Queenstown's community guides made a welcome return, but for one evening only, when they showed visiting delegates around the central business district last Wednesday.
Curbing Alcohol Related Violence (Carv) officer Merv Aoake and guides Tamah Carson and Mike Blissett escorted 20 overseas delegates who were in the resort ahead of this week's 17th International Safe Communities Conference in Christchurch.
Mr Aoake said the delegates discussed the objectives and initiatives of Carv, one of them being the community guides, with the team and Queenstown Lakes District Council chief executive Duncan Field before the tour.
"It felt very familiar to wear the high-visibility jacket and walk around the CBD, especially running into door staff and a few overnight workers," Mr Aoake said.
The delegates left with a "very positive impression of what was going on here and what we're trying to achieve", he said. A Canadian delegate had asked if the initiative was going to continue, to which Mr Field replied very favourably.
Mr Aoake said he was preparing a report on the surveys of CBD business owners who were asked about their perceptions of safety, staff parking and vandalism to premises before and after the guides' three-month trial period. The report was likely to be submitted to the QLDC in mid-November.
Mr Field said the council was applying for additional funds for the guides from the Ministry of Justice, and Mr Aoake was writing an evaluation to secure funding in the long-term council community plan next year.
"I'm doing work on CCTV [closed circuit television] security cameras," Mr Field said.
"The current scheme is at the end of its life so we want to think about replacing it. Are cameras better than community guides or guides better than cameras?"
