Community Safety

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Gangs

There is increasing concern about the presence and activities of gangs. Central and local government and community groups have a range of responses to addressing gang-related crime and violence.

Local Government New Zealand has recently produced Guidelines for councils:  Identifying, assessing and addressing gang issues.

Councils can apply these guidelines to tackle gang issues in their communities through articulating a common vision, bringing together key agencies and community interests, and helping to forge solutions.

The guidelines are based on the experiences and knowledge of New Zealand councils and international practice.

The guidelines are not prescriptive but offer a variety of options, information and insights into how gang-related issues and activities may be addressed in local communities.

These guidelines complement the Youth Gangs: local response guidelines which is a best practice tool kit for responding to reports of youth gang activity.

Previous central-local government gang-focused forums

Central Government Local Government Social Sector Workshop - July 2009

This workshop gauged local gang-related issues around the country. The report made to the Central Government Local Government Social Sector Forum from this workshop can be found here.  

Local Government Forum on Gangs - November 2008

This was hosted by LGNZ for local government, central agencies and NGOs to share information, experiences, and practical solutions. The forum heard from key central government players including the Police, and the Ministries of Justice (MoJ) and Social Development on government strategies from prevention through to enforcement.  A number of councils also shared their practical experiences of responding to gang activities within their communities.  View the presentations and notes from the forum.

Crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED)

CPTED is a crime prevention tool that uses urban design and effective use of the built environment to help prevent crime by reducing opportunities for crime to occur. 

National guidelines developed by MoJ and LGNZ in 2005 are based on international best practice CPTED principles and have been adapted for New Zealand public spaces. 

The guidelines recognise that one of the most effective methods of reducing crime in public places is to change the physical environment in which crime occurs (situational crime prevention).

Although written primarily for local authorities, the guidelines may also be useful for police, groups working in crime prevention (such as Safer Community Trusts,) architects, urban designers, engineers, and those involved in planning, designing and managing publicly-accessible places.

In 2007 LGNZ and MoJ commissioned research to explore council's knowledge and use of CPTED. The report is available here.

Graffiti Vandalism

Graffiti vandalism is the intentional unlawful defacing of property with writing, markings or graphics.

Graffiti vandalism is an issue for New Zealand local authorities and impacts on the creation of safe, attractive and functional towns and cities. Councils, community groups and government agencies, are taking steps to prevent, manage and eradicate graffiti vandalism.

The Stop Tagging Our Place (STOP) Strategy

In September 2008 the Government launched a nationwide approach to combat graffiti vandalism - the STOP Strategy.   The strategy includes a range of legislative, strategic and operational responses to address graffiti vandalism.   

The How to STOP Graffiti Guide is a practical resource for territorial authorities, schools, businesses and private residents. It outlines the practical steps that can be taken to prevent and manage graffiti vandalism within communities and includes guidelines on best practice. The Guide can be downloaded from the MoJ website. 

More information about the strategy is available on the MoJ website. 

Legislation

The links below relate to graffiti offences as provided by the Summary Offences (Tagging and Graffiti Vandalism) Amendment Act 2008 and enacted in the Summary Offences Act 1981 - sections 11,11A, 11B, 14A and 14B. The Crimes Act 1961 also contains one graffiti-related offence - section 269(2):

Beat Graffiti Guide

The Beat Graffiti Guide (pdf) was developed by LGNZ and a number of councils to provide practical guidance and information for councils seeking to address graffiti vandalism in their communities.  It includes information about:  

  • being strategic in your local response
  • tools for managing graffiti
  • establishing partnerships
  • successful implementation.

Previous graffiti-focused workshops

In 2006 a Beat Graffiti workshop was held. The presentations from this workshop are available: