Guy Wellwood: Zero tolerance on crime the way to go if our safety and security is put foremost

Guy Wellwood

The primary obligation of Government, central and local, is the safety and security of its people.

I have said that several times during the three months I have been campaigning to be mayor of Hastings district. On one occasion it related to water supply, but on other occasions it related to crime prevention.

Is crime up or down? It depends on who you talk to and how you measure. I certainly picked up in my travels around the district that there has been a crime wave in certain parts - Longlands and Clive are mentioned. All I know is that crime is still the fastest growing industry in the world and very few people go through life without being affected in some way by a burglary, fraud, assault or worse.

Much public resource goes into making sure that those accused, and even convicted of crimes, are given lots of rights and opportunities and second or subsequent chances. The victims of crime do not usually get the same level of assistance, unless they are well insured, and even then, redress is not without its share of inconvenience and frustration.

Everybody calls for more police but the call remains largely unanswered. That is not a reason to stop lobbying central government for more resources and that needs to be done in a more co-ordinated regional way than has been done in recent years.

My feeling is that we have to assume that police resources are not going to increase and that there is not going to be much positive change in the way that the police service does its job. I have found most local individual police officers, senior or junior, as friendly and wanting to help but collectively it can be a very unhelpful institution.

We have to find other ways to prevent crime, look after and out for our neighbours and identify the culprits if we can. I would, if elected Mayor, propose a Crime Prevention Unit of Council that would look after and enhance what is being done now (Neighbourhood Watch, Flaxmere Patrol and City Assist).

This unit would also look to installing better security in council facilities including council houses, better lighting and even some more close-circuit cameras around the place. I am well aware that alcohol, drugs (especially the dreadful P), poor housing, parenting, schooling and employment all can lead to crime.

I want to use the authority of the mayoral office to talk to schools, churches, maraes and gangs to understand the causes of crime and to learn if more can be done to reduce crime, and the fear of crime. I certainly want to talk to the judiciary, the probation service and Corrections.

I would have no hesitation in naming and shaming those who have been convicted of crimes locally. I would also speak out in instances where the police have not been as attentive as we expect, or where the courts have shown too much leniency.

I certainly believe in zero tolerance. Those who drop rubbish, damage property or race cars down streets need to be told they have failed the test of citizenship in this wonderful place where we live, work and play.

Guy Wellwood is a lawyer in Hastings and is standing for Mayor of Hastings in the upcoming local government elections.