Community Patrols NZ chair Chris Lawton with Heart of the City ceo Viv Beck at the original safety hub that opened on Queen's Wharf on 20 July. Photo: Supplied/ Heart of the City
New safety hubs planned for central Auckland are a good step, but will not solve the lack of frontline police, a business group says.
Three new safety hubs are to be opened on Queen Street, High Street and K Road, in addition to one on Queen's Wharf which opened earlier this year.
The hubs are aimed at addressing problems with theft, anti-social behaviour, fears about public safety and reduced opinions of security in the area. They will be set up by the end of October, paid for by the government and Auckland Council and staffed by a coordinator and volunteer groups such as Māori wardens and Community Patrols.
Auckland central businesses have been vocal in calling for more policing in the area, to address crime such as violence and ram raids.
Central city business association Heart of the City's chief executive Viv Beck said the first hub had been a major success.
The idea had come from Heart of the City as a way to boost security during the recent FIFA Woman's World Cup.
But she warned the new hubs could only do so much, and their work would never be able to substitute for having an adequate police presence.
The hubs would be a help in boosting safety, but police officers were the only ones who could manage crime at the end of the day, she said.
"They do add a really important layer of safety, and we're very pleased the idea is being picked up and expanded on," Beck said.
"But we also maintain that we don't have a strong enough frontline police presence in the central city, and we will continue to lobby for that."
A series of violent events in central Auckland in recent months have rocked residents and workers; among them was a shooting at a construction site in Queen St in July, which ended with three dead and others wounded. Photo: RNZ / Charlotte Cook
The ongoing success of the hubs would depend on how well they were supported, Beck said.
"Its is important they're resourced well, and it is important that the police provide support - they have said they will.
"But at the end of the day, when it comes to crime, it's really police that manage that."