Whanganui District Council calls out abuse from members of public

There were 13 reports of threatening behaviour to frontline staff between August last year and January this year. Photo / NZME

Whanganui’s council boss says an email hinting a kidnap threat is an example of the abuse council staff cop on the job.

Whanganui District Council chief executive David Langford says public abuse towards staff remains an issue and security measures are a cost to ratepayers.

A council report said 13 incidents of threatening behaviour were reported between last August and January this year.

They were at customer-facing operations, such as the Davis Library, the Splash Centre, the council building on Guyton St and parking monitoring.

Fifteen incidents were reported over the same period the previous year.

Langford told the council’s risk and assurance committee that staff were experiencing near misses, particularly from the community’s “fringe elements”.

“I receive legal documents from sovereign citizen-esque types of groups, with various threats against myself in my role.

“It is still quite a relevant issue for us.”

Sovereign citizen refers to people who are anti-government and do not believe they are subject to New Zealand laws.

Langford told the Whanganui Chronicle he recently received an email demanding he leave his office immediately and place himself under house arrest.

Whanganui District Council chief executive David Langford. Photo / NZME

“If I didn’t, I would be taken to an undisclosed location. A kidnapping threat, I suppose.

“I didn’t take it seriously but that’s the kind of thing that is completely unnecessary and can be scary.”

Langford told the committee frontline council staff received quite a lot of training on de-escalation techniques, physical safety protocols and evacuation in the event of intruders or attackers entering the building.

Animal control officers and parking wardens are equipped with body cameras.

Councillor Kate Joblin said abuse of staff was a national issue.

“How do we know we are being successful with this training?” she said.

Langford said abuse was one of the hardest council risks to control and tackle.

“So much of it depends on the behaviour of individuals who walk through the door.”

Social scientist and emeritus professor at Massey University Paul Spoonley said three factors had contributed to bad behaviour toward council staff across the country.

“The first is the online world. There is a lot of hate and vitriol directed at people with very few consequences.

“It’s a mandate to voice your dislike.”

Spoonley said trust in authority figures had declined, especially since the latter part of Covid-19.

“The final thing is current politics internationally, and politicians who seem to inspire others to be very vocal about people in any sort of power.

“In New Zealand, it’s directed at politicians but also at council staff, in part, because they are more vulnerable.

“They really don’t have much protection,” he claimed.

Rangitīkei District Council chief executive Carol Gordon said council staff around the country were contending with more abuse from members of the public.

While the number of incidents in her district was comparatively low, “we’re not immune,” she said.

“We’d like people to be mindful that most of our staff live in the community they serve.

“Showing kindness and respect to our staff can go a long way to achieving positive outcomes.”

A report from Ruapehu District Council people, capability and safety manager Lyn Hura said a staff member received support after being sexually harassed by a customer at the Taumarunui Reuse Centre last November.

“Consideration is being given to issuing trespass notices against highly abusive customers,” Hura said.

Langford said trespassing customers was a last resort.

“We don’t take that course of action lightly and it would usually be reserved for repeat offenders who persist in doing things they’ve been asked not to.”

In 2023, a security consultant was brought in to train front-counter staff in Whanganui after they raised concerns over risks to personal safety.

Langford said a possible refurbishment of the front-entrance area of the main council building on Guyton St was “back on the table”.

Paul Spoonley says thanks to the "online world", a lot of hate and vitriol can be directed with very few consequences. Photo / Andrew Warner

“I’ve been hesitant because it was only done a few years ago under the previous management regime and I didn’t want to go and spend ratepayers' money unnecessarily.

“We’ve had several relatively minor incidents but things that could have escalated,” he said.

“Our staff are vulnerable because there isn’t a physical barrier.”

Langford said one incident involved a man leaning across a desk and brushing the hair out of a staff member’s face.

“That is not aggressive but it’s certainly unwanted and inappropriate.”

A lot of people were angry about rates and “perceived waste within council” but training for staff and body cameras cost ratepayers, Langford told the committee.

“If you’re angry about something to do with council, come and talk to me.

“I’m happy to front up, have a discussion and answer those questions.”

Spoonley said council leadership had to make it clear to the community that abusive behaviour was unacceptable.

“We are all going to have to develop systems to provide safe working environments.

“For anybody in a public-facing role, this is now the new reality.

“How do we restore trust in one another and in our core institutions? That is the big challenge.”

Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.