Auckland Central Candidate Jacinda Ardern has spent a late night on Karangahape Rd with police and after a firsthand look, is confident good work is going in to make the street safer. The popular party street, frequented by many in the glbt community, has become a melting pot of diverse bars and clubs over the past few years and there have been anecdotal reports of an increase in violence and drunken disorder. On Saturday morning 40-year-old Trevor Kaukau was found unconscious near the intersection with Pitt St and he remains in a serious condition in Auckland Hospital. A 20-year-old man will appear in court today charged with assault. Police, politicians and a collective of bar owners are all working on initiatives to make the road safer in the wee hours. Ardern, a sitting Labour List MP, and Waitemata Local Board Chair Shale Chambers spent a Friday night on the road with Auckland Area Commander Inspector Andy Coster, after midnight. "It was a chance for us to see and hear firsthand what some of the issues are from the police’s perspective, and discuss some of the possible initiatives," Ardern says. "It’s clear that the seasons have a bit of an effect. The police tell me the issues haven’t been quite so bad over the winter months, but they are still pressing ahead with changes to help improve the situation, like the staggered rostering we called for a few months back which will hopefully lead to more of a presence at critical times." Ardern says one thing that would still make a difference would be closing off some of the back streets to parking after certain hours. "Those running licensed premises continue to have issues with people coming into the area, drinking in their cars and then going into bars pretty intoxicated. It also seems to be making some of the violence issues worse. I would be really interested to hear what local businesses thought of this as an idea to curb some of our problems, as it of course will impact their customers, not all of whom will be causing issues. "Otherwise, I think we’ll all need to keep working together to turn the situation around, but good work is already happening thanks to the community coming together. I’m still keen to hear from people if they have any further ideas of what we can be doing." Jacinda Ardern can be contacted at Jacinda.Ardern@parliament.govt.nz
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Wednesday, 29th June 2011 - 12:26pm