Dunedin’s new Central City Safety Advisory Group has begun considering options to improve safety around the bus hub area, Dunedin Mayor Jules Radich says.
The new multi-agency working group was established following the death of Trinity Catholic College pupil Enere McLaren-Taana, 16, on May 23.
Mr Radich, who chairs a governance group overseeing the advisory group’s work, said the focus was on developing short, medium and long-term options to improve safety and the culture of behaviour at the bus hub and across the central city.
"Everyone involved is united in a shared commitment to ensuring our central city is a safe place for all of us, beginning at the bus hub. The challenges involved are complex and we all need to work together to find solutions," Mr Radich said
The group met last week to begin their work.
Topics up for discussion focused on community concerns about the bus hub, including bus routes, security, the physical space available for people waiting for buses, young people using the hub as a meeting space, and the need for ownership and leadership in the area.
The number of police patrols and security guards in the area had already increased following the tragedy on May 23, and an increase in CCTV operations around the hub and wider CBD was expected to follow, Mr Radich said.
The advisory group would continue to work with community partners to understand the issues and reflect on the initiatives already in place at the hub, whether they were the right options and what more could be done to address the concerns being raised.
