The Karangahape Road Business Association is urging anyone who witnesses a crime on the street to report it. Precinct Manager Barbara Holloway says the Business Association's records show that at night, abusive behaviour and street drinking are the greatest issues on the street, rather than violence. "But of course they are the things which can escalate to violence," she says. "K' Rd alternates with the Viaduct over the course of the year for the highest level of alcohol fuelled abusive behaviour, bearing in mind that these two districts have the highest concentration of nightlife activities in Auckland." The Association spends around half of its annual budget on security, shelling out more than $77,000 in the year to November 2010 on night and day patrols. Most of the Association's funding comes from Auckland City Council, while it also receives support from local businesses and apartment tenants. It's successfully lobbied for extra funding to increase its security patrols, so the street now has two guards on duty from 10pm till 6am on Friday and Saturday nights. The Association is also running a Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design pilot, which began in 2007. Holloway says the best thing the community can do is report any and all incidents they see. "Please take the time to make police reports," she says, even encouraging people to email details of crimes they witness to the Association. "We have been able to get arrests as our guards have recognised the perpetrator." Holloway says staff from many longstanding gay businesses on K' Rd have been outstanding examples of reporting crimes, criminals or potential issues to the Association and the police. She also wants anyone concerned about the problems on K' Rd to lobby to get the law changed to stop the proliferation of liquor stores, pointing out the K' Rd precinct has at least nine. While the liquor ban is actively enforced on K' Rd, people sitting in the cars and drinking on side streets has been recognised as an issue in the area. Local bar owners have expressed concern to GayNZ.com that people are getting tanked up on cheap alcohol, then going into bars or causing trouble on the street. Street drinking is an issue police touched on when they reported back to the K Rd Accord in April. The group is made up of owners and managers of bars and restaurants in the area. Police told the group about Operation K1, which they ran on K' Rd in February and March last year. They increased resourcing and visibility on K Rd from 10pm until 6am on weekend nights, successfully reducing levels of disorder and street violence by 50 percent. Officers told the group the liquor ban is being actively enforced, but commented on the level of drinking on side streets.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Friday, 28th January 2011 - 12:41pm