5 strikes and crims out of CBD

Rotorua District Council will tonight vote on a proposal to ban shoplifters, car thieves and other criminals well-known to police from the central city.

Mayor Kevin Winters said the proposal, which has been formulated by the council and police, had the support of councillors and was expected to pass.

Anyone with five or more dishonesty related offences would be banned from the CBD.

Several lawyers have sounded warning bells about the proposal, saying it may be a violation of human rights and discriminatory.

But Mr Winters said the council was seeking legal advice and a vote in favour of giving local police the power to issue trespass notices to such criminals would be subject to the advice received.

He said the plan was aimed at cutting crime in the tourist city.

"About a third of our crime occurs in the CBD and it is a small number of people who are doing it," he said.

"They are well organised and they come into the CBD knowingly and willingly to break the law."

The ban targeted about 20 or 30 criminals, most aged between 13 and 17.

"These people have committed crimes. They've been convicted. They're obviously hellbent on breaking the law so we're just saying, 'Sorry, but no thanks'."

The ban was not expected to be hard to enforce because those affected were well-known to police and staff monitoring closed-circuit television.

If issued with a trespass notice, a person would be unable to enter the area for three months.

Rotorua District Council already issues trespass notices to repeat offenders if they are seen in Government Gardens, Hamurana Reserve and Kuirau Park.

The difference was that police would have the power to act on the council's behalf.

He said police had approached the council for permission to issue trespass notices to recidivist criminals.

Rotorua area commander Inspector Bruce Horne told the Daily Post newspaper that targeting the group would have a huge impact on crime.

"Look at their profile. Why would you want to give them the opportunity to hang around the CBD to victimise people?" he said.

Mr Winters said the proposal had been around for several months and was not a response to a "crimewave" in the city, adding that reports that crime had increased were wrong.

"Our crime is down about 20 per cent already this year," he said.

So why the need for the ban?

"Because these are hardened crims. These are people who have something like 30 to 60 convictions to their name already."