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Community Policing Approach To Hospital Crime
Waikato police will bring in a new district problem-solving
team to
examine ongoing security issues at Waikato
Hospital.
In the past fortnight that included the theft of
patients' food and
the assault of an emergency department
doctor.
Waikato police district commander Allan Boreham
and community
engagement manager Inspector Marcus Lynam
met Waikato District Health
Board chief executive Craig
Climo and Waikato Hospital group manager Dr
Grant Howard
today to discuss the issues.
The police team will
undertake the problem solving evaluation project,
thought
to be a community first, at the hospital campus from next
month.
One of the options the police team would look at
was the possibility of
having a community constable
stationed on campus with a visible presence
at high
pedestrian areas.
Mr Boreham said the 600-bed hospital on
Australasia's largest
hospital campus site, was part of a
unique community with its own
complexities. It serves a
Waikato and central North Island population of
more than
800,000 people.
About 4500 staff work at the hospital and
in the last financial year
more than 316,000 people had
outpatient visits, with 78,000 attendances
to the
emergency department and nearly 68,000 admissions. On any
day
about 5300 people visit the hospital.
"Looking at
those sorts of figures, the hospital is a big
community,"
said Mr Boreham.
The DHB spent more than $1.1 million on
security at Waikato Hospital
last financial year. Mr
Climo said any new arrangements with the police
would not
replace existing security arrangements.
"We welcome this
partnership with the police and their offer of help.
Our
patients, staff and visitors have a right to feel safe in
our
hospital and it's our job to ensure that happens," he
said.
ENDS
Waikato District Health Board
Healthy People. Excellent Care
Waikato District Health Board (DHB) employs over 6500 people and plans, funds and provides hospital and health services to more than 391,770 people in a region covering eight per cent of New Zealand.
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