KEY POINTS:
Private security guards on the streets of the country's largest city could help the police by providing extra eyes and ears, says a city councillor.
Dick Quax, a councillor on Manukau City Council, said today a council proposal to hire 50 private security guards to patrol the streets of Manukau City in an effort to reduce crime was not the complete answer but it would help.
"I believe we can do our bit in assisting the police," Mr Quax said.
The suggestion of private security guards to help police patrol was made as the crime rate in south Auckland soared in the last few weeks with several homicides.
The move was supported by police, The New Zealand Herald reported today.
Anything that would contribute to crime prevention was welcomed by police, said Senior Sergeant Denise Traill, from Counties Manukau police.
Mr Quax said the guards would be paid for by ratepayers.
"If the Government isn't prepared to stump up with an adequate number of police officers to protect people in Manukau and to protect their property, then it falls on another party and unfortunately in this case it looks as though that other party may be the Manukau City Council."
National Party police spokesman Chester Borrows, a former policeman, said the Government should explain why a city council felt so neglected it was considering hiring private security guards.
"That the council is contemplating such a move after such high-profile problems is a shocking indictment on this Government's response to violent crime.
"It's the Government's job to make our streets safe, not hard-pressed ratepayers, who are already paying central government taxes for that," he said in a statement.
However, Manukau Counties police district area commander, Superintendent Steve Shortland, said there were sufficient police to cover "business as usual times" in Manukau but peaks of "three homicides in a short span of time" put a big demand on police resources.
"There is not that much left in reserve and fortunately we have been able to draw on staff from the Auckland region," he told Radio New Zealand today.
He said when extra staff were needed, they were available.
However, he said any move to increase the visibility of people in authority, including security guards, was endorsed by police.
"We have a project running called mellow yellow where we and the council work very closely to get people out in high visibility jackets, whether they be police officers or not. The idea is that people will see there is someone in authority in a public place and that should deter them from offending," Mr Shortland said.
Mr Quax said a report on the proposal should be available in six or eight weeks and the council would look at the cost, and the numbers involved before making a decision.
"I expect there will be some private security officers on the streets and in the town centres of Manukau in the not too distant future."
He said it was already being done and during the last Christmas holidays private security offices were on patrol.
"We will be talking about making it all year round."
However, he said it may also be an "on-call" service available to police when police resources were particularly heavily stretched.
- NZPA
