William Keung: Karangahape Precinct Collective chair on the calls for a stronger police presence ahead of CRL opening

Calls for a 24-hour police presence in Auckland's Karangahape precinct before the City Rail Link opens.

Two men are due in court today - after one person was seriously injured on Mercury Lane last night.

Several people were arrested in the weekend after a bar fight nearby.

Karangahape Precinct Collective chair William Keung says there's been a persistent series of anti-social incidents in the area - and concerns have been raised.

"It seems to draw in that crowd that's actually causing the issues and challenges that we've got in play...there's been numerous callouts." 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now there are calls for twenty four hour policing on
K Road in Auckland after two brawls this past weekend.
Both of the incidents happened around the Mercury Lane station
is where the new CRL is going to be. Katang
A Harpy Precinct Collective Chairman William Kern is with us
on this. Hey William, good a heap?

Speaker 2 (00:16):
How are you?

Speaker 1 (00:16):
I'm very well mate. What's going on? Who's brawling?

Speaker 2 (00:20):
Oh? Mate, Look, it's just a series of incidents as
I think, they've have gotten to the point where we
actually need to address some of the issues and concerns
up here. And you know, finally we've sort of released
this sort of statement media statement to get some sort
of traction and address these issues that we're experiencing.

Speaker 1 (00:40):
Okay, so the two brawls that you've had in the
last three nights, is that not unusual? Is that what's
normally happening?

Speaker 2 (00:46):
Well, hey, look, you know you've had that incident on
Sad Day and then you had that major incident last year.
I think if I recall rightly just down a further
up K Road heading up to Ponsby Road, and then
now you've got this incident that happened last night down
in Mercury Lane. I think two people, one was critically injured,

(01:08):
and we just got to the point, now you know,
enough to enough.

Speaker 1 (01:11):
Yeah, fair enough. I'm just trying to establish who it
is that's fighting, have you?

Speaker 2 (01:15):
Is it?

Speaker 1 (01:15):
Because I know K Road has got a lot of
homeless issues. Is it homeless people fighting? Are they druggies fighting?
Are they gang members coming in and fighting? What is it?

Speaker 2 (01:24):
Look, it's a combination of things. And I'm glad you
brought up here the fact. You know, the narrative is
always around about the homeless, and you know that's not
the case up in k Road. If anything, those that
are actually creating the issues and anti social behavior, drug dealing,
drug taking are actually being housed by some of the

(01:44):
actual social services that are within the actual calung A
Happy Road area itself. So I mean, too often we
default to that homelessness theme, and look, that's not the
case at all.

Speaker 1 (01:58):
Okay, Now, the cr station opening up is most likely, I imagine,
going to make it a little bit worse, isn't it,
because it's going to provide shelter for people who want
to be out doing drugs all times of the day.
So is that why you want the police there at
twenty four to seven.

Speaker 2 (02:12):
Well, it's that, and it's also addressing some of the
actual services, like the actual toilet that's adjacent to the
actual main Mercury Lane opening there where it's become the
hub of actually drug deming, drug taking. We've got prostitution
going on and a social behavior just up the road there.
It seems to draw in that crowd that's actually causing

(02:37):
the issues and challenges that we've gone in play.

Speaker 1 (02:39):
Have you talked to the cops about this?

Speaker 2 (02:42):
Oh, look, you know we acknowledge the police presence has increased,
and yes we have. You know, there's been numerous call
outs and look, I can only sort of refer them back,
refer you back to the police for all the stats
on that. But yeah, look there's no failure in us
reporting one of five or one one one when there's incidences.

(03:02):
So yeah, credit to credit due. They're there, but it's insufficient,
you know, we need especially when it's coming out. You know,
we've got the opening very soon, and that's the confidence,
and it's all about confidence, being able to feel like, yeah,
I'm going to use this train station, get on get off.
Whether you're visitor, whether you're a resident, whether your business

(03:24):
owner or customer. We need to have the confidence that
we're going to be able to use these train stations
and be safe.

Speaker 1 (03:34):
Yeah, fair enough, Hey listen, Thanks very much, William, look
after yourself and best luck of this. William kun got
on a happy precinct collective chair.

Speaker 2 (03:40):
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