Report from Crime Prevention Coalition (Whangarei) - Causes, crime prevention, solutions - May to June 2023 - Round 1
Introduction
"On behalf of the organizers and the community, I would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to all the participants who attended the crime prevention public forum May to June 2023. Your presence and active engagement made this event a great success. We appreciate your valuable insights, ideas, and suggestions on how to make our community safer and more secure. Your commitment to crime prevention is inspiring, and we hope that you will continue to work with us to create a safer and more peaceful community for everyone. Thank you for your time, effort, and dedication to this important cause."
Please credit our group and the people who shared their responses if you decide to reference our work any where).
We visited Whangarei, Hikurangi, Oakura, Ngunguru, Tikipunga, Whananaki for community feedback.
Crime in Whangarei is a persistent and complex issue that impacts individuals, families, communities and societies as a whole.
Crime can take many forms, including violence, theft, drug abuse, and others, and can have severe consequences on the safety and wellbeing of those affected by it.
While some crime is committed by individuals who are mentally ill or under the influence of drugs, research has shown that economic, social, and environmental factors can also contribute to criminal behavior.
Improving community safety is essential in reducing crime rates, and this calls for the involvement of everyone, from the government to individuals living in the community. Improvement can be achieved through effective crime prevention measures such as community policing, neighborhood watch programmes, and running Public Forums like Crime Prevention Coalition (Whangarei) has - to get in place to get an idea of Causes, How community safety can be improved, and Crime Prevention Solutions; and surveillance systems. Community members can work together to identify potential hazards and develop strategies to address them, such as lighting up dark alleys and improving public transportation to reduce opportunities for crimes.
Effective crime prevention is dependent on reliable and current data analysis and assessment, which can help identify patterns and trends in criminal activity. Even better is talking to people face to face.
Improved education and job opportunities, as well as access to mental health and substance abuse treatment, can also go a long way in preventing criminal behavior. By building strong community relationships, we can create safer environments for ourselves and future generations
Communities have their own way of doing things - let them do things they see fit for their community
Crime Prevention Coalition (Whangarei) wanted rural and coastal input - because many forget to include them - where important decisions are to be nade. . They are part of Whangarei Districts and theirs and other's voices count.
Crime Prevention Solutions?
Make the family unit important again - return people's sense of selfworth: by building them up rather than breaking g them down.
Get people involved
Community inputting ideas that can be turned into solutions
More activity options after hours
More Funding for Community events
Create opportunities and spaces downtown and even in the suburbs as a form of residential development
Stop relying on the Govt to fix things.
Definitely more mental health support required in our communities - Urban, rural, coastal
More support from everyone in the community including those with mental health issues
More Police and stricter punishment with follow-through in Court.
Police the Parents to be better Parents.
More Education
Law enforcement
More groups like Crime Prevention Coalition (Whangarei)
Look after each other
Gardening increases empathy.
Seeing whanau as the solution - not the problem.
Whole hapori (kinship family, society, community, approach based on values.
Have neighbours contact details. Walk around neighbour's properties when they are away for extended periods.
Promote the crime stoppers number as an avenue to report suspicious behaviour with anonymity.
When house is vacated for extended periods, put timers on lights.
Create email/whats app group for your neighbours or street.
Security cameras - private and public
What do you think has caused an increase in crime in Whangarei Districts?
Higher dependency on substances, drugs, alcohol; and phones📱 Phones give you access to everything and limits alot of time that can be spent talking face to face.
Lack of parenting education.
Many factors - human and environmental designed
Something to think about. Is there an increase in crime or are we just more aware through social media.
Poverty and lack of opportunity.
The people at the top.
Lack of resources and interest - even in crimes being committed. All driven by the Govt's agenda to reduce us to a divided nation - at all levels.
Cost of living
Covid created fear. Youth became disconnected from school, and jobs.
People are afraid to speak out.
Lack of police presence in Rural areas.
No accountability.
Too many if our young people not having respect for their Elders.
Elders not respecting youth by not funding educational and mental health support for youth - who may not get the support they need at home.
As a community we need to offer compassionate and patient support for youth experiencing trauma and hardship. We can't expect responsibility from people whose role models haven't shown them reliable kindness.
How could community safety be improved?
Define Community Safety
Start with what matters to whanau to identify where to invest.
Get to know your neighbours.
More Patrols to make their presence heard and felt.
High visibility - People being seen out and about
More pedestrian-friendly outdoor public improvements, bringing the community outside and into public spaces often.
More funds in schools for one-on-one teacher aide support for kids with special needs and abilities including supporting those kids who are falling through the cracks.
More funds to support low-income people so they feel like they have more legal ways to support themselves. This can be in the form of free job training, free and good quality childcare better Healthcare which is useful for people with challenging work and childcare scheduled.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Need to amplify what Whangarei has to offer that attracts people to live, learn, work and play here.
Give visibility to the best we have rather than the worst (which is less than).
Conclusion and Recommendations
In conclusion, crime is a complex issue with multiple causes, including poverty, lack of education, mental illness, and drug addiction. However, by implementing effective prevention strategies, communities can improve safety and reduce crime rates. These strategies include increasing community policing, providing education and job opportunities, addressing mental health and addiction issues, and promoting positive youth development programs.
By working together, communities can create a safer and more secure environment for everyone. It is important to remember that preventing crime requires a long-term commitment and a collaborative effort from all members of society.
Implement Crime Prevention Solutions
Be aware of some of the things happening in our community.
If you missed any of our community input crime prevention forums, we will be doing the rounds again and adding more to this report.
To assist people we are going to turn the Crime Prevention Solutions into project sheets that you, your family, and the community can implement. The project sheets serve as a guide only and you can add what you see fit to which ever project you want to carry out.
Fiona Green
ADMINISTRATOR - CRIME PREVENTION
COALITION (WHANGAREI)
11 June 2023
White collar crime in Whangarei is prolific .People in positions of trust,higher education,power and financial means use the community of Whangarei as their playground to inflict devastation to families and individuals with no remorse.If your lucky you get an opportunity to speak to a community lawyer if not your left to suffer. I would rather be beaten to a pulp by a stranger,at least there would be help