Whakatane District Council has a partnership with the Crime Prevention Unit (Ministry of Justice) to work together in reducing crime. As a result, the Safer Whakatane and Districts Community Council (SWDCC) was set up to help reduce crime in the District.
Key issues identified for the Whakatane District include:
- family violence
- dishonesty through burglaries and petty crime
- drug and alcohol abuse
- youth offending
- graffiti and vandalism
To address these issues a number of programmes are currently operating. Long-term planning and the development of sustainable crime prevention initiatives have been created for the Whakatane district. These programme include the CrossRoads Programme - (PDF, 95Kb) for 14 and 17-year-old males, Tag off programme to deal with graffiti and acts of vandalism and the CCTV.
Youth Issues
Engaging young people is important for the future development of any community. As part of its youth activities, a Youth Council has been set up to provide a platform for young people to inform the Council’s decision-making processes. The Youth Council has 16 members and meets eight times a year.
Parent Pack
The Parent Pack provides parents of teenagers with some useful hints on how to deal with issues such as drugs, alcohol, driving, and sexuality information and experimentation.
Endorsed by the Mayor of Whakatane, the Parent Pack notes, "One of the most important factors in any relationship between a parent and their child is the establishment and implementation of strong and enforceable boundaries.
“...boundaries provide safe, stable benchmarks from which to make decisions..."
Download a copy of the Parent Pack
For more information you can call the Safer Communities Coordinator on 07 306 0500 or email: Safer Communities.
Read more:
Safer Communities Volume 1 (.doc, 489Kb)
Safer Communities Volume 2 (.doc, 522Kb)
Safer Communities Plan 2005-06 (.doc, 41Kb)
Liquor Ban
A liquor ban is becoming a common tactic to make central business areas and holiday resorts safer places for everyone to enjoy. The concept of the liquor ban has come in gradually and improvements have been made and mistakes have been corrected.
The District Council, Police and other interested community groups have adopted a collaborative approach towards a safer community for the Whakatane District.
Big road-marking signs have been successfully used to indicate where the liquor ban areas began. In addition, 200 small laminated signs where placed inside the liquor ban area on poles at eye level.
View the Liquor Ban Areas and Times:
For more information you can call the Safer Communities Coordinator on 07 306 0500 or email: Safer Communities.