afi, but police are calling on the community to step up their neighbourhood watch with an effective response to help in the fight against crime.
Acting Police Commissioner Lau'aitu Tupouniua said that the police had responded swiftly and arrested the men who ranged in age from 15-35 years, and included persons in relation to the robbery at the computer centre.
"Police have categorized housebreaking as an organized crime because it involves not just one person but a few who took time to plan and coordinate before they committed these crimes," she said.
The police response to these crimes had improved, in a co-effort between investigators, intelligence reports, forensic evidence and reports from the public.
Lau'aitu said that the Kolofo'ou Community Policing Post was there to assist the public. "But its success depends on the community, and their help for the neighbourhood watch."
Community
Assistant Chief Police Inspector 'Emaloni 'Iongi of Community Policing, told Matangi Tonga, that the Kolofo'ou Community Policing Unit was set up last year, manned by one police officer, who has an eight hours working roster, in either the day or night.
"He is there to work with community committees in helping to watch the neighborhood area," he said.
The patrol officer mans the unit and does patrols by bicycle through his area. "And if he needs help he can call in for a vehicle and more officers especially at night to assist. But the truth is, we can only do what we can with the resources we have," he said.
Insp. 'Iongi said that what the community post needed now was an effective response from the communities in Nuku'alofa, to step up with their neighborhood watch and assist the patrol officer. "We know it is their free time that we are asking for, but with their help we can reduce housebreakings and thefts in the capital for sure, because they are the people who know their people and communities," he said.
"We started last year, with nearly 10 people from each village in our neighborhood watch but that has dropped. But the police officer at the Kolofo'ou post is calling meetings with the villages to step up the watch again," he said.