AUCKLAND REBORN
More than two years after the Covid-19 pandemic sent people home from their offices, Auckland’s city centre has changed beyond recognition. Shops have closed, construction of the CRL is in full swing while fear of rising crime has made it a no-go zone for some. But the City of Sails has an unprecedented opportunity to rebuild better for a very different future
Police should be able to respond more rapidly to incidents in Auckland’s city centre when a new base opens in the coming weeks. However, it won’t be a fullfledged police station accessible to the public, despite such requests from members of the public.
It comes as crime continues to outstrip pre-pandemic levels, with police data showing total victimisations were up 36 per cent in the year to March, compared with data from 2016-20.
Acting Auckland City area commander Inspector Grae Anderson confirmed to the Weekend Herald police would be repurposing a downtown location, formerly exclusively used by its MIQ staff.
In about six weeks, it was expected the site would act as a base for about 40 officers who would start and end their patrols closer to the city centre than they would be from police’s main location on College Hill.
It wouldn’t be open to the public as it would chiefly act as an outpost for patrol staff.
With the new location situated closer to the likes of Queen St, he said it could improve response times.
“It makes sense that we’ve got those teams closer to the city centre where they can deploy on foot and in vehicle.”
However, police had deliberately stopped short of reinstating the city centre station formerly on Fort St until it was closed in 2013.
Recent incidents had triggered calls from the Auckland City Centre Residents’ Group for the station’s return.
Anderson recognised the desire from some groups for the station’s reinstatement, but said it wasn’t an efficient use of resources.
“If we have a station that is there and manned, then we need to have staff in it all the time instead of using our staff — which I think is a far better purpose — to be out there providing prevention, reassurance patrols.”
Certain criminal activity was on the rise in central Auckland, with
5633 instances of theft, 2130 assaults, and 154 aggravated robberies reported in the year to March. When compared with
2016-20 data, victimisations were up 36 per cent.
Anderson said concerning trends included the rising prevalence of vehicle theft, public violence and intoxication.
While such trends were being recorded elsewhere in Tāmaki Makaurau and New Zealand, Anderson said the pandemic had radically changed the city centre’s demographic.
Without tourists and international students, backpackers and motels were being used for emergency accommodation.
The city centre had also become home to some 501 deportees from Australia.
Anderson said certain 501s, but not all, were dangerous individuals with the potential to influence those without solid support networks.
“So you’ve got general residents, you’ve got vulnerable people and you’ve got people who are willing to leverage off those vulnerabilities and that has the recipe to create, shall we say, a perfect storm.”
Other factors, such as school absenteeism and the shift to working from home, had made crime more visible.
Communities were under an increasing threat of gun violence amid escalating tensions between the Killer Beez and Tribesmen gangs, a feud that had included 23 drive-by shootings carried out in two weeks.
While the city centre had fewer of these incidents than the south and west, Anderson said the risk posed to his staff had prompted reluctance to come to work.
“They signed up to keep the community safe, they signed up to get out there and provide the best service possible. They didn’t sign up, despite what some sectors might say, to take a bullet, but the risk is out there for them.”
Anderson encouraged city centre residents and workers to play their part in improving their home and work environments.
“If you’re in the city and you want to add value to it, join some of our partners. Don’t just sit there and think it’s up to the council or police to do this. Be a valuable contributor, invest yourself in your own community.”
Haehaetu Barrett, chief executive of Auckland social development organisation Lifewise, said crime reduction could be achieved through co-ordinated support for the city centre’s vulnerable communities.
“To reduce a lot of the behaviour, we have to ensure as the providers that we’re working more strongly together.”