Crime decreasing in Auckland following fresh initiatives.
I’ve written a lot about the issue of crime, especially since the fatal shooting in May, which happened in the heart of our neighbourhood at a well-known and liked bar.
The frustrating thing then was we had just thrown several lots of money at making Auckland’s streets safer as part of a combined approach that considers crime reduction, social wellbeing and the activation of public spaces.
From hiring a city safety coordinator to bring together all the volunteer community groups, to bringing in compliance wardens to support Police foot patrols, to extra funding for youth groups and additional CCTV cameras, the list goes on. We had made the most of everything we could and then some. To then have such a brazen attack happen in a space generally considered one of the safer areas of Auckland was a shock. But it was part of a broader series of high-profile crime events that seemed to crop up all over Auckland.
This week [beginning 19 August] saw a fatal shooting in Pakuranga. I’m looking forward to the Police finding the culprit. I do not want shootings to become normalised. They’re not part of our Auckland and they won’t be accepted as such under my watch. People deserve to feel safe.
Publicly available Police data for April - June 2024 shows crime is tracking down; incidents of theft and burglary in the city centre have decreased by 34% from the same period in 2023 and have nearly halved since peaking in January 2023.
Firearm offences in Auckland have dropped across police districts by an average 14.8% over the past 12 months. I’ve asked for regular updated numbers from the Police so this too can be monitored.
It’s far from over, but I am thankful it seems some of these initiatives are working. We pulled together resources and knowledge about what was working to provide a coordinated effort that wasn’t there before.
I’ve also been working with the Police Commissioner and Minister Mitchell’s office. This has been the main point of interest of late between myself and Minister Mitchell. I don’t believe local government has ever worked this closely with businesses, the Police and central government before.
And this month [August], Auckland Council’s Regulatory and Safety Committee has endorsed a comprehensive safety plan for the city centre, enabled by $4 million in funding recently committed by the City Centre Targeted Rate over the next two financial years.
I believe the implementation of the safety plan is a must to see the trend continue. We are working on a solid common ground approach here because we have already built relationships with multiple agencies: Community Patrols NZ, Māori Wardens, and NGOs, many of whom are volunteers, alongside Auckland Transport’s enforcement officers and the council's City Watch team and the Police. This plan adds to that and formalises a path forward. We must keep up the momentum. (Wayne Brown)
www.facebook.com/WayneBrownAuckland
Mayor.Wayne.Brown@Aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
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