More anti-social behaviour in Whangārei CBD, including fighting, dishonesty

Cameron Street in central Whangārei is one of the areas most affected by recent anti-social behaviour. Photo / Tania Whyte

More incidents of anti-social behaviour, including liquor ban breaches, fighting and thefts, in the Whangārei city centre are being reported to City Safe.

There were 225 of these incidents reported in April, more than the 155 reported incidents in March, and 186 in February, according to an item in the council's Community Development Committee agenda.

Whangārei District Council community safety officer Dave Palmer said a small group of young people was responsible for the current issues.

"There has been an upswing in anti-social behaviour in the centre of the city recently by a small group of young people who are becoming known to us and to the police.

"This sort of issue can come in waves. The causes are very complex, beyond any single agency's control."

The data showed the most common incidents were breaches of the liquor ban, but there was also disorder, fighting, dishonesty, drugs and truancy.

Most of the behaviour - 120 incidents - occurred during the day, including 60 per cent of reported disorder and 25 per cent of breaches of liquor bans.

Some of the recent incidents in the CBD have been around the bus stops on Vine St. Photo / Tania Whyte

Young people riding bikes through the mall and on footpaths was also an issue, with them "pulling wheel stands" and narrowly missing pedestrians and traffic, according to the Council agenda.

The majority of daytime issues were around the library, the Cameron St Mall, Strand Arcade, Quality Street and Vine Street.

The number of incidents of anti-social behaviour reported to City Safe was higher than in any of the previous six months.

Palmer said one issue was that the Covid pandemic had disrupted stabilising systems, like school, in the lives of young people.

"For those of later school age, falling out of the day-to-day school attendance during the pandemic and then hitting school leaving age can be hard.

"At the same time, the police are occupied by many other factors playing out in the community, such as gang conflicts, while the education system may face challenges managing a response to truancy."

Instances of antisocial behaviour at night continued to be relatively low, consisting mainly of liquor ban breaches, disorder and public urination.

Business owners and retail workers the Advocate spoke to were divided on whether anti-social behaviour was an increasing problem in the central city.

Dave Palmer with two City Safe officers. Photo / Michael Cunningham

One retail worker, who did not want to be named, said there had been a "weird vibe" in the city recently.

There had been more fights and yelling, as well as more bad language, she said.

Her co-worker agreed, saying "every day there's been a drama of some sort out there".

A Cameron St business owner who did not want to be named said it was a tough situation for them, especially as they are trying to recover from Covid.

"It's like a plague in town."

Assaults were more frequent and more violent, he said. Offenders would target shops and vehicles in town and "no one seems to be able to stop them".

Chris De'Ath, owner of Benny's Sandwich Deli and Bocky Boo Gelato, said he was unsure whether behaviour in the city was any worse than usual.

"We generally have a nice clientele around this area...the big key is getting people back into the city."

Merv Williams, manager of The Strand, said there had been issues with antisocial behaviour recently, but no worse than he had seen previously.

He said the removal of free wi-fi in the Strand and other areas of the central city had helped with recent behaviour, as did an increased security presence.

"We think we've got on top of it," Williams said.

Merv Williams, manager of The Strand. Photo / File

Inspector Marty Ruth, Whangārei area commander, said police were aware of "sporadic issues" with antisocial behaviour in the CBD.

"While there is no one particular group responsible, for a large part those involved currently are predominantly young people."

Police would continue working with the council and other agencies to make sure the area remains safe and accessible, Ruth said.

"These issues are not exclusive to any one area. We strongly encourage anyone who is aware of potential incidents or offending to report them to police so that we can identify those involved and take the necessary action.

"If an incident is happening now, please call police on 111. If it has already happened, please report the matter to police via 105."

Palmer said the current wave of increased antisocial behaviour would pass.

"In the meantime, our City Safe officers are working in the area as ambassadors keeping an eye on things, building relationships, defusing situations when appropriate and calling police when needed."

City Safe is a community safety collaboration between the district council, New Zealand Police, Northland Regional Council and Chambers of Commerce Northland.

The officers have been patrolling Whangārei streets since 2008.