Napier trials night CCTV to tackle rising crime

Napier City Council is trialling monitoring its CCTV cameras overnight in an attempt to combat rising crime in the city.

Napier’s CCTV cameras will be monitoring the city’s streets at night in a fresh attempt to reduce crime.

It comes in response to Police data showing a 12% increase in crime in the city in the past two years.

Napier Mayor Kirsten Wise said the trial reflects the council’s ongoing commitment to keep the community safe.

“We’ve listened to our community, local businesses and Police, and we’re taking action. Expanding CCTV monitoring into the night hours is a proactive step to help deter crime and keep our city safe,” Wise said.

It will be funded through the Parking Reserve Account, using existing staff, with no impact on rates.

Overnight monitoring will give police and the council real-time visibility of the city during hours when incidents are more likely to occur.

Councillor Sally Crown said they have had a clear signal from the community and local retailers that safety and crime after dark was a major concern.

In December 2024, Boy Taylor was found about 3.15am on Emerson St after being attacked.

Attempts were made to resuscitate him, but he died at the scene. Four men aged 18, 19, 21 and 33 were later charged with murder.

Emerson St retailers have been the target of multiple burglaries, including three this year at Life Pharmacy within 10 weeks.

Thieves in two of the raids targeted men’s fragrances.

Council said the new monitoring hours aim to strengthen collaboration with police and provide better tools for responding to night-time crime, particularly retail break-ins and antisocial behaviour.

Crown said it wasn’t often that the council was able to be agile.

“There are lots of things that come at us from different angles where we want to be enabling, where we want to act.

“So I take my hat off to council officers for taking the approach that they have and looking to take a step in a different direction to test and see how effective it might be for our community,” Crown said.

Wise says this is another step forward in evolving the service to meet community needs.

“Safety in our city doesn’t stop when the sun goes down. This is about using the resources we already have in smarter ways, trialling what works best, and setting Napier up for long-term solutions that reflect the needs of our people and our place.”

Napier Assist was launched in 2022 after a survey revealed 44% of the 597 people who took part felt the city was not a safe place to live.

Despite the foot patrol, crime has continued to rise.

The temporary change will involve the Napier Assist team adjusting their shifts to cover night-time monitoring, while continuing their daytime patrols in a reduced capacity.

The trial will run until June 30, 2026.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.