{"id":375086,"date":"2026-08-17T17:19:57","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T07:19:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=375086"},"modified":"2026-08-17T17:30:22","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T07:30:22","slug":"35-years-of-neighbourhood-watch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2026\/08\/17\/35-years-of-neighbourhood-watch\/","title":{"rendered":"35 Years Of Neighbourhood Watch"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Chief Superintendent Kerry Johnson, former Kumbia Neighbourhood Watch chair Morris Winter, current chair Shirley Donohue and Assistant Commissioner Kev Guteridge<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

August 17, 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kumbia Neighbourhood Watch – one of the longest continuously running Neighbourhood Watch groups in Queensland – celebrated its 35th anniversary on Saturday night with a special dinner.<\/p>\n

Invited guests at Kumbia Memorial Hall included Assistant Police Commissioner Kev Guteridge and Chief Superintendent Kerry Johnson.<\/p>\n

It was also an opportunity for Kumbia residents to meet the new Kumbia officer-in-charge, Senior Constable Cameron Knust, who joined that station last month.<\/p>\n

Former Kumbia Neighbourhood Watch chair Morris Winter and current chair Shirley Donohue shared duties at the podium.<\/p>\n

Morris said the group’s first meeting was held on August 14, 1991, when the late Deryck Carr was officer-in-charge at Kumbia.<\/p>\n

There were 12 people in attendance, four of whom were present on Saturday night.<\/p>\n

Asst Commissioner Guteridge congratulated the group on its 35th birthday.<\/strong><\/p>\n

He said Neighbourhood Watch was one of the most beneficial and critical partnerships that Queensland Police had; it had helped to bring back community trust in police after the Fitzgerald Inquiry.<\/p>\n

Asst Commissioner Guteridge said that sadly most of the Rural Watch and Neighbourhood Watch groups across Queensland had closed because it was very hard to get people involved.<\/p>\n

“The whole purpose of Rural Watch \/ Neighbourhood Watch was to get people to know their neighbours, to secure that bond and unite a community together,” Asst Commissioner Guteridge said.<\/p>\n

He said Neighbourhood Watch provided a platform for people to unite, and when a community felt a bond, there was a drop in crime.<\/p>\n