Wellingtonians Feeling Safer in 2017

Wellingtonians are reporting feeling markedly safer after dark in 2017, compared with the year before, according to the annual Residents Monitoring Survey.

Eighty-one percent of Wellingtonians report feeling safer in the city centre after dark – an increase of eight percent from 2016. Meanwhile, the percentage of Wellingtonians who say they feel safer in their neighbourhoods has also increased from 86 percent to 90 percent.

Wellington Mayor Justin Lester says feeling safe is an important part of building a liveable city.

“The Council has been working hard for the past year to exceed expectations and make the city a welcoming and open place for everyone around the clock. Safety is a big part of this.

“As a council, we have been working with the community to identify what they need to feel safe in their own city and I am delighted with the way the results are tracking at the end of the first year of the new triennium.’

The Mayor points to night-time safety initiatives such as replacing all street lights with LED lights as contributing factors. The survey shows there has been an increase in satisfaction with street lighting in suburban areas, from 54 percent in 2016 to 60 percent in 2017.

The survey also shows a significantly lower percentage of respondents are concerned about city and neighbourhood features that make people unsafe, such as graffiti and threatening people, compared to 2016

ENDS

© Scoop Media