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Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Music proposed as way to calm bus hub conduct
Music could be used to soothe savage behaviour at Dunedin's city centre bus hub, a regional councillor has suggested. Cr Kate Wilson said she was not suggesting following the lead of former speaker Trevor Mallard, who blasted music in an attempt to deter protesters camped outside Parliament to protest government control during the Covid-19 pandemic. But she questioned the absence of music as one of the "actionable insights" contained in Collective Strategy principal consultant Angela Davis' 29-page report on developing and refining the approach to safety in the central city. "Sound can be very calming," Cr Wilson said. "We often build 'traffic calming' areas into design, but we don't do 'people calming'." She said she was "intrigued" the report had not canvassed the concept, which she understood was used in hospitals. Council regional planning and transport general manager Anita Dawe said it appeared not to be one of the strategies used elsewhere, which Ms Davis examined in the report. "I do know it's successful in supermarkets — it changes shopping behaviour," Ms Dawe said. The Otago Regional Council's public and active transport committee yesterday received the report, commissioned by the council for the central city advisory group — the multi-agency group created in the wake of the fatal stabbing last year of 16-year-old Enere McLaren-Taana. Cr Alexa Forbes, who chaired yesterday's committee meeting, said the report appeared focused on "preventing crime through inclusion and visibility". "It doesn't actually rule out sound, or music." Council chairwoman Gretchen Robertson said there were benefits to working on safety issues with other agencies in a collaborative way. It was a "privilege" for the regional council to run public transport, and the council wanted public transport to be "welcoming and [a] preferred mode of travel", she said. The council had taken a close look at what it could do in the short term to improve safety and had taken "well reported" steps to improve safety at the bus hub. But the report also contained statistical analysis showing the bus hub was not the only problematic area in Dunedin's city centre. The report revealed most documented "victimisation" in the city centre occurred very early on Sunday morning. " I don't think that's a youth issue," Cr Robertson said. "This is a whole-of-community issue. "I think it requires collaboration," Cr Robertson said. "It requires looking at the hub. "It requires looking broader than that as well to the central city." Council chief executive Richard Saunders suggested there was more of a leadership role for the Dunedin City Council in safety issues than the regional council. "The issues largely arise in public space, which are the responsibility of the territorial authorities," Mr Saunders said. "So they have a critical role to play in the management of that public space and any bylaws that may seek to change behaviours in that space. "The fact that the group is focused on inner-city safety, not bus hub safety, speaks to the role of DCC in terms of that overall management of that public space through the city. "They won't achieve anything on their own, but the leadership, I think, is quite a critical piece. "And I suspect the reference in here points more to leadership in the public space than it does within the transport network." The city council has been approached for comment.
Otago Daily Times
6 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Bus hub: Focus on central city safety
Preventing crime at Dunedin's bus hub could hinge on ensuring threats are responded to rapidly, deploying prominent patrols and adjusting the area's design, a report suggests. Stronger accountability and ensuring collaboration across agencies delivers results also shape as priorities for improving safety in the central city. A review of safety plans from cities in New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom is set to be discussed by the Otago Regional Council on Thursday. Options were not presented, but the material "will be used to assist with actions going forward", a report said. The bus hub in Great King St was the scene of a fatal stabbing last year of 16-year-old Enere McLaren-Taana. A survey of 1300 Dunedin secondary school students subsequently found 45% did not feel safe in the inner city and harassment of girls was rife. A multi-agency advisory group was established after the stabbing and, this year, the regional council - a leading partner in the group - commissioned the safety review by Collective Strategy. "Its purpose is to identify effective strategies and practical insights that can be applied to enhance safety in Dunedin's central city, particularly around the Dunedin bus hub, a known hotspot for youth-related safety concerns," its executive summary said. Victimisation data from last year obtained from police showed the area around the bus hub and parts of the Octagon had a higher concentration of reported crime. The highest number of offences occurred early on Sunday mornings and after-school hours on weekdays. Creation of flexible, rapid response safety teams was explored in the review. "A co-ordinated and well-defined safety response process that is supported by a reliable and monitored CCTV network is required to ensure these services are well utilised and have the maximum positive impact on safety," the report said. In Dunedin, security services were employed around the bus hub and police had established a beat team to increase foot patrols in the city centre. The review noted a shift towards a culture of prevention was evident in many community safety plans. "Cultural inclusion, social connections, and increasing the prominence and visibility of safety measures are effective measures that cities are implementing to prevent and reduce crime and antisocial behaviour. "By understanding and applying the principles of te Tiriti and building greater awareness of mana whenua connections to the land, we can increase positive interactions in communities and promote shared values of inclusion and respect." Partnership models were discussed in the review. "Regular engagement and communication between a wide range of other agencies was seen as critical to every safety team interviewed. "Having a more focused short-term set of actions is effective when working with a partnership model, as partners have greater clarity about what's required and what they're working towards." Leadership and strong governance were considered vital. "Some teams found that without a senior leader owning the work, there wasn't the necessary authority to make decisions and escalate issues if enough progress wasn't made. "It was common for plans to linger in the realm of 'lots of talking and not much doing' if this leadership wasn't present." In Dunedin, the central city advisory group meets monthly.
Otago Daily Times
6 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Focus on central city safety: Bus hub crime review ready
Preventing crime at Dunedin's bus hub could hinge on ensuring threats are responded to rapidly, deploying prominent patrols and adjusting the area's design, a report suggests. Stronger accountability and ensuring collaboration across agencies delivers results also shape as priorities for improving safety in the central city. A review of safety plans from cities in New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom is set to be discussed by the Otago Regional Council on Thursday. Options were not presented, but the material "will be used to assist with actions going forward", a report said. The bus hub in Great King St was the scene of a fatal stabbing last year of 16-year-old Enere McLaren-Taana. A survey of 1300 Dunedin secondary school students subsequently found 45% did not feel safe in the inner city and harassment of girls was rife. A multi-agency advisory group was established after the stabbing and, this year, the regional council — a leading partner in the group — commissioned the safety review by Collective Strategy. "Its purpose is to identify effective strategies and practical insights that can be applied to enhance safety in Dunedin's central city, particularly around the Dunedin bus hub, a known hotspot for youth-related safety concerns," its executive summary said. Victimisation data from last year obtained from police showed the area around the bus hub and parts of the Octagon had a higher concentration of reported crime. The highest number of offences occurred early on Sunday mornings and after-school hours on weekdays. Creation of flexible, rapid response safety teams was explored in the review. "A co-ordinated and well-defined safety response process that is supported by a reliable and monitored CCTV network is required to ensure these services are well utilised and have the maximum positive impact on safety," the report said. In Dunedin, security services were employed around the bus hub and police had established a beat team to increase foot patrols in the city centre. The review noted a shift towards a culture of prevention was evident in many community safety plans. "Cultural inclusion, social connections, and increasing the prominence and visibility of safety measures are effective measures that cities are implementing to prevent and reduce crime and antisocial behaviour. "By understanding and applying the principles of te Tiriti and building greater awareness of mana whenua connections to the land, we can increase positive interactions in communities and promote shared values of inclusion and respect." Partnership models were discussed in the review. "Regular engagement and communication between a wide range of other agencies was seen as critical to every safety team interviewed. "Having a more focused short-term set of actions is effective when working with a partnership model, as partners have greater clarity about what's required and what they're working towards." Leadership and strong governance were considered vital. "Some teams found that without a senior leader owning the work, there wasn't the necessary authority to make decisions and escalate issues if enough progress wasn't made. "It was common for plans to linger in the realm of 'lots of talking and not much doing' if this leadership wasn't present." In Dunedin, the central city advisory group meets monthly.
