Community officer appointed in Wellsford

Snr Constable Glen has been a familiar face around Wellsford for five years. But now she has a new role, as the town’s first community constable with a focus on youth.

Sharon joined the force 15 years ago.
“One of our family friends was a community constable and I thought what a dream job it was,” she says.

One of her main aims will be to strengthen relationships between police, schools, businesses and community groups in Wellsford and Mangawhai.

“I’m looking forward to concentrating on being pro-active rather than reactive. I like to look for the good in everyone and work towards bringing out their best. We’ve some fantastic people in this town, and it’s a great place to live and bring up a family. But one of the main problems is that there’s not been a focus for youth and, as a result, some are bored and getting into trouble.”

Sharon has already set up meetings with school principals and she’s positive that there’s plenty of support from them to get tough on youth who misbehave.

“I’m going to look at the possibility of a drop in centre, perhaps at the old railway station, and I can’t see why there couldn’t be a basketball hoop in the park by the museum. We need more facilities in town so that kids can get to them easily. They need a central focus.
“I’d like to draw the parents in and teach them to take responsibility for their kids.”

As community constable, Sharon will have more chance to interact with the community.
“I want people to feel they can approach me and tell me about problems before they become too large. For sure, I’ll still be dealing with youth aid cases – that’s the reactive aspect of the job – but I’m looking forward to being out in the community, getting to those remoter areas, showing them that the police are friendly and someone in whom they can confide.

“I love the area and I’m here to stay. It gives me pleasure to walk down the street, whether in uniform or shorts and a singlet, and enjoy the respect of the community. It’s a privilege.”

Sharon and her partner Jo have three young children.