John MacDonald: Christchurch council's shameful response to CBD crime

Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald

What have we come to when retailers and businesses have to launch a petition to try and get the Police and local council to sit-up and listen to their concerns about violence, intimidation, homelessness and crime in the central city?

We’ve come to it, and that is exactly what one retail manager in downtown Christchurch is doing today. He's taking action after one of his staff members was at work, doing their job and - without any warning at all - found themselves being attacked by someone who just walked in off the street and punched him in the face.

What made it all the more random is that another staff member had been outside on their break and had been talking to one of the homeless people outside.

When they went back into the shop and went out back to put their things away and get back to work, the homeless person followed them into the store and, I don’t know whether it was mistaken identity or what, but the homeless person punched a different staff member in the face and walked out again.

The retailer called the Police when it happened, but the cops were a no-show.

And that wasn’t just a one-off, this retailer tells us that the Police regularly don’t turn up if there’s trouble.

It’s not the first time we’ve heard this sort of thing. I remember speaking to another retailer who said he could throw a tennis ball from his business to the central police station but, whenever he’s called up for police assistance, it’s been a wasted effort. Because what he’s called about hasn’t been a priority for the Police.

As the online petition launched today says: “Business owners, shoppers and tourists alike are put at risk on a daily basis from the crime that runs rampant down Colombo Street and Cashel Street.

“Working in the city centre, we witness physical assaults, drugs dealt in daylight, indecent exposure and verbal harassment on a daily, if not weekly basis. And when police are called about this crime taking place, little to no action is made.

“We feel unsafe working, shopping and exploring in the heart of our city. We urge the council to allocate funding towards security measures and for the Government to intervene by helping provide more support from police.”

And I’m very glad that this petition isn’t just targeted at the Police. It’s also pointing the finger at the Christchurch City Council which I think has been woeful in its support for central city businesses that are so desperate, that they’re still pouring money into their own security patrols in the CBD. That is shameful.

Remember this is a council led by mayor Phil Mauger who banged on before the election last year that he wanted Christchurch to be “the best place to live, work, invest and play in New Zealand”.

When are you going to put your money where your mouth is, Phil?

Because the people who put their money on the line every day - the retailers and business owners in downtown Christchurch - are crying out for help. And Phil, your council’s treatment of them has been shameful.

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