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Between 50 and 60 more police officers have been engaged to patrol “high risk” locations in Wellington, in an attempt to reduce crime and disorder.
It is a move applauded by figures from retail and hospitality, who hope that the increased police presence during the day will give people a greater sense of security in the city.
“I’m 6 foot 3 and 115 kilograms and when I walk down the street I watch my back,” says Matt McLaughlin, a former president of the Hospitality New Zealand branch that runs bars like the Four Kings sports pub and Danger Danger.
“I have never needed to do that in the city of Wellington.”
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ROSE WOODS
Officers, left to right, Kalim Tanuvasa-Kelemete, Joy Kauraka and Ben Hopkins are part of Operation Mahi Ngatahi, where an additional 50-60 police officers have pledged to patrol high-risk areas in Wellington’s financial district. .
Operation Mahi Ngatahi, which started yesterday, will see up to 20 officers walking the streets of the city center every day from 10 am to 8 pm until the end of January.
They will target Te Aro Park, Cuba, Manners, Willis and Wakefield streets, Courtenay Pl, Lambton Quay, The Terrace and the train station.
Officers will target shoplifting, auto theft, antisocial behavior, volume crime, violence, homelessness, alcohol use, and sexual assault.
McLaughlin noticed an increase in antisocial behavior related to nearby emergency housing. More hotels and hostels in the city are also being used for social housing, he said.
Its staff were verbally abused and its gorillas attacked more frequently than before the pandemic hit the country, and Te Aro Park was a hot spot for violence with a greater number of gang members in the city.
“It is a real social problem,” he said.
John Milford, executive director of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce, welcomed the plan that he said would help people feel more secure.
“Putting police officers on their feet and in the street and visible is a great deterrent to crime,” he said.
First Retail CEO Chris Wilkinson said there was a minority group that was causing problems in what was still a difficult time for business owners, but it was not unique to Wellington.
Other major centers were dealing with increases in antisocial behavior.
”Covid-19 has concentrated people in the area. It is the minority that causes challenges, ”he said.
Detective Sergeant Warwick McKee said a small 2-kilometer zone in the CBD accounted for 15 percent of all crime in the entire Wellington district and 30 percent of crime in the city itself.
“There will be a concentrated effort to get staff out there and be more visible in these high-risk locations, interacting and engaging with the community, which will really notice increased visibility from the police,” McKee said.
ROSE WOODS
Downtown locations that are considered “high risk” for crime and antisocial behavior will see an increase in police presence in the coming months.
The new focus will be on crime prevention and community peace of mind, McKee said.
Additional staff have been recruited by other police task forces and some of the staff are coming to the city from the wider Wellington region.
The new operation will coincide with the relaunch of the Police Don’t Guess Yes campaign next Monday, which will be carried out for the fourth year.
Both operations come at a time of growing concern regarding security in the city center, after a report revealed that antisocial behavior and crime were occurring every hour of every day at Parque Te Aro.
The Night Time Economy Forum, comprised of stakeholders from Wellington City Council, the police, regional hospitality and public health companies, was also revitalized after police said they were attending a serious incident almost every weekend in Courtenay. Pl.
That included a massive fight in August, which resulted in stabbings and gang-related violence, including a stabbing at BP’s Taranaki St. gas station.
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Police personnel from other task forces and from outside Wellington City have engaged in Operation Mahi Ngatahi.
More recently, an avalanche of allegations of sexual assault, stalking, drug addiction and rape were made on social media about a group of Wellington musicians, prompting police to investigate and launch Operation Emerald. No arrests have been made yet.
Former Wellington Mayor Justin Lester, now the director of DotLovesData, compiled figures showing that in the past five years there were 2,056 assault charges in the Cuba Street to Courtenay Place district, and 176 sexual assault charges.
On a per capita basis, Wellington was first in New Zealand for assault and sexual battery charges, with crimes centered in its party zone.
On Friday, police seized a record quantity of GBL, also known as fantasy or liquid ecstasy, a drug often associated with date rape, after raiding seven Wellington properties.
Three people were charged and there are likely to be more arrests, with police claiming they have dissolved a local drug trafficking union.
Don’t Guess The Yes is a campaign aimed at changing attitudes and behaviors towards alcohol consumption and sexual consent.
It will include an education campaign both on social media and in bars and refresher training for hospitality staff to help deal with situations related to alcohol use, sexual consent and assault.
