Banks – To Focus on Safer Communities

Auckland Mayor John Banks says the new Auckland Council has an important part to play in eliminating the opportunities for criminals and vandals to prey on our communities.

“I believe it is important that Aucklanders can go about their daily activities feeling safe and knowing that their homes, cars and other property assets are secure.

“Unless we achieve this goal, we cannot have a truly ‘super’ city.”

Mayor Banks today released via www.johnbanks.co.nz his Safe Communities policy. It focuses on crime and also his plans for the new Council’s civil defence systems particularly in the aftermath of the recent Christchurch earthquake.

“This was a timely reminder that we must always be prepared for natural disasters and constantly be upgrading our systems to cope with them.

“Effective communication is paramount in a civil emergency, so I will require the new Council to immediately undertake an audit of our systems to ensure they’re up-to-date.

“I believe we must make the best use of social media such as Twitter, Facebook and text messaging to ensure that in the event of a disaster the people of Auckland are kept informed.”

Mayor Banks will also invest in upgrading technology services to combat crime. He says he intends to roll out CCTV across the region especially in mainstreets.

“CCTV has been very successful in lowering crime rates in Otahuhu and Newmarket especially in the mainstreets.

“I believe this should be rolled out across the region.”

Banks says he will also encourage the Police to implement a new command structure that reflects the new city.

“Criminals do not recognize artificial boundaries, so the Police must be able to respond effectively wherever crime occurs across Auckland without worrying about being in someone else’s patch.

“I believe our approach to crime needs to be multi-dimensional.

“It is not enough to simply put more police on the beat and build more prisons. We need to tackle the root cause of crime in the homes and the communities throughout Auckland.

“To achieve this we need a strong partnership between the Council, Police and Government.

“As a former Minister of Police, I understand what is needed to implement an effective partnership that will contribute to catching criminals.”

ENDS

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