A committee set up to progress concerns about safety around Auckland’s gay night-time hotspot Karangahape Rd has identified a number of problem areas it will focus on, including drinking in side streets. The committee was formed on the back of a community meeting in February where concerns about an increase in violence on K’ Rd and on the side streets around it were raised. When the group met this month, committee member Karen Ritchie shared her experiences of going with police on patrol K’ Rd. She said people drinking in cars and on the street behind Galatos Street was particularly troublesome for police. The group has suggested making Galatos St a resident parking only area. It has also recommended developing a space for people to go to for support around alcohol and or drug misuse, similar to the viaduct safety bus run by St John Ambulance. Other suggestions are finding out more about the placement and direction of video cameras in the area, learning more about the Crime Prevention through Environmental Design project, and looking for funding to look at the behaviour of the GLBTI community around alcohol use. It’s also considering some firm projects, such as encouraging stories to be shared through traditional and social media to raise awareness, surveying the community, developing an advisory group and engaging community groups.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Wednesday, 29th May 2013 - 9:53am