Inner city safety plan to be updated after students report feeling unsafe
Friday, 26 July 2024
Two days after thousands of students said they felt unsafe in bars in the central city Wellington mayor Tory Whanau has asked for a refreshed city safety plan.
She wants it to look at drug and alcohol harm and emergency housing services.
In a LinkedIn post she said she lived very close to the central business district and shared many of the concerns being raised about the safety of the inner city.
On Wednesday The Post reported on a survey of students at Victoria University by the student magazine Salient.
More than 75% of the more than 140 respondents said they had felt unsafe in at least on of Wellington’s hospitality venues.
One bar was described as a “cesspit of creepy old men.”
And it comes three years after another online survey found similar results.
In early July, police announced that 10 more police would be walking the beat but it was aimed at decreasing retail crime rather than night-time safety.
And The Post reported in May that crime was on the rise in the inner city - existing police data already showed acts intended to cause injury were up in 2023 compared with 2021, as was robbery, unlawful entry, and theft in the central city.
In May 2021, the $7.7 million Pōneke Promise was launched. It was led by the city council but also included police, hospitality, retail, regional council, social services, local iwi and others. It started from young women feeling unsafe in the city but grew to be about making the city “feel safe, vibrant and welcoming for everyone”.
Among the things done has been improved lighting and a sexual violence prevention action plan, which includes upskilling bar staff on how to recognise and respond to instances of sexual harassment.
Whanau said the most recent council budget boosted funding for safety initiatives to $5m over 10 years.
A new safe city adviser has been appointed and just started in the role to provide strategic advice and an operational response by developing and delivering a work programme.
Whanu said the council could not go it alone and she had met on Wednesday with local agencies like the City Mission and Downtown Community Ministry, leaders from NGOs, as well as key government agencies.
“To truly make our city safe we must address root causes. That means drug and alcohol harm reduction, providing emergency housing services and providing wrap-around support for our vulnerable Wellingtonians,” Whanau said.
“As the mayor and as a person who loves our city at night but also as a woman, I wanted to let you know just how important this is to me.” she said in a Facebook post.
“I want everyone to feel safe no matter where they are in Pōneke.”
Matt McLaughlin who had been part of the original Pōneke Promise committee and who instigated Don’t Guess the Yes campaign around alcohol and consent, said there was a need to collaborate with hospitality leaders rather than shake the finger at them.
“Hospitality want to make our bars safer, they always have taken it seriously. ” he said.
Bar owner Greig Wilson said there had been an introduction of an identity scanning system.
“Past 10pm we’re scanning everyone’s ID at the door. If we have any problems with them we can search for their face on camera, match them up with their ID and ban them just like that. And not only banned from our premises but from all the other bars as well.”
The city also has a CCTV surveillance system looking to target and prevent crime and public disorder.
It is also used to gather information on non-police issues such as rough sleeping.
*The number of students surveyed has been corrected, Jul 27: 8.52am.