Hamilton police need to do better, councillor says
Hamilton City Councillor slams police for not being visible in the CBD
Hamilton Police need to up their game around central Hamilton, says city councillor Geoff Taylor.
More law enforcement is needed in the CBD to encourage more people to go into the city, Taylor said.
“The police aren’t very active in town,” he said.
People feel intimidated by some of the people who hang around in town and it is putting them off going there, he said.
He said the challenge for the council was to work towards having more police visible in the city.
“If they’re not visible in the city then they’re letting the city down.”
Hamilton resident Lia Mitchell agreed that there was not much of a police presence in town.
“The police could be in town more often,” she said. “I don’t see them around.”
Taylor said the council has been looking at the role of its City Safe staff and whether they can do more.
“It’s the problem of what you can enforce and what you can’t,” he said.
The council’s City Safe staff, who work in the Central City, the Transport Centre and suburban retail areas, lack the power of police in stopping anti-social behaviour once it has started.
