Police respond to a call-out in Napier's Clive Square. Photo: RNZ / Tom Kitchin
A Napier dentist is considering closing up shop due to what he says is increasingly aggressive and antisocial behaviour in the central city square.
Brad Betty, who is the owner of a dental clinic in Clive Square, told Checkpoint he had been there for 20 years and issues with nearby antisocial behaviour had been getting worse recently.
In the last few weeks, Betty said the situation had become so bad he no longer wanted to work in the square.
"There's an awful lot of drug taking and spitting outside our shop. It's not a lot of fun being abused and intimidated by people when you come into work everyday.
"Most of my staff are females and unfortunately they cop it even more than I do, they have to come into work in groups of twos or threes and nobody should have to come to work and feel unsafe."
Betty had security cameras installed at his business and said by about 7.30am, people who hang around the square already seem to be "drunk or high on something".
"I've seen them on the cameras urinating in our driveway. You get to work and try to keep your head down, but sometimes if they're in a mood they call you every name under the sun."
Businesses in the square had tried in the past to put security guards in place, Betty said, and police did regular drive-bys of the area, but he felt there wasn't much that could be done to make things better.
"As the weather has gotten warmer we've seen the numbers of people hanging out here increase, cruise ships come in which they see as easy money."
The antisocial behaviour meant Betty had lost clients and he said many of his current clients were elderly and had to be escorted by staff from their car as they felt unsafe walking alone.
Moving his dental business elsewhere would be extremely difficult, Betty said, and he was now seriously thinking about whether to shut his doors or carry on as is.
Napier City Council told Checkpoint it was well aware of the issues in the square and it was important to understand a multi-agency approach was needed.
The council had taken some practical steps such as moving parking metres and trimming overhanging plants, it said.
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