Criminology conference heading for Christchurch

Christchurch City Council has won the right to host the Environmental Criminology and Crime Analysis (ECCA) Annual Symposium in June 2015, which will see around 100 delegates visit the city.

The latest success marks the second conference win for Christchurch in recent months. In June, the city secured the right to host the 20th Pacific Association of Quantity Surveyors (PAQS) Congress, which will attract 400 Asia–Pacific delegates to Christchurch in 2016.

The ECCA Symposium will bring together an international group of academics who are leaders in the fields of environmental criminology and crime prevention. ECCA membership and conference attendance is by invitation only and there are approximately 80 members worldwide.

“ECCA members are the most eminent environmental criminologists in the world, so it’s a coup for Christchurch to host them next year,” says Sue Ramsay, Crime Prevention Team Leader, Christchurch City Council.

“They are very interested in the rebuild of the city and, in particular, the Crime Prevention through Environmental Design work being led by the Council’s Crime Prevention Team.

“We’re thrilled that our bid was successful and we’re very much looking forward to seeing the delegates here next June” she says.

Support for the bid was provided by New Zealand Police, the Ministry of Justice, Wynyard Group, University of Canterbury, Tourism New Zealand and Christchurch and Canterbury Convention Bureau.

Christchurch and Canterbury Convention Bureau (CCCB) manager Caroline Blanchfield says it is heartening to see another conference made up entirely of international delegates choosing to meet in Christchurch.

“Christchurch is proving it offers a unique learning environment for delegates across diverse fields of interest.

“We have a wealth of expertise to share in many sectors, including earth and health sciences, agriculture, technology and education,” she says.

The ECCA Symposium was previously hosted in Wellington in 2003. The organising committee travelled to present their bid to host the 2015 symposium in Amsterdam in June and won against competition from India and Germany.

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