Kapiti death: 'This is absolutely a community issue'

The drinking spot on the Kapiti coast where two young men have died in recent weeks will be the focus of council attention. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Kapiti Coast District councillors have unanimously decided that imminent action needs to be taken at a drinking spot following the violent deaths of two young men in five weeks in the area.

Councillors met this morning and decided that by the weekend action to make the Kapiti Lights area safer would be under way.

More lighting would be put up in the area as well as CCTV cameras installed, councillor Tony Lester said.

Police would also be increasing their presence, with more staff coming from Wellington.

But Mr Lester said he wanted to make it clear that the police were on the ground on Friday night when 20-year-old Sean Strongman-Lintern was stabbed to death.

"This is not a police issue, this is absolutely a community issue.''

In the long-term, councillors would work on a plan to keep the area safer, including discussing a district-wide liquor ban.

It would also push for people to report crimes through the anonymous 0800 Crimestoppers line.

"People in Kapiti know what goes on in the rare instances that we do have these issues, keeping it to themselves makes the police jobs impossible,'' Mr Lester said.

Mayor Jenny Rowan said such incidents were seldom random and police had reported a small but ugly culture of young men hooked into drinking, drug-taking and fighting in Kapiti.

"There is no one solution and there is certainly not a quick fix. The police cannot provide all the answers, neither can council, or any other single agency,'' she said.

Ms Rowan had already met police, councillors, kaumatua Don Te Maipi, senior council staff and staff from the Monteiths Junction Bar at Kapiti Lights to discuss ways to manage the situation and increase public safety.

Yesterday Tristim Eastham, 24, a labourer from Porirua, entered no plea when he appeared in Porirua District Court charged with the murder of Mr Strongman-Lintern.

Mr Strongman-Lintern died after a fight outside the Kapiti Lights Complex early on Saturday.

His death came five weeks after 17-year-old Izak Millanta died near the same complex.

The men men knew each other, playing for the same league team, and Mr Strongman-Lintern reportedly tried to help Izak on the night of his death.

A 25-year-old man has been charged with assault over Izak's death.