An assault near Karangahape Rd has left one person in hospital in serious condition, as police continue working to make the area safer following concerns about the rising tide of violence. Police were called to the intersection of K' Rd and Upper Queen St shortly before 6am. Witnesses initially thought two pedestrians had been hit by a car, saying a lot of blood was involved and there was blood on a 4WD at the scene. Officers spent much of the morning at the junction and are speaking to witnesses. There is no indication whether the victim is gay, but the incident has renewed community safety concerns. GayNZ.com Daily News has raised worries about the rising level of violence in the K' Rd area with authorities, as the strip contains most of the city's gay venues and is frequented by many members of the community. A number of gay men have been caught up in the violence, in random attacks over the past few months. Auckland City Central Area Commander Inspector Andrew Coster has promised police are working with a range of stakeholders to 'improve safety and perceptions of safety in the area'. Police last week installed signage on K' Rd warning CCTV footage is operating in the area. They have also been highly visible on the busy street at night, carrying out foot patrols and targeting problem bars and back alleys. The Traffic Alcohol Group carried out an anti-drunk driving operation this past weekend: Operation K2. Among the drivers stopped was a heavily intoxicated taxi driver with three fare-paying passengers in his vehicle. The male driver was stopped at a K' Rd checkpoint at 2am on Saturday and blew twice the legal limit. Police are concerned that a member of the taxi industry has "blatantly ignored every law associated with drink driving as well as the taxi industry code of ethics". Overall almost 7,000 drivers were stopped and 39 people were over the limit and have been charged.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Wednesday, 23rd February 2011 - 1:51pm