Safe Waitakere Crime Prevention Project
Crime Prevention ProjectIn
2007 Waitakere City Council developed a Crime Prevention
Plan for the City, this plan was agreed with the Ministry of
Justice (MoJ) for the period 2007 - 2012.
The aim of the Plan is:
"To enable a Safer Community in Waitakere by working in
partnership to prevent and reduce crime".
The plan has the following objectives:
- Integrate Crime Prevention and Crime Reduction
principles within overarching strategies for Waitakere
- Develop existing partnerships and establish new
partnerships which will contribute to the achievement of
the Crime Prevention Plan objectives
- Identify and prioritise Crime related issues for
Waitakere
- Utilise intervention logic to develop and implement
key action plans, projects and initiatives
- Incorporate evaluation mechanisms within the Crime
Prevention Plan, its action plans, projects and
initiatives
The Plan also prioritises 5 key themes:
- Public Violence
- Graffiti Vandalism
- Family Violence
- Volume Crime (Vehicle Crime)
- Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design
(CPTED)
Neighbourhood Support
Waitakere
In July 2007, the crime prevention team at Safe Waitakere
were involved with the launch of Neighbourhood Support
Waitakere. Along with its strategic partners, Safe Waitakere
saw a need for this organisation to continue to expand in
conjunction with Neighbourhood Supports national body and
Neighbourhood Support
Waitakere was developed.
Neighbourhood Support Waitakere has chosen a new committee,
city coordinator,
and constitution and has prepared a strategic plan for the
next three years. It aims to be a 'supporting' organisation run
by the community for the community to foster
'Community Spirit' throughout Waitakere.
City Safety Action Group
In May 2007, in conjunction with the Corrections Dept, Safe Waitakere
organised a 'clean up' operation to rid the rear of Hepburn
Road, Glendene shops of graffiti and unkempt refuse areas.
The landlord of the shops secured a 2m high gate. The
Corrections workers were provided with rollers and brushes
(by Tag Out Trust) and paint by Wattyl. In one day the rear
of the shops went from eyesore to freshly painted. The shop
tenants were also provided with equipment to maintain the
newly painted area.
This operation is an example of achieving the terms of
reference for the City Safety Action Group (CSAG), such as;
Issues that require short to medium term attention utilising
a problem solving approach.
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Click on image to view
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Wardens
Maori Wardens
In 2007, a multi agency working party consisting of Safe
Waitakere, Waitakere Police, ACC, and the Waitakere District
Licensing Agency was formed to look at strategies to reduce
the high incidence of alcohol related offending in Waitakere
City. Statistics indicated that a disproportionate amount of
alcohol related offending was perpetrated by young Maori and
Pacific men aged from 18 - 24 years
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| Maori Wardens |
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| Pacific Wardens |
Following consultation, a multi-tiered set of strategies
were developed. One strategy identified was to provide
street patrols in identified "hot spot" areas across
Waitakere. Soon after, Waitakere City Council contracted the
Waitemata Maori Wardens for a 6 month pilot period to
provide a culturally appropriate intervention with the youth
on the streets.
The pilot was a great success and achieved a drop in
offending in some areas by up to 40%. Because of the success
of the pilot the Waitakere City Council approved funding
through the Council's annual planning process for a further
12 months of Maori Warden patrols.
The Wardens wear high visibility fluorescent jackets and
provide reassurance to residents, business owners and
visitors to Waitakere City. They are friendly and
approachable, so we encourage you to stop and say kia ora to
the men and women who work hard to keep our streets safe.
Waitakere Pacific Wardens
The aim of the Waitakere Pacific Wardens is to provide a
culturally appropriate response to young Pacific youth
involved in offending on the streets of Waitakere City.
Recently, the Waitakere City Council entered into a funding
agreement with the Waitakere Pacific Wardens Trust (WPWT) to
provide street patrols in identified problem areas within
the City.
The WPWT are currently recruiting for friendly and
approachable Pacific people to fulfill the role, with the
aim of establishing a pool of people who will commence
duties as Pacific Wardens in the next few months.
The Pacific Wardens will receive comprehensive training and
be provided with high visibility clothing for use in their
daily patrols.
The Pacific Wardens are there to actively listen to the
concerns of residents, visitors and our business community
alike and will report important issues back to the Council.
Their role will be to prevent and deter crime and
anti-social behaviour and provide support to the community.
Please feel free to take the time to say hello to our
Pacific Wardens because they would love to engage in a
conversation with you.
Carpark+ Safe Parking National
Pilot Project
Background
Reducing vehicle crime is a priority goal for the
government. In response, the Ministry of Justice's Crime
Prevention Unit, in conjunction with the New Zealand Police
and the Ministry of Transport, has developed a Vehicle Crime
Reduction Programme (VCRP), which is designed to reduce both
opportunistic and professional vehicle crime.
The VCRP was approved by Cabinet in December 2004 and
contains six initiatives for implementation.
One specific goal of this programme is the development of
the 'Carpark+ Safer Parking National Pilot Project' aimed at
reducing vehicle crime by encouraging parking facilities to
meet specific safety criteria guided by the principals of
CPTED (Crime Prevention through Environmental Design).
The pilot
This pilot is being led by the Crime Prevention Unit of
Ministry of Justice who are working in conjunction with the
Safe Waitakere team at Waitakere City Council, Auckland City
Council, Hutt City Councils and New Zealand Police.
Launched by the former Justice Minister Annette King in
October 2008, the pilot will run for 20 months to June 2010.
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| Left to right: Deputy
Mayor Cr Penny Hulse, Michael Alofa - Crime
Prevention Project Leader, Senior Sgt Ross Hunter -
O/C Community Relations & Youth. |
What is Carpark+ Safer Parking Project?
The project aims to provide an incentive to those
responsible for car parking facilities to improve security
and safety standards in them to reduce criminal activity.
Car parks that meet the required standards will be
recognised as a 'safer parking' facility. This status will
benchmark Carpark+ facilities as being ones that have
measures in place to reduce the level of crime and fear of
crime within their car parks.
It is intended that this initiative will enable the public
to make informed choices about their selection of parking
facility and thereby utilise the power of the market to
promote safer and more secure car park environments.
The Carpark+ Safer Parking National Pilot Project initiative
involves assessing car parks for safety by applying the
principals highlighted in the Carpark+ National Project
Safety Manual.
This initiative is steered and aligned to the Council
Vehicle Crime Action Group (VCAG). It features
representatives from the NZ Police, Waitakere City Council
Parking Services, Waitakere City Council building inspection
team, Waitakere City Council Vehicle Testing Station,
Western Auto Electrical, Auckland Regional Council rangers,
Watercare Services, Westfield West City, Lynn Mall, Westgate
town centre, Kelston shopping centre, Lincoln North shopping
centre, AMI Insurance and Civil Defence.
Waitakere Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse, who also chairs Safe
Waitakere's Crime Prevention Reference Group, is a big
supporter of the project and its aims to make people feel
safer and reduce the risk of crimes occurring.
"Having your car broken into or stolen is sadly something
that happens to a lot of people and I welcome any scheme
that looks at ways of making our carparks safer so that
people can get out and about to enjoy our city without
fear," she says.
"This project will give operators and developers of parking
facilities the incentive to maintain a safe parking
environment and allow the public to make informed decisions
about where they choose to park."
For further information and assistance, you can download the
Carpark Assessment form and the Guidelines and Manual and
Operator's Assessment Checklist below.
Note: You will need to have 
Adobe Acrobat Reader
installed on your computer in order to view and print these documents. For
help opening PDF files or tips on copying information see Helpful
Tips.
Carpark Assessment Form (Size 187K)
Guidelines and Manual and Operators Assessment Checklist
(Size 1334K)
Contact information
 For
more information email
safe.waitakere@waitakere.govt.nz.
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