Viv Beck
Auckland, July 22, 2022
The government made this mess, now they have to clean it up.
Repeated requests last year to the Government to take action before crime across Auckland got worse and more people were hurt fell on deaf ears.
Now, despite concerted action locally to address safety, the situation is the worst many of us have seen in our lifetime. Enough is enough – urgent action is needed. We need to clean up our streets and make our city appealing for the vast majority of people who are law-abiding and for businesses who have endured the severe impact of covid for more than two years.
After all the work by sector groups to get support for businesses through Covid, it is devastating to see what they are going through now, with a severe shortage of staff, staff being assaulted leaving work, brazen ram raids and more.
Aucklanders have been calling for more local police resources and greater community safety action repeatedly over the past few years.
Action points
I am calling on the government to take immediate action on the following:
Convene an Auckland Crime and Safety Summit, hosted by the Prime Minister and Mayor of Auckland to determine an immediate action plan.
An immediate increase in Police resourcing and police presence in Auckland. Provide a pipeline of ongoing additional police resourcing in Auckland based on population.
As an emergency measure, provide immediate funding for business associations to engage private security companies to boost community safety.
Immediately restart the central government small business safety measures fund to curb aggravated robberies and crime at dairies, superettes and small local businesses (500 small businesses benefited from the scheme which installed over 500 fog cannons and other safety measures).
Investigate the use of Criminal Behaviour Orders to support Police to stop anti-social behaviour and violent crime happening in the first place, including looking at whether Police should have powers to trespass people from public places more easily.
Firearms Prohibition Order
Pass the Firearms Prohibition Orders Legislation Bill. This will improve public safety by preventing people whose behaviour and actions represent a high risk of violence, or reflect an underlying risk of violence, from being able to access firearms or restricted weapons.
Wellington has not listened to the concerns from Aucklanders who have been calling for increased police presence and their fair share of police resources across the region, as well as support for those who need help. It is astounding that resources aren’t linked to population growth.
The recent announcement of $6 million for targeted businesses is insufficient and the government must show it is taking crime in Auckland seriously.
As Mayor, resolving these issues will need a much stronger approach from Auckland Council and this will be a key priority for me.
Viv Beck is a Candidate for the Auckland Mayoralty.
