Opinion: Solving the crime problem is not a Government issue to get more people in the city.

Local solutions are needed to get more people back in the city. Photo / ChristchurchNZ

OPINION:

How often do you go into the central city of Christchurch?

I did a few things in town yesterday afternoon and, I’ve got to be honest with you, there were parts of it that were just dead.

There was a cruise ship in town yesterday and I saw a few of those people walking around the place but, as someone in one of the shops told me, even with the cruise ship here - the place was really quiet.

And it’s not just yesterday afternoon. I notice it a lot of the time.

Which fits in with the message the Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce is sending the Government today about crime and anti-social behaviour here.

It’s written an open letter to the Government - signed by about 80 business people - saying “we’ve got a problem here”, just like Auckland and Hamilton, which seem to be getting all the attention, at the moment when it comes to crime.

And the Chamber of Commerce is saying that one of the consequences of what’s happening, is that the central city is suffering.

When Chamber of Commerce chief executive Leeann Watson spoke on Newstalk ZB this morning, the thing that really stuck out to me was when she said people aren’t coming into the centre of town because they’re intimidated and scared of what goes on, on a daily basis. And we’re not just talking about Friday and Saturday nights. It’s day and night - day in, day out.

As I say, I stuck around town for a bit yesterday and, one example I can give, is this guy I saw on Colombo Street - obviously off his nut on something - who was just screaming his head off.

Walking up and down the footpath. F-this. F-that. And I just thought, “man alive, I’m not gonna hang around - I’m gonna get my stuff done and get out of here”.

Because, just as much as I have compassion and feel so sorry for those poor sods who live and sleep on the streets, even I feel the sense of intimidation these people can create and I fully understand why that would put some people off. In fact, not just some people - a lot of people.

But I think we’d be dreaming if we thought the Government is going to solve this one for us.

Because, as far as I’m concerned, I think a key part of the problem is that with not enough people coming into town - those of us who do, feel outnumbered by the anti-social ones and the troublemakers.

I bet when you walk or drive down Colombo St by Ballantynes, you very easily get the impression that there are more street people there than anyone else.

That’s what it feels like to me quite often. And I honestly think this is part of the problem as to why some people just don’t want to go into the central city in Christchurch. It’s a numbers game, as much as anything.

And if that spiral continues, then the Chamber of Commerce will be writing another open letter to the Government this time next year, saying exactly the same thing. People aren’t coming into town because they’re intimidated and scared - and, just like they are now, they’ll be asking the Government what it’s going to do about it?

Which is why I think the ball is in our court too. And it’s going to be up to us to be part of the solution which, for me, has to be doing whatever it takes to get more people to come into the centre of town on a regular basis.

Because if we can make that happen, then the prevalence of criminals and anti-social people will not be as obvious and - by virtue of that - not as threatening.

It’s your classic “safety in numbers”. Because, of course, if you come into town at the moment and you feel like you’re in a bit of a ghost town - it’s natural that you feel outnumbered and unsafe.

And that’s why I think the solution to people not wanting to come into the central city because they feel it’s unsafe, doesn’t lie in just writing to the Government. We need some local solutions too.