By KELLY BLANCHARD in Rotorua
A Rotorua retailer has called for an action group to lobby for more police for the city.
Cathie Waites from Health 2000 Plus said Rotorua was an embarrassment to the tourist industry because young "hooligans" were frightening shoppers away from the central business district.
"Being a tourist town, we need zero tolerance and at the moment we feel Rotorua is an embarrassment to tourism," she said.
Mrs Waites went to a Ready 2 Retail meeting on Tuesday night at which Rotorua police area commander Inspector Bruce Horne spoke about the police's plan to cut crime.
She said she left feeling "so angry and frustrated" she hardly slept that night.
"The turnout was incredible. We all wanted to hear some answers but we didn't get any answers.
"We wanted to know if we were going to get more coppers on the beat over the holidays."
When retailers at the meeting called for more police in the central city over the Christmas and New Year period, Mr Horne said he did not have enough staff to have 20 officers in the central business district around the clock.
He gave an assurance there would be more police in the central city than there were at the same time last year, although he could not give exact numbers.
Mr Horne agreed the police's crime prevention plan would be achieved more quickly and more easily with more police officers.
But he told the meeting it was not up to him to get more staff.
Mrs Waites said she felt sorry for Mr Horne because his "hands were tied".
She has called for a committee to be urgently set up that would include Rotorua mayor Kevin Winters, Rotorua MP Steve Chadwick, Mr Horne, Bay of Plenty police district manager Superintendent Gary Smith, and about half a dozen retailers.
She said the committee's job would be to get more police for Rotorua.
"People are scared and I am embarrassed for Rotorua.
"I'm sure we can get more police but it has got to come from Wellington."
Mr Horne said he was happy to talk to Mrs Waites about the action group to make sure she was directing her energy in the right places.
"I sense a bit of frustration with people when the subject comes up.
"It is useful for people to know what the process is around these things so they are not wasting their time."
Meanwhile, a large retail store in Rotorua says it has proof that retailers can do more themselves to cut crime.
The store, which does not want to be named for fear of retribution from shoplifters, began issuing trespass orders against shoplifters about two weeks ago.
Since then, it has noticed a big drop in shoplifting.
A security manager at the store said the action was a perfect example of the excellent results that could be achieved if retailers worked together and took action.
Frank Emirali from MacKenzie Country, who chaired the retailers' meeting, has put together a survey to be sent to all retailers asking them to express their concerns about crime in the central city and their views on policing numbers.
Lack of police frustrates retailers
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