Bernie on the Beat: Tell us About it!

Published on July 11, 2023

In event of emergency, or when witnessing suspicious behaviour, it’s natural and encouraged to pick up your phone and share what you’re seeing. 

An increasing number of people are opening their Social Media apps instead of calling Police to share this information though. We are being informed of posts describing or showing criminal behaviour, but no official complaints or reports have been made. If we are not made aware of incidents through our official channels we cannot help.

There are large numbers of different Facebook groups in the community. Some are public, some are closed and none are monitored by Police. Police do have a Social Media presence and a number of Facebook pages, but if you need to report something that requires Police action and follow up you need to contact us via 111 or 105. Both lines are open 24 hours a day every day of the year. If you witnessed a crime and captured it on camera while others were calling emergency services this evidence could be useful for us to help keep our community safe. Please get in contact. 

There are various ways you can report a crime. 

Call 111 and ask for Police when: 

• someone is badly injured or in danger
• there's a serious risk to life or property 
• a crime is being committed and the offenders are still there or have just left 
• you've come across a major public inconvenience, such as trees blocking a highway 
• any of these things are happening now or have just happened. 

If you can't decide if it's a real emergency and you're still worried, call 111 and ask us. We'll help you work out what to do. 

An emergency TXT service for people with hearing or speech difficulties is available if you have difficulty hearing or talking on the phone. You can register for the 111 TXT service at police.govt.nz/111-txt 

Call the 105 non-emergency number or visit 105.police.govt.nz for: 

• things that have already happened 
• things which don’t need urgent Police assistance. 

Call *555 for traffic related incidents: 

• Minor non-injury crashes  
• continuous poor driving 
• traffic congestion 
• breakdowns and obstructions on the highway 

Visit us in person at your local Police station. Appointments aren’t always necessary, but to ensure someone will be there to assist you it is best to phone ahead on 105 to connect with your location station - especially if your nearest station is a small or rural station. 

Contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or to make an anonymous report visit crimestoppers-nz.org 

If you prefer to communicate online, we encourage you visit 105.police.govt.nz to report any situation that doesn’t require immediate Police or Emergency Services attendance, to request an update on a report already made or to add to an existing report.

Stay safe.
Bernie