Key points:
- Police Minister Mark Mitchell said police data shows a 22% reduction in serious assaults in Auckland CBD, compared with the same time last year.
- A property manager in Auckland’s CBD told 1News they have noticed a “huge change”.
- Meanwhile, Labour Party police spokesperson Ginny Andersen said the Government is “just shifting the problem” to Auckland’s wider suburbs.
Police Minister Mark Mitchell said cross-government action to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour in Auckland’s CBD is “getting traction”.
According to a statement released by Mitchell, police data shows from January 1 to July 31 there was a 22% reduction in serious assaults within the Auckland CBD when compared with the same time last year.
He added the Government was supporting police with an additional 500 officers across the country.
“For Auckland CBD, this has seen an additional 21 beat staff deployed from July this year, bringing the total to 51.”
Mitchell said the data showed “we are turning a corner” with a “whole of system co-ordinated approach”, and said he has regular mattings with key stakeholders to develop and implement a co-ordinated strategy to “make Auckland the safe and vibrant city it should be”.
He added the close collaboration was “opening doors” for police to connect with community providers involved in accommodation, addiction, and family wellbeing support.
According to his statement, 97 people have been referred to these services between July 1 and September 10.
Mitchell said efforts to reduce reliance on emergency housing have also proven “extremely successful”, with a 68% drop in the number of households in emergency housing in the Auckland CBD.
“Local authorities are seeing progress – with Auckland Council saying crime has dropped by 35% in the Auckland CBD and Heart of the City saying retail crime has dropped by 50%.”
“Just shifting the problem” — Labour police spokesperson
Labour police spokesperson Ginny Andersen said it was encouraging to see an improvement in the central part of Auckland, but suggested the wider issue has not been addressed.
“This is really just shifting the problem out to the wider suburbs of Auckland and we hear that from those suburbs.
“There is a still a concern of lack of police presence and still a concern that there are high levels of violent crime occurring in other parts of Auckland.”
“Huge change” — CBD property manager
When asked by 1News about how the CBD is feeling, Queens Arcade property manager Ian Wright said there had been a “huge change”.
“Going back two years, it was dreadful in here. If we call on 111 now, they would probably come, whereas two years ago they wouldn’t.”
Lifewise chief executive Haehaetu Barret said the decrease cannot be short term.
“This has to be a long-term strategy and we have to keep all those high levels involved and we have to keep connected.”
