Whanganui East Pool equipped with more CCTV and staff following intimidating behaviour and vandalism

There will be a “minimal refresh” at the Whanganui East Pool before it opens this season.

The Whanganui East Pool will have beefed-up security this season following intimidating behaviour, physical assaults on staff and vandalism last summer.

Whanganui District Council community and customer service general manager Marianne Cavanagh said there had been “a general feeling of unease” among staff members at the facility and some did not want to work there this year.

“There was a bit of intimidation and antisocial behaviour, sometimes in large groups, towards staff, and other patrons have commented on it as well,” she said.

“That’s not great. We want everyone to enjoy the place.”

Cavanagh said showers had been ripped apart and police were called to the pool multiple times over the last opening period.

The council would be working with police on “preventative approaches and assistance” for this season.

No charges were pressed following the assaults.

“We have CCTV there at the moment but it doesn’t capture the entire area, so we are installing more,” she said.

“There will be increased signage about that so people are aware and we will have additional staff on-site, with a greater presence of senior managers.”

Cavanagh said de-escalation training was also being provided, as it was for all front-line council staff.

A report from council aquatics services manager Lucy Thompson said there were 9671 visits to the pool from December 16, 2023 to March 16 this year.

There were 2323 admissions in the two weeks of December compared with 237 for the last two weeks of the season in March.

The pool was only available to school groups in 2021/22 but attracted 8285 users between January 9 and April 1 last year.

Thompson’s report said a “minimal refresh” would take place at the site before it opened, including a general wash-down of pools and a general garden tidy-up.

During this year’s Long Term Plan process, council officers recommended closing the pool due to costs, but after two hours of deliberations, elected members voted to maintain minimum maintenance and pool standards for an extra season, with a budget of $300,000.

Cavanagh said council staff were working towards an opening date in mid-December.

“We were also looking at barriers at the front entrance, similar to when you pay at a train station overseas.

“That means a whole mob can’t walk in at one time. That’s hard for the person in reception to deal with.”

There were always the correct number of lifeguards on-site, but having an additional presence meant they could be more supported, she said.

“I think it’s quite sad that this is a community pool and we’re looking at security measures and working with police.

“It’s a shame it’s got to this stage, but health and safety are paramount all the time.”

Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present, his focus is local government, primarily Whanganui District Council.