Police Minister Mark Mitchell open to public-private partnership police station option

Police Minister Mark Mitchell says he would be open to exploring a public-private partnership for a station in central Auckland.

On Sunday, police announced 21 additional police members for the Community Beat Teams will be deployed in Auckland's central business district by the end of July, bringing the total number on the beat to 51.

Heart of the City chief executive Viv Beck said that was good news, but having a station in the area would be better.

The downtown station on Fort Street closed in 2013, and the central Auckland police headquarters moved to Freeman's Bay in 2019.

"Not having that station in Fort Street has made a massive difference ... for some, it's about access, knowing that there is a place they can go. For others, it's about just ensuring the speed of response," Beck said.

"The other thing is really around providing a deterrent, that increased visibility and presence is just really the thing we've needed."

Mitchell told Morning Report he did not have the budget to commit to opening a new station, but he would be open to looking at a patrol base or similar if another organisation could offer up some central city lease space.

"[The Heart of the City have] been quite active and come with a couple of options in terms of, you know, could the police take over some of the space in downtown Auckland. So we're open to that. I'm certainly open that to that, the [Police] Commissioner is open to that.

"There might be a reduced rent agreement or something like that. I don't know - [but] that is what a public-private partnership is about, absolutely.

"It's a very good model, it works and if someone has got some space in the downtown area and they want the police to be there, then we'll definitely look at.

"However, the mayor, and I agree with him, says that actually just having police highly visible and in the downtown area, right throughout our Auckland CBD, is really what they want and that's what's been delivered."

Queens Arcade property manager Ian Wright told Morning Report having a police station close to where the problems were happening would help make a difference.

"We'd support any initiative along those lines [to open a CBD police station]."

He believed the moves announced on Sunday would also help bring down the level of crime in the CBD.

"It's not going to happen overnight ... [but] this is on the right track, this is heading to where we want to go and it's getting to the root of the problems."

As part of Sunday's announcement, the government also unveiled a new declaration for youth offenders, which can be applied to teenagers between 14 and 17 who have committed two offences punishable by 10 years of imprisonment.

They may be sent to a military-style boot camp which is expected to enter its pilot phase next month.

Mitchell said the legislation, once passed, would also help tackle retail crime. On the same day as the announcement, a shop owner was seriously injured after a robbery in Papatoetoe, South Auckland.

"I definitely want to go and check on them, awful situation.

"In terms of the policing situation, Corin, the police have been very effective, they are identifying, they are arresting, they're charging, they're often opposing bail. They're being let down by the rest of the system because often these offenders are back out on the street again, reoffending.

"Retail crime is tough and we're working hard. We've got a big programme around public safety and legislation that's being passed, it does take a bit of time for legislation to get through Parliament, but that will be through by the end of the year and that will make a big difference in terms of new powers."

Asked if the youth justice facilities had the capacity to accommodate extra people, Mitchell said Oranga Tamariki and the minister in charge were working hard to ensure that was the case.