Wed 4 May 2011 In: New Zealand Daily News View at Wayback View at NDHA
Police are to run a trial using Pacific Island wardens on Karangahape Rd, as work to increase safety on the gay party strip continues. The Auckland central street is increasingly becoming a nightlife melting pot, as new Ramongst the gay bars. While many people are uneasy about saying so publicly, K' Rd regulars have told GayNZ.com Daily News much of the increase in violence they have witnessed is being perpetrated by young, alcohol-fuelled Polynesian men, in most cases looking to fight with each other. In the past 12 months there have been a number of examples of members of the gay community being unwittingly caught up in violence or attacked during nights out, with regulars telling GayNZ.com Daily News earlier this year they were feeling much less safe on K' Rd. There are no specific statistics for K' Rd alone, but police say people turning up to the road's many bars drunk, or drinking at bars till they get drunk, are causing the majority of issues. Police have significantly increased their presence on the street since February and Police Minister Judith Collins has confirmed they are now looking for people who would be appropriate to be Pacific Island wardens. In a letter to Auckland Central MP Nikki Kaye, Collins says police have pointed out that Pacific patrols have not been used before in an environment such as K' Rd, “where there tends to be tension and high levels of intoxication, giving rise to some concerns about the safety of patrols”. This means initial patrols will be a trial and will be carried out with sworn police officers present, for safety reasons. Kaye is welcoming the move, which she suggested when she raised concerns about violence levels on K' Rd with Auckland City police, concerns which the police passed on to their Minister. Kaye says Pacific Island wardens have been successful in other parts of Auckland. “At the moment it is a trial so that we can see if they make a difference on K Rd as each area has different issues,” she tells GayNZ.com Daily News. The MP adds that in June police are going to reorganise resources in Auckland Central to target alcohol related behaviour. “We expect this will lead to an even greater police presence on K' Rd which is a positive step,” she says. Kaye says she understands Auckland Council is looking at continuing funding for security patrols, which have been successful in dealing with low level bylaw breaches and some antisocial behaviour. Overall she thinks good progress has been made in making K' Rd safer, but says the issues on the Auckland street are long-standing and require a multi-pronged approach. “Between the Pacific Island wardens, increased police presence, security staff and hopefully changes to alcohol legislation I am confident we can make K' Rd a better place for Aucklanders who live work or visit there. “I have also arranged for a meeting to be held with police and the business associations to work through some of the alcohol policy issues. “As always, my door is open for people who want to raise issues with me. I want to thank the local police, the council and others in the K' Rd area who are working to try and improve K' Rd.” Auckland Central candidate and Labour list MP Jacinda Ardern also raised the idea of using Pacific Island wardens with local police and council representatives. She says it was an idea they were interested in based on the partnership approach they had seen work between police and council in other parts of Auckland. “I'm encouraged these discussions are turning into definitive action- but will keep working alongside police and council till we see some tangible change on the streets and hear reports that people are noticing a positive difference,” she says. “In the meantime I have also talked with Shale Chambers, Chair of the local board, about spending an evening out with the police on K’ Rd to discuss issues that have been raised with both of us - I hope to do that later this month.”
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Wednesday, 4th May 2011 - 1:25pm