Police Commissioner Andrew Coster has announced an additional 21 police officers will be deployed to Auckland CBD amid safety concerns in the central city.
The announcement came on the same day the Government revealed more details on how its boot camps for young offenders will work.
The boost to police numbers will be in place from July 1, Police Minister Mark Mitchell and Associate Police Minister Casey Costello said.
It will bring the total number of beat police in the CBD to 51 by the end of July.
"Nobody should have to fear walking down Queen Street, or constantly worry when their business will be the victim of retail crime," Mitchell said.
The extra 21 Auckland CBD officers will work in the busiest spaces, from Karangahape Road to downtown and along the Viaduct.
"Our intent is to move to a 24/7 beat model in the CBD, working on a rostered basis with five teams, each led by a Sergeant, to increase Police visibility around the clock," Cmmr Coster said.
"Increased visibility deters crime and encourages a sense of safety through positive engagement with the public and business owners."
Police also announced the establishment of community beat teams for towns and cities that will be rolled out over the next two years.
Auckland will be the first to see the teams in place, with 63 officers deployed across its three policing districts, 17 in Wellington, and 10 in Christchurch, with additional officers to be deployed in towns and regional centres over time.
Cmmr Coster said community beat teams will be staffed from additional constabulary officers confirmed in Budget 24.
Boot camps
Children's Minister Karen Chhour announced the Government is introducing a new young serious offender sentencing category to ensure they face tougher consequences, such as being sent to a boot camp.
Chhour said the new category will provide more options for the Youth Court and Police to hold young offenders accountable and make interventions.
"We know that small numbers of young people are committing a significant proportion of youth crime in New Zealand," she said.
Under the new category, young offenders could be sent to a military-style academy or be subjected to a greater use of electronic and judicial monitoring. Police will also have the power to arrest a young person without a warrant for non-compliance with conditions of an order or a breach of their bail conditions.
"These interventions will not only benefit their lives in the long run but will reduce the number of victims they are creating," Chhour said.
The pilot boot camp will be at the youth justice facility in Palmerston North.
"The pilot will be run for 10 young people already in youth justice facilities and feature a three-month residence stage, followed by a nine-month community phase. Participants will follow a specially created curriculum and syllabus, with daily activities to support their health, learning and wellbeing. This will include military-style activities."
Chhour said Oranga Tamariki has worked closely with the New Zealand Defence Force, the Ministry of Justice, New Zealand Police, local mana whenua and other community groups to design the pilot.
"The key difference from what we've done before in these types of programmes is that the majority of time will be spent focusing on transition back to the community, making sure the teenagers are well set up for the future including a pathway into education, training or employment," Chhour said.
Under the planned law, a Youth Court judge will have the final say on declaring someone a Young Serious Offender. A young person will be eligible if:
- they are 14 to 17 years old at the time of offending
- have had two offences punishable by imprisonment of 10 years or more proven in court
- are assessed as being likely to reoffend, with previous interventions having proven unsuccessful.
