MEDOWIE Neighbourhood Watch are kicking goals for our town, with safety on their mind.

Modern Media: Advertise with News Of The Area and you get your ad in 1) in Print, 2) on the News Website (like this ad), and 3) on our Social Media news site. A much more efficient way to advertise. Reach a HUGE audience for a LOW price TODAY! Call us on 02 4983 2134. Or media@newsofthearea.com.au
Or CLICK FOR ADVERT QUOTE

Thanks to their hard work fundraising, and a generous piece of funding, they are about to make some extra purchases to benefit our community.

The funding recently allocated to Medowie Neighbourhood Watch came from Deputy Mayor and Councillor Chris Doohan on behalf of himself and other Central Ward Councillors, and Port Stephens Council.

Medowie Neighbourhood Watch will use this funding, and funds raised from raffles at local markets to fund some much needed items.

The group will purchase their first portable CCTV cameras to kick off the Medowie Neighbourhood Watch CCTV Camera Loan program, allowing Medowie residents to loan a camera free of charge.

Any resident who wishes to obtain footage of anything happening on their property will be able to loan a camera, and collect footage to provide to police.

The cameras can be either mains powered, or by battery, and can either be set up covertly anywhere on the exterior of the home, or used inside the home.

They have a motion sensor, and can record clearly during either the day or night in high definition colour.

They are housed in a discreet, compact and undetectable unit.

Geoff Dingle, from Medowie Neighbourhood Watch, told News Of The Area, “We are looking forward to getting this loan program off the ground, and giving community members further options to defend their properties.”

Also on the purchase list from these funds are some new Neighbourhood Watch signs to update those around town that have deteriorated, and magnets and safety material to hand out to residents at meetings and markets.

The magnets printed so far have proved popular, which list all relevant safety, emergency and welfare numbers for Medowie in one handy spot.

Statistics for this month were again reported and discussed at the most recent meeting.

The reports were much lower than previous months, indicating perhaps that all incidents mentioned on social media are not necessarily reported through the appropriate channels.

These statistics of course do not give an accurate view of crime in our community if the residents are not actively and consistently reporting all instances of crime related offences, so residents are reminded that nothing is too small to report, and even seemingly insignificant pieces of information can help with the ‘bigger picture’,

Neighbourhood Watch Medowie meetings are held the last Wednesday of each month at 7:30pm in the Medowie Community Centre, first meeting room on the left as you enter the building.

You can keep updated with meeting dates and local useful crime and scams information at the Medowie Neighbourhood Watch Facebook page, or you can contact them at Medowie.NHW@gmail.com.

By Rachael VAUGHAN