Safety Audits For Naenae & Taita

Hutt City Council, in partnership with SCAN (Hutt City Safer Community Action Network), will conduct Safety Audits in Naenae and Taita between September and November this year.

A 'safety audit' is done by assessing the physical environment from a crime prevention perspective.

Mayor John Terris said Council was very aware of its role in helping to achieve Community Outcomes, which were required to be identified as part of its Long Term Council Community Plan (the 'Community Plan 2003-2013').

"The community have said that they view 'a safe, friendly and welcoming city' as one of the top three priorities for my Council," said Mayor Terris.

"Everyone has a right to feel safe and be able to walk about the city without feeling threatened or intimidated."

Safety audit areas are identified through police statistics, anecdotal information from residents, retailers and community workers and, once chosen, these areas are observed over different times of the day and night by audit teams.

The teams take note of lighting, movement, hazards, hidden areas, maintenance, blocks to sightlines, surveillance and other factors, which may lead to the zones being perceived as safe or unsafe. This information will then be compiled in a report with recommendations as to what can be done to make the audited area safer.

TEAM Naenae, a local community group, supports the audit and ran a community meeting to promote the audit and encourage community input into its planning and implementation.

Residents, business people and community groups will all have opportunities to contribute as the safety audit involves an assessment of the physical environment, focus groups and a survey. As well as working with TEAM Naenae, the audit has involved Accident Compensation Corporation, NZ Fire Service, and Regional Public Health.

Naenae will be the first area audited directly followed by Taita and reports will be completed by the end of the year.

SCAN previously worked on a Safety Audit for the CBD in 2001 which has been used by Council to make changes to certain areas in the CBD as well as providing locations for CCTV cameras.

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