The number of beat police officers in the Auckland CBD increased by 21 officers this week, but they are not based out of a central city station. File photo. Photo: RNZ / Richard Tindiller
Police say their Auckland premises are not fit to promote community safety - but it does not have the funding for a new central city police hub.
In briefings to the Police Minister Mark Mitchell in May, police said a new base around Aotea Square would improve visibility and accessibility to police, and be a more effective response base for central city beat teams.
But it noted "considerable funding pressure" in its property investment plan, and said new funding will be needed to fit out any potential site.
Improving public safety around the CBD has been a focus of police for the past 12 months, it said.
It noted that crime reports overall had not seen change year on year - while reports of robbery and breaking and entering were down by 19 percent and 12 percent respectively, reports of theft were up by 3 percent, and sexual assaults by 12 percent.
Increases in anti-social behaviour, social housing and emergency accommodation, alcohol and drugs, and the impact of city rail link construction were all reasons people are feeling more unsafe in the CBD, the documents read.
Beat police dedicated to the CBD have increased by 21 officers this week, but they are not based out of a central city station. They are deployed from a premises on Federal Street.
Federal Street is not a public-facing station - to talk to police face-to-face, the public have to go to the College Hill police station in Freemans Bay, a nearly 30-minute walk from the Britomart end of Queen Street.
"The deployment of existing beat resource is from premises located on Federal Street. This base is not accessible to the public and does not provide an effective point of presence to promote visibility and feelings of community safety," the briefing read.
"Police is exploring potential options for a new policing base, including any potential sites available through sector partners. Fit-out works will require new funding or re-prioritisation of Police's existing property investment plan which remains under considerable funding pressure."
In a memo in June, the issue of funding came up again.
"Police is exploring options to provide a functional police base. As there is no specific funding presently set aside for this purpose, achieving this outcome will be dependent on either securing low-cost space, re-prioritisation or new funding."
Heart of the City chief executive Viv Beck said while the police presence had been improved in recent months, a downtown police station would take it further.
"Having a downtown police station we believe would help to speed up response, act as a deterrent, because we'd always have police on-hand and visible, and it would also provide access for people who are here, who really want to go into a station and raise issues, there's somewhere for them to go."
She said any downtown police station should be public-facing.
"There are various options that could be considered, but I know there are certainly people in the community that would like it to be public facing. Ultimately that will be a matter for police, but the fact that there is a presence, a very visible presence, is important."
She said police had been open about exploring a partnership with the private sector to find a downtown police station.
"People saying 'well, I've got space here', and obviously that needs to match with what the police requirements are, so that's not necessarily an easy match, but the minister and police have made it clear there's a willingness to look at different options."
