Crime in Onehunga Public Meeting

Denise Lee MP

Hi Neighbours,

Thank you to everyone who joined us last night at our Crime in Onehunga Public Meeting. Despite the dreary weather, we had a fantastic turnout of 90 people with 16 new sign-ups for Onehunga Community Patrols! A special thank you to Constable Don Allan for your time and speaking on such an important matter.

As some of you will know, this meeting was held in response to the recent spate of assaults in the local area, which were in no way related. Arrests have been made for the first two attacks, and Police continue to investigate the 3rd.

I provided an update on Wilson who is currently in Te Whetu Tawera, the Auckland Mental Health unit, and is being provided the proper care. He is still shaken from the events, but is overwhelmed by the community support. We started a card last night for everyone to sign and send their wishes to him. If you were unable to sign and would like to, please visit the Onehunga Business Association on Onehunga Mall. The card will be there on the counter for you.

We learnt that crime stats in Onehunga have been slowly decreasing over the past couple of years, and that 5% of perpetrators commit 95% of the crime. Police cannot achieve results alone, however. The support of crime prevention volunteer groups and the community is crucially important to combined success. We need to remain vigilant, look out for our neighbours, and know when to report any suspicious activity. Community groups to get involved in include Onehunga Community Patrols and Neighbourhood Support.

We also handed out a safety information document to everyone, alongside important safety contact numbers. If you would like a copy of either, please contact my office on 0800 DENISEMP or deniseleemp@parliament.govt.nz.