'Significant' bus hub disorder included BB gun
Security guards recorded an average of one "significant" incident every 10 days after taking over at Dunedin's bus hub in the wake of last year's fatal stabbing, official information shows.
However, police said the busy city centre transport link was safer now than it used to be.
A multi-agency group formed in the aftermath of the fatal stabbing of 16-year-old Enere McLaren-Taana in May last year — chaired by Otago coastal prevention manager Inspector Sam Ramsay — "finalised a delivery roadmap" for change in February.
Insp Ramsay said keys to that roadmap included initiatives to "transform the bus hub environment and operations" and enhance security and patrolling.
The quality of security patrols at the Great King St bus hub was dragged into the spotlight in the wake of the fatal stabbing.
Before being replaced by First Security, the previous firm, Allied Security, reported guards patrolling the bus hub were spat on, kicked and harassed after the incident.
Now, First Security weekly incident reports released by the Otago Regional Council under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act show antisocial behaviour persists — including intoxication and smoking and vaping in smoke free zones.
But those types of incidents vastly outnumbered the "aggressive behaviour" observed by patrols.
Among the incidents detailed in the report was a "young lady" on February 27 observed with what was at first thought to be a gun, but was later identified as a BB gun.
The "young lady" reportedly "slipped it under her leg", but it was "clear it was not a phone", the incident report said.
Police were advised and asked the security guards to keep an eye on her while they arranged backup.
The BB gun was discharged "several times in a non-threatening direction, off to one side and towards a small wall", the report said.
Seven police officers attended and took control of the BB gun, resulting in "little impact on the general public".
The reports do not indicate which incidents are categorised as significant, but identified 13 such incidents from November 14 to April 6 (the period covered by the official information provided),
The reports showed 11 times over that period those incidents were reported to police, but police were only called six times this year. December led the way with police assistance required four times.
Police came under the spotlight after the fatal stabbing, in part because the teenager was stabbed about 50m from the Dunedin central police station.
Now, when asked if the bus hub was safer than at the time of the stabbing, Insp Ramsay referenced the multi-agency Central City Safety Advisory group and said "police have been working with our partners to make the bus hub safer".
He said, in February, the group finalised its roadmap that "prioritised and planned" short, medium and long-term actions to improve safety in and around the bus hub area while also considering the wider context of safety in the city.
Four key areas were identified during the workshop which would form the basis of initiatives hoped to have an impact.
"They are: cultivate positive values and culture; transform the bus hub environment and operations; enhance safety, security and patrolling; empower youth through reporting and education."
He said police now had a sergeant and four fulltime constables undertaking foot patrols on early and late shifts.
At times, that number increased as part of probationary training or induction.
"We deploy the teams based on evidence and demand, and they could cover any area of Dunedin."
hamish.maclean@odt.co.nz
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Otago Daily Times
4 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
'Significant' bus hub disorder included BB gun
Security guards recorded an average of one "significant" incident every 10 days after taking over at Dunedin's bus hub in the wake of last year's fatal stabbing, official information shows. However, police said the busy city centre transport link was safer now than it used to be. A multi-agency group formed in the aftermath of the fatal stabbing of 16-year-old Enere McLaren-Taana in May last year — chaired by Otago coastal prevention manager Inspector Sam Ramsay — "finalised a delivery roadmap" for change in February. Insp Ramsay said keys to that roadmap included initiatives to "transform the bus hub environment and operations" and enhance security and patrolling. The quality of security patrols at the Great King St bus hub was dragged into the spotlight in the wake of the fatal stabbing. Before being replaced by First Security, the previous firm, Allied Security, reported guards patrolling the bus hub were spat on, kicked and harassed after the incident. Now, First Security weekly incident reports released by the Otago Regional Council under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act show antisocial behaviour persists — including intoxication and smoking and vaping in smoke free zones. But those types of incidents vastly outnumbered the "aggressive behaviour" observed by patrols. Among the incidents detailed in the report was a "young lady" on February 27 observed with what was at first thought to be a gun, but was later identified as a BB gun. The "young lady" reportedly "slipped it under her leg", but it was "clear it was not a phone", the incident report said. Police were advised and asked the security guards to keep an eye on her while they arranged backup. The BB gun was discharged "several times in a non-threatening direction, off to one side and towards a small wall", the report said. Seven police officers attended and took control of the BB gun, resulting in "little impact on the general public". The reports do not indicate which incidents are categorised as significant, but identified 13 such incidents from November 14 to April 6 (the period covered by the official information provided), The reports showed 11 times over that period those incidents were reported to police, but police were only called six times this year. December led the way with police assistance required four times. Police came under the spotlight after the fatal stabbing, in part because the teenager was stabbed about 50m from the Dunedin central police station. Now, when asked if the bus hub was safer than at the time of the stabbing, Insp Ramsay referenced the multi-agency Central City Safety Advisory group and said "police have been working with our partners to make the bus hub safer". He said, in February, the group finalised its roadmap that "prioritised and planned" short, medium and long-term actions to improve safety in and around the bus hub area while also considering the wider context of safety in the city. Four key areas were identified during the workshop which would form the basis of initiatives hoped to have an impact. "They are: cultivate positive values and culture; transform the bus hub environment and operations; enhance safety, security and patrolling; empower youth through reporting and education." He said police now had a sergeant and four fulltime constables undertaking foot patrols on early and late shifts. At times, that number increased as part of probationary training or induction. "We deploy the teams based on evidence and demand, and they could cover any area of Dunedin."
Otago Daily Times
4 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Antisocial behaviour still persisting at hub
Security guards recorded an average of one "significant" incident every 10 days after taking over at Dunedin's bus hub in the wake of last year's fatal stabbing, official information shows. However, police said the busy city centre transport link was safer now than it used to be. A multi-agency group formed in the aftermath of the fatal stabbing of 16-year-old Enere McLaren-Taana in May last year — chaired by Otago coastal prevention manager Inspector Sam Ramsay — "finalised a delivery roadmap" for change in February. Insp Ramsay said keys to that roadmap included initiatives to "transform the bus hub environment and operations" and enhance security and patrolling. The quality of security patrols at the Great King St bus hub was dragged into the spotlight in the wake of the fatal stabbing. Before being replaced by First Security, the previous firm, Allied Security, reported guards patrolling the bus hub were spat on, kicked and harassed after the incident. Now, First Security weekly incident reports released by the Otago Regional Council under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act show antisocial behaviour persists — including intoxication and smoking and vaping in smoke free zones. But those types of incidents vastly outnumbered the "aggressive behaviour" observed by patrols. Among the incidents detailed in the report was a "young lady" on February 27 observed with what was at first thought to be a gun, but was later identified as a BB gun. The "young lady" reportedly "slipped it under her leg", but it was "clear it was not a phone", the incident report said. Police were advised and asked the security guards to keep an eye on her while they arranged backup. The BB gun was discharged "several times in a non-threatening direction, off to one side and towards a small wall", the report said. Seven police officers attended and took control of the BB gun, resulting in "little impact on the general public". The reports do not indicate which incidents are categorised as significant, but identified 13 such incidents from November 14 to April 6 (the period covered by the official information provided), The reports showed 11 times over that period those incidents were reported to police, but police were only called six times this year. December led the way with police assistance required four times. Police came under the spotlight after the fatal stabbing, in part because the teenager was stabbed about 50m from the Dunedin central police station. Now, when asked if the bus hub was safer than at the time of the stabbing, Insp Ramsay referenced the multi-agency Central City Safety Advisory group and said "police have been working with our partners to make the bus hub safer". He said, in February, the group finalised its roadmap that "prioritised and planned" short, medium and long-term actions to improve safety in and around the bus hub area while also considering the wider context of safety in the city. Four key areas were identified during the workshop which would form the basis of initiatives hoped to have an impact. "They are: cultivate positive values and culture; transform the bus hub environment and operations; enhance safety, security and patrolling; empower youth through reporting and education." He said police now had a sergeant and four fulltime constables undertaking foot patrols on early and late shifts. At times, that number increased as part of probationary training or induction. "We deploy the teams based on evidence and demand, and they could cover any area of Dunedin."
Otago Daily Times
06-06-2025
- 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.
