‘Safety spots’ part of new plan to keep inner city safe
Wednesday, 4 December 2024
“Safety spots” in Courtenay Place, Manners St and Cuba St are part of a revamped draft city safety plan that Mayor Tory Whanau and Wellington City councillors were briefed on on Wednesday.
The plan also includes an outreach programme targeting homeless people and rough sleepers and a safety hub at Te Aro Park.
It comes after Whanau asked for a refreshed plan after thousand of students said in a survey they felt unsafe in bars in the central city.
The perception of central city safety has plummeted since 2019 ‒ from 76% of residents feeling safe in the central city at night to 43% in 2024.
Pōneke Promise, which was launched in 2021 to combat sexual violence and improve general city safety, will be used as a framework for this second stage.
The initiatives will be part of $4 million the council sets aside annually in the long-term plan, plus another $500,000 the mayor put aside for social grants.
The council partnered with Police, Wellington City Mission, Downtown Community Ministry, the Ministry of Social Development, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Kāinga Ora and Te Whatu Ora to deliver the programme which will be trialled for six months from January.
Whanau said the plan was “transformative” and building a city where Wellingtonians felt safe was a key focus of her mayoralty.
“The Wellington community has been really clear that we must address the complex issues to ensure all of us feel safe getting around the city we love,” she said.
“This refreshed draft City Safety Plan takes a holistic approach to addressing safety issues in the city and is based on months of consultation from those on the ground who are responsible for keeping us safe.”
The response to homelessness would see more networks like the Mission’s Whakamaru providing services outside business hours, particularly during weekends and peak event times.
Delivering a safe, well lit route from the bottom of Cuba St to Ghuznee St would provide people a safer journey through the centre of town.
A safety hub located at Te Aro Park would will act as a central base for outreach services, community patrols, and proposed Urban Liaison Officers.
A Coordinated Assistance and Response for Everyone (CARE) officer would be trialled on Courtenay Place to help bar managers identify vulnerable people.
The officer would assist with getting people to Take 10’s mobile truck, which provided water, a phone charging station and medical support.
Operations Manager for Vulnerable Support Charitable Trust Leigh Keown said the truck would see anywhere between 2000 to 7000 people on an average night.
Other safety systems would include re-designing the CCTV network, investing in community patrols and Maori wardens and establishing an Urban Liaision Team to work alongside the green-jacketed Hāpai Ake.
Missioner Murray Edridge said 1000 people went through Whakamaru in its first five days.