News Release

4 July 2014

Two new community safety initiatives in Henderson

Auckland Mayor Len Brown has welcomed two new initiatives to enhance community confidence and safety in the Henderson town centre.

The initiatives follow meetings with the community and local businesses following the death of dairy owner Arun Kumar.

The Police have announced details of additional resources they will be providing in the area and the Henderson Massey Local Board has announced plans to fund a network of CCTV security cameras in the town centre.

Len Brown says: “It’s great to see the community in the west coming together to deal with the issues facing Henderson, with the support of the police, the local board and business in the area. I particularly appreciate the extra resources being provided by the police and the local board and I want to assure people that this is part of an ongoing process and further announcements can be expected.”

As part of the Police approach, a specific crime-prevention operation will involve the deployment of five additional officers to patrol the Henderson town centre.

Inspector Rob Cochrane, Waitakere Area Commander says: "This is on top of the foot and mobile patrols that have been performed daily by our staff for the past nine months. For the duration of the operation, the extra staff will join the frontline Waitakere Police Officers, the Henderson Community Constable, Constables from the Massey Police Station and the Pacific and Ethnic wardens in patrolling the town centre. We're committed to ensuring that people in the area feel safe, we've listened to their concerns and as well as walking through the streets speaking to people and looking for any signs of trouble when we do our foot patrols, what we'll also be doing is actually going into the shops and talking to the retailers along the way, so that they feel reassured that we are there."

The Henderson Massey Local Board has announced that it will be funding the provision of CCTV security cameras in the town centre.

Board Chair Vanessa Neeson says: “The west has really come together in response to what has happened in Henderson. I have been to all the meetings that have been held since Mr Kumar’s death and I am absolutely aware of the concerns on local people and businesses. The Local Board is determined to play a strong role along that of the police, the business community, voluntary agencies and the rest of Auckland Council. CCTV security cameras are a really, concrete way of dealing with some of the issues we are facing in Henderson in the long term.”

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