April 23, 2002

Auckland City Council plans to introduce security guards at Mission Bay on weekends in an attempt to control unruly behaviour on Friday and Saturday nights.

The council's Law and Order committee has voted in favour of funding a one month pilot scheme in an effort to curb the violence that has been worrying residents, restaurateurs and shopkeepers in the area.

The chairperson of the Law and Order committee, Councillor Noelene Raffills, says there are many trouble spots all over Auckland city, but it was decided to give priority to Mission Bay because matters had come to a head there recently.

Councillor Raffills says it will be important to work on each area's problems "holistically" - that is, to work to find solutions by involving residents, schools, the police, community board and businesses.

In Mission Bay, for instance, the carpark is often a trouble spot and there have been several suggestions about how to cope with rowdy youths late at night.

The Mission Bay pilot scheme might well serve as a "test case", showing how to deal with problems in other areas, and the security guards were a short-term suggestion for treating a long-term problem.

In the interim, the Law and Order committee is to recommend to the full council that it spend up to $3000 to put at least two security guards on patrol at Mission Bay as part of its pilot. These will be in place between 10pm and 3am on Friday and Saturday nights, specifically to address "the violence and criminal behaviour".

ENDS

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