But some Santa Monica Drive locals want the Tauranga City Council to also install a camera, with one saying lighting is not enough, and another saying residents are “living in fear”.
The council, which monitors a network of about 500 CCTV cameras, says these are not installed in residential areas for privacy reasons.
Brendon Burchell said he staked out the walkway at night after his home was targeted several times, starting with “four big stones” thrown at his house on June 28, causing about $4000 worth of damage to his van and damaging his garage door.
A pensioner living nearby said a rock went through her bathroom window one night near midnight and “sounded like a bomb” as it broke.
The council walkway in Pāpāmoa connects Santa Monica Drive and Percy Rd. Photo / Megan Wilson
The two residents called on the council to install a security camera and lighting at the walkway to deter the vandalising behaviour.
The council’s Tauranga Transport Operations Centre team leader Richard Eaton said this week it appreciated how distressing this type of behaviour could be for residents.
“In response to the concerns raised by Brendon and others, we will be looking into options for lighting in the walkway, with a view to improve this for our Pāpāmoa community.”
Eaton said the council did not have plans to install CCTV cameras in or near the walkway.
“We encourage the community to report any antisocial behaviour to police, who are the lead agency on these matters.”
'We’re actually living in fear here’
The pensioner – who did not want to be named for privacy reasons – said it was “great” the council was looking to light the walkway but she was disappointed a camera would not be installed.
“We’re actually living in fear here.”
Burchell said he appreciated the council’s efforts, but “I still think it’s falling short”.
He said he believed lighting the walkway would “improve the situation” but “the thing that’s going to stop people is a camera, not the lighting”.
“I’m sort of thankful but I’m quite disappointed as well to hear that if they’re not going to put in a camera.
Pāpāmoa resident Brendon Burchell appreciates the council's efforts to look into lighting the walkway but says it is "falling short" by not installing a security camera. Photo / Megan Wilson
“We’ve installed cameras but we can only film so far up that walkway and the only way this behaviour’s going to stop [is] if these people are caught on CCTV and held to account.”
Burchell said he believed the council should consult with the impacted residents first.
He said if it was “a money issue”, he would rather have a camera than the lighting as some security cameras had night vision.
Burchell said many neighbours had voiced their concerns to him about the walkway after publication of the article, in which he said the area was being “terrorised” by vandals using the walkway as an “escape route”.
Curach said he would “absolutely promote” a CCTV camera “if it was effective as a further solution to the lighting”.
In his view, ”A staged approach might be sensible where we install some lighting and just look at the situation update in terms of how much personal security that would create … and then consider stage two, being the installation of the security cameras.”
Police previously said they had no available lines of inquiry on the rock-throwing reports last month but had stepped up patrols in the area.
In response to Burchell and the pensioner’s latest comments, Eaton said the council did not install CCTV cameras in residential areas “for privacy reasons”.
“We only install CCTV cameras in some locations, such as near arterial roads.”
Eaton said the council was in the “early stages” of exploring options for lighting near the walkway.
“If we do find a suitable option to progress, we will consult with neighbours to ensure we can reach an outcome that promotes safety but also prevents light spilling into homes.”
A list of about 500 CCTV camera locations is published on the council’s website.
Pāpāmoa locations include the public toilets at the Domain, library, community centre, and Pāpāmoa Beach Rd and Domain Rd.
