1200 Holiday-makers Use Police Holiday Service

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30938, 20 December 1965, Page 13

1200 Holiday-makers Use Police Holiday Service

More than 1200 holidaymakers have taken advantage of the special Christchurch police advisory service to combat house burglaries while* they are away. The telephone service at the Christchurch Central Police Station, which was open from 9 a.m. to 5 a.m. for 10 days, had been discontinued, said the crime prevention officer (Detective-Ser-geant D. C. Lee) on Friday evening. On Thursday, the number of telephone callers wishing to take advantage of the service at times jammed all 20 lines at the station. There were 186 callers. On Friday the number of callers exceeded 200. Service Continued

“We will not be taking telephone inquiries now, but 1 wish to stress that the service will still continue. Householders can now call at the C. 1.8. and uniform branch public inquiries at the central station or write in. “We want the dates of the householder’s holiday, his holiday destination and a person from whom the police can obtain a key to the house in the event of an emergency. In return we give the householder a list of precautions to be taken. “The response of the householders has been most encouraging, and I wish to thank the newspapers and radio for the publicity given to this service—the first of its kind in New Zealand,” Mr Lee said.

Teleprinter Link With teleprinter services linking the police stations in New Zealand it meant that, in the event of a burglary, fire or accident, the householder who had taken advantage of

the service could be quickly contacted. Mr Lee stressed that the holiday service was only an advisory one. There were not enough policemen to keep watch on all empty houses. The biggest help the police could get was for the householder on holiday to arrange for a relative, neighbour or friend to keep an eye on his property.