At the request of the Waipuna Halswell-Hornby-Riccarton Community Board, the meeting assembled key organisations in the area to discuss initiatives that were under way and identify how members of the board could assist with them.
Attendees included both the Hornby and Riccarton community patrols, Neighbourhood Support Canterbury and police, as well as some members of the community board and community governance team.
Christchurch City Council head of community support and partnerships John Filsell said members of the community board provided examples of safety issues identified by residents in the area.
Community board member Mark Peters said at the board meeting there has been “quite a large increase in crime happening around Hornby”.
Examples he mentioned included: “People being in properties, and jumping fences and breaking into vehicles."
A number of residents have spoken to him about it, he said.
Peters said it was of “most concern” that a couple of dairies in Hornby appeared to have closed after one was ram-raided and the other was the victim of an aggravated robbery.
“Plus, there’s a lot of boy racer activity at night around Hornby industrial and also Hornby South areas.”
Peters mentioned that through residents’ association social media pages, among others, they had seen reports of cars being broken into and intruders wandering around properties.
At the community safety meeting, Filsell said the “organisations present outlined what they currently do to support these issues and what support could be offered by the community board in the future”.
Also chewed over was what replications could be made from the safety project under way in the Waimāero Fendalton-Waimairi-Harewood Community Board area, as well as opportunities to contact those in charge of the community safety space and how best to share the key messages of each organisation.
The ideas discussed would be used to create a project plan and next steps will be provided to those who attended the meeting, Filsell said.
It was anticipated that would include a community safety expo where residents can meet with organisations that support safety, and work with online platforms to ensure the community is aware of the right reporting channels and of how to connect with the right organisations.
Peters said there had been a fairly steady increase in crime for a while, but it did seem to be escalating.
“Whether it’s people copycatting offending, one event feeding off another and a chain reaction, it’s something that needs to be nipped in the bud for sure.”
