Word from the Chair – July 2021

It has been my most absolute pleasure to see some great district training initiatives around the country. You will have seen a few articles in recent editions, and there is one reported on in this edition from the Bay of Plenty. District training is now up and running in most districts. If you are not involved then please contact me or our training officer, Toni Ferris. It’s a timely reminder for all that to be considered a professional organisation we must have a comprehensive training programme. This starts with the 10 mandatory units, Patroller training in the Patrol, and continues with regular training at a Patrol level with district events, which enables senior Police and others to be part of the bigger picture.The Board is developing Patrol Leader training to be launched soon.Read this edition to discover topics for the training and watch out for the next edition that will have details on delivery timings and modalities.Once again we have had to respond to the new COVID-19environment, this time postponing our AGM due to the recent situation in Wellington. It is important that we develop, and keep on doing so, our abilities in online and digital communication platforms such as Zoom. While the AGM is too soon for this, we will establish some online events that support our training programme that will help us all develop our skills and organisational abilities in this area. An organisation must have an arsenal of communication techniques and styles to keep moving forward.One important aspect of the next six months will be research into howwe recruit younger Patrollers. What will make our organization attractive to those younger people who want to invest in community health and safety? We will be running a seminar for a group of our younger Patrollers from around the country, I’m happy to receive nominations.