Phil Mulcahy is the recently elected president of Wanganui Community Patrol. Photo / Paul Brooks

You must have seen them about. Men and women in high-visibility gear, strolling through the inner city, or driving marked vehicles further afield. They are doing a job, and it's a job we should be thanking them for.

Wanganui Community Patrol is a group of volunteers, all police checked and trained, there to help the police make their community a safer environment. Phil Mulcahy recently became the group's new chairman, taking over from Graeme Veale. "The chairman is accountable for the day-to-day running of the Community Patrol," says Phil. He says there is a national body — Community Patrols of New Zealand (CPNZ) — overseeing Community Patrols New Zealand wide, and they have a Memorandum of Understanding with the police on what the patrols do and how they do it. CPNZ's offices are in Police Headquarters in Wellington.

"It's fairly strict; the emphasis is on safety, because, obviously, we don't want to put our volunteers in an unsafe position," he says. There are 32 volunteers in Wanganui Community Patrol, but they could always do with some more. "We do day patrol, night patrol and we view the (CCTV) cameras from 9.30pm until about 2.30am."

Part of the job is just being visible and letting people know they are there and in direct contact with the police via radio. That visibility often acts as a deterrent, whether they are walking two-by-two up the street or cruising around in the two sign-written cars. They also go into shops, including supermarkets, just as an identifiable presence. "We look the part," says Phil. Even when the car is parked and empty, it gives people the idea they are not far away and could witness any wrongdoing. "The police have indicated that it does help, just being visible."

To become a member, there is a process. Applicants must be aged 18 or over, must sign a declaration of confidentiality and agree to abide by a code of conduct. They go through an interview stage, are vetted by police and complete a period of training (usually three months) where they work with senior patrollers. New members are issued training manuals of 10 modules each with a set of questions after each module. They are expected to pass all 10 modules during their training period. A full pass (100 per cent) is needed before the new member can go on patrol.

Graeme now does the rosters for Community Patrols, but he would like to see more names on them. "Some people use Community Patrols as a stepping stone to get into the Police Force," he says. And the police encourage it. "The support we get from Whanganui Police is unbelievable."

They also help with smoke alarms. "We've got three teams of three that help the Fire Service with the installation of smoke alarms," says Phil. With Fire and Emergency now doing medical call-outs, they are stretched and Community Patrols take some of the load — like smoke alarms. There is a link on the Whanganui District Council website so anyone can apply on-line for a smoke alarm. Fire and Emergency pick up the application and that's handed on to the Community Patrol. The service is free and often requires more than one smoke alarm per residence.

With smoke alarms, foot and car patrols, and CCTV monitoring, Whanganui Community Patrol is an essential service and a worthwhile one. They can be contacted through their Facebook page or through the CPNZ website.