Monday, 22 June 2015

Global crime fighters come to Christchurch

Eighty expert crime fighters from around the globe will gather in Christchurch tomorrow for the start of the Environmental Criminology and Crime Analysis (ECCA) Symposium.

The annual symposium brings together the world's leading scholars in the fields of environmental criminology, crime science, situational crime prevention and problem-oriented policing.

Delegates will take part in a number of invite-only sessions throughout the week, with a publicly live-streamed Environmental Criminology Leaders Forum being held Friday.

Sue Ramsay, Christchurch City Council's Crime Prevention Team Leader, says the symposium is an exciting opportunity for the city to both influence and benefit from global thinking on crime prevention.

“ECCA members are the most eminent environmental criminologists in the world, so it’s a coup for Christchurch to be hosting them,” says Ms Ramsay.

“They're 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.

"The symposium is a timely opportunity to showcase the city's approach to crime prevention, while also learning about other international examples and best practices," she says.

This year's ECCA Symposium is being hosted by Christchurch City Council, New Zealand Police, the Ministry of Justice, and Wynyard Group.

Canterbury Police District Commander, Superintendent John Price, says, “Christchurch hosting an international crime symposium is a significant milestone in the city’s rebuild and something everyone in New Zealand should celebrate. The last time the symposium was hosted on our shores was in 2004 at the NZ Police College in Wellington.

“One of the New Zealand Police operating strategies is 'prevention first', and this symposium is a great opportunity for Police to work with other agencies and understand the underlying causes of crime. This allows us to stay informed and keep our communities safe as we work to reduce crime and crashes.”

Friday's two-hour Environmental Criminology Leaders Forum will be live-streamed via the Council's website from 10.15am atwww.ccc.govt.nz/designoutcrime

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