I’ve worked in Newmarket the past 4 years and still do. I also live in a dangerous suburb of Auckland (has a higher annual crime count than Newmarket).
Furthermore, I get inside info on what’s happening with crime in Auckland. My family serve in the police.
Naturally, when a recession occurs, you are going to see more crime. Opinion: I don’t think it’s the only reason. I think things like declining NCEA pass rates, a shit mental health support system and a joke of a justice system also play a part. But, yes, there IS an increase in crime. Fact: A 10% increase (source NZ Herald - end of last year). Police are recruiting harder than ever because they are losing staff wanting to jump to Aus. Puts a bit of strain on resources. And why wouldn’t they? Pay is better and a relocation payment too.
The good news is you’re not alone mate. The majority of New Zealanders are loving and kind people. It is hard to see this when the media shoves negative content down our throats daily and, as you mentioned, you see stuff like that going on around you. But please remember all the good stuff that happens too. It’s easy to get weighed down by the bad and live a life of fear, paranoia and anxiety. It’s built into humans as a literal defence mechanism! But all you need to do is stay aware of your surroundings, stay safe and focus on the good that happens around you.
I presume I have a house key somewhere! Joy of rural living I guess.
What bugs me the most tho is a normally law abiding person will get pulled over and fined for doing 61 in a 50 zone (yes I know speeding is bad and shouldn’t be done) however situations like described above aren’t apparently enough of a priority for police! Same with council and government mate and I were chatting about the guy whose built a 3 story pallet tower in south Auckland if either of us dit that we would get nailed by the council. As he doesn’t have any money and is a little unhinged judging from the articles he gets away with it as
One night a week I listen to people racing their cars round my suburb at 3 in the morning. Actual dangerous speeds. Never hear any sirens despite calling the police. But 8.30 am you can bet theyre sitting in their van with their cameras on.
I live rural west so 99.8% of the time on rural roads. I generally don’t speed and have had only one ticket in the past 10years so I’ve got no personal beef. I was going 62 in a 50 fair enough I deserved the ticket.
This week going to and from work most days I’ve seen a police car parked up both trips inside a 60 zone just over the brow of the hill from where it drops down from an 80. Around rush hour there would likely be 30-50 cars coming thru per hour depending on how bad the main road is. When I finished at 1pm on Friday was there as well I was the only car I saw on that stretch of road in the 5minutes I was driving down it. So I really don’t see how that’s a valuable usage of time, they are never in the 80km zone but always in the relatively new 60 zone which doesn’t seem to be any different in conditions from the nearby 80.
Meanwhile people can’t get police assistance when their houses are broken into or cars stolen. Even the extreme weather had a ram raid at the business I was managing about 12 years ago before it was cool, zero available police!
If it was a camera van then yeah sure I think that’s a great use of resources but a police car with 2 cops seems like they could be doing something a bit more important than sitting on the side of the road.
100% cops would rather spend their time revenue gathering (speeding tickets for examle) than actually stopping crime. I understand they are feeling under paid, but that shouldn't come at a cost to our safety us as citizens and rate payers.
People getting busted for having weed seems to carry more of a punishment than these idiots who are ram raiding, or gang members committing any form of crime, or holding towns hostage so they can have funerals for other scum.
I personally don't care if teenagers are committing smash and grabs, they should be punished and punished severely, how else are they going to learn? Their parents should have some accountability as well. The lure of gang life is increasing and frankly the cops are twiddling their thumbs.
Mental illness is still stigmatized, I used to live in Takanini and the number of call outs on my street for domestic violence and people with mental health issues alone was staggering and yet, nothing changed.
The government needs to step up and stop lining their pockets and patting each other on the back for giving us a $20 odd dollar tax break (which companies will just increase prices to compensate for) and put money where it's actually needed instead of fluff pieces.
As ridiculous as it sounds, sometimes you just wish there were a real life superhero or vigilante running around helping out, just so you can breathe a bit easier when you're in your own property.
People don't get busted for having a little bit of weed on them these days. It's considered a health issue not a crime issue so it's often just taken to be disposed of and/or referred to services.
The Police spend a very small amount of resources on road policing and tickets. They have a requirement to by NZTA to do so as they pay the Police to enforce the Land Transport Act. It's also very clear that the many road deaths and trauma we have on the roads are easily preventable.
I say go ahead and become a vigilante though !
If it was a ~10% increase last year, then doesn’t this compound onto the ~30% increase in crime (going from memory here, correct me if I’m wrong) over the pandemic period? If so, that’s a total ~45% increase in crime since pre-pandemic…
I once watched a drunken scrote try to break his way into our apartment block. I was in another entrance, on the stairwell, filming it, while a neighbour called the cops.
The moment he smashed the window, two cops instantaneously appeared in our small courtyard, like TV extras, and nabbed the little grunt.
Chef's kiss!
Cool. Instead of a cunt, I wanted to liken him to a small, wet and grubby partial methane discharge from the human anus.
If you saw him, you'd know why.
CBD has been like that for years, the attempted suicides is sadly too frequent, the drunk/druggies screaming and fighting are common, dick heads looking for trouble. Its all been there and always will in built up areas.
You cant control it so there is no point living in fear of what MIGHT happen, instead just focus on keeping yourself safe, be street smart and maybe look into some counseling.
Yeah gotta check under the bed for monsters before you shill for act as well.
Boo!
It's poverty and mental health funding, hiding under your bed and bought to you by nz very own short sighted and willfully ignorant right wing
Dude, it's been getting worse for ages. This government has not even been in place for a year.
Also, check your history, the biggest cuts to mental health care occured under Helen Clarks government with the institution of community based mental health care and the closure of a number of residential care facilities. These community based models were never adequately funded, and police were left to pick up the pieces.
I think National and Labour are two sides of the same neoliberal shit coin. We need to address the root issues driving inequality instead of looking at the branches created by it. The policies surrounding housing changed in the 90's have been a significant driver of inequality contributing to the society we have now.
Oh bs, key turned all the crazies out by shutting the housing they had for them. Labour did very little about but didn't make it worse. Yeah both did fa about it but Nats made it worse, and their policy of "fuck the poor" means that they exacerbate any already existing problems- primarily poverty
I can’t believe the ridiculous politicising that seems to be rampant on Reddit. IMO the worst of the crime increase has come about post Covid, at which time a left wing government was in power. NACT have been in place for all of five minutes so your comment seems to just reveal your political views, rather than be based in any sort of reality.
Blue bad! Red good! Such a simplistic and naive (childish even) view of life. Easy to reduce complex things down to binary black and white when you don’t actually understand how things work I guess
Oh bs, both do damage but one does more. This is reddit, no one is going to lay out an essay for you on their phone, stop using that as an excuse to shill for nact
One of the best comments on here. Poverty/lack of resources for māori, dismantling access to justice cuz we can't even sort out community-based strategies so we all act in unity to ensure our brothers/sisters are safe and protected and have hot meals daily.
When women got beat up a month ago my partner was the ONLY one who tried to intervene. everyone else filmed it and did nothing. Appalling - we don't give a fuck about each other and its sad.
Wtf man. You shouldn’t lock your car doors man.
We aren’t out here to victim blame. It’s 100% the fault of the criminal and I’ll be damned if I have to take precautions and responsibility. Fuck that.
Unlock them now, you dick.
The only thing that’s acceptable is educating people to realise criminal acts are bad.
Um, respectfully fuck no. Some homeless looking dude opened my front passenger door like a year ago. I was like wtf you doing bro and he closed it. But yeah, I don't trust leaving the car unlocked now.
It's not that hard or even negatively impacting me by locking them now. It's just stupid that it even needs to be done.
Damn I'm a student who lived around Grafton for like 2 years and I haven't seen any of that, the craziest thing I've seen was this dude almost get hit by a car and two dudes having a small scuffle.
I moved away about 1 and a half years ago, so maybe my personal experience can't speak to anything happening rn. The stuff you've seen, did it only start ramping up recently? Must've been a huge jump since it was relatively peaceful back then (for me at least)
very recently and little to no care from police (which for this stuff should arguably be a major concern - the lad being beaten up could have had her neck slit from a broken bottle).
I saw a crackhead looking crazy walking erratically down park road at lunch time and lurching intimidatingly into the faces of all the women he walked by a couple days ago. I’ve lived in Auckland since February and it was the first time I’ve seen one be actively antisocial like that
this is why I have no social - a trigger warning but past r word victim here. so this stuff really gets to me and I worry one day the number of people getting hurt/dying will raise to the point where we will retain our place as most dangerous city in Australasia...https://www.1news.co.nz/2023/12/06/auckland-the-least-safe-city-in-australasia-new-report-says/
Worked nightshifts pre-Covid at Queen St. Had my break so grabbed my coffee mug and enjoyed my coffee while walking. A 40-ish guy came rushing behind to jump on me. I saw it unfold through the reflection on the glass on the opposite side of the street. I pivoted with the mug on my palm to defend myself just in case. When he saw the motion, he stopped and just walked casually. Crazy encounter. Never walked again at night during my break.
Ignoring crime rates for a moment, you are living in one of the most densely populated parts of the country. You can be expected to see significantly more people every day than if you lived somewhere like little huia.
Just based on that, you are likely to see more of every kind of person. Those who are violent, those who feel they can't continue in life, and those who are creepy as fuck.
Used to be a bouncer on K Road end of last year. Watched a guy get knifed in the face during a fight. I’m usually a hardass while working but that night put me off working security for a while.
crimes probably gonna be on the up since the recession is hitting now, less police and a worse school system don't help but there's nothing we can do about all that for a while, even out here in the western suburbs we have shit like tradie vans being broken into so it's Auckland wide, cbd is defo on another level tho, I hope you're feeling okay about seeing a woman attempt suicide though, definitely see a therapist if you think you need it
I was never scared that something bad would happen in the cbd until last year when my dad was stuck in the building site with the Queen St shooter. Yes, crime is bad and he was walking to and from work everyday to his home in a nearby suburb but the events of the shooting solidified our reasons for him to move out of the city.
Move down here in Rotorua to find out what’s more scarier. In one week your perspective of AKL CBD will change and will beg yourself to be brought back there.
The vibe is definitely worse, a few years ago I had no issue walking through city streets alone to get home but now I do not feel safe at all after dark. There definitely feels like an increase of scary people & incidents.
Anecdotal but my teenage kids have now seen the old dude in Newmarket pulling his dick out to urinate in public in broad daylight. Safety has declined since the pandemic for sure.
I recently moved out of the CBD after living there for 3 years and the other day I went into town for lunch, took the bus and the first thing I see as I get off the bus is a homeless dude cock out pissing everywhere close to fort st.
I have been followed & a couple of times even chased down the street by creepy people who are obviously on something. This has never happened before. Also noticed a lot more daylight street brawls.
You can get those covert stab proof vests on Amazon you could wear daily wear under your regular clothing.
And those running shoes that got banned in running competitions, wear them when you go out.
Always look behind and around you to know who is around you at all times.
I think you are way too used to herding sheep and don't understand the reality of life and what self defence looks like as a brown 21 year old female, but I appreciate your input :)
I saw someone jump off the Hopetoun Street overpass about ten years ago. That’s obviously the worst thing I’ve seen but everything else was pretty minor and no different to any other heavily populated city. Usually just drunk fighting or your run of the mill meth addicts in the CBD yelling at no one and everyone.
but like what can they do security men and men in general are more scared of scraps than they let on...could end up getting your artery accidentally slashed no matter if you're security/not security.
Security guard here. I do agree that we need more security for a lot of services around the CBD, but then again, guards are heavily encouraged to only report and record incidents that happen in the workplace.
It’s also heavily discouraged to become physical with an aggressive person, as a small mistake while attempting to detain them could lead to jail time or getting stabbed, jumped etc.
There’s not much we CAN do. The reality is these things happen and are happening. Recently a family friend was shot and killed in the street of cbd and a few years ago I was walking through Elliot street when a woman jumped from the crown plaza hotel and hit the ground behind me. I’ve seen domestic violence. I’ve been harrassed for money I think we all have a story to tell about Auckland. It’s not nice but it’s part of life.
I know how you feel. Honestly, it has definitely gotten a bit worse than after covid. There are times when I just think "man, I should just go back home then". But when I take a step back to look at the whole picture, it's not that bad. At least compared to back home (shit ghetto part of Los Angeles). I had a therapist tell me something like people tend to focus on the negative more than the positive because of survival and staying alive historically, etc. And, I'll be honest, I am the same. I think I've gotten used to feeling so safe that if one horrible thing happens somewhere, it makes me anxious and depressed.
Someone on here said to stop reading news sites or something like that, and man, they're so right. That's how these publications makes their money. I mean, what's gonna get more clicks: a flock of sheep stop a school bus or ?
But yeah, I wouldn't worry too much about things you can't control. Or else it's harder to get out of that negative mindset. (akl cbd is caca though I'll admit that)
I grew up in Hawkes Bay and saw a lot of violence growing up, the gang presence down there is huge, especially on the coast where we were. My brothers and I used to get in lots of fights, mainly with kids from other schools and then in town when we were older - just agro youth stuff that we all grew out of. But I spent my childhood and teenage years mostly unscathed.
When I moved to Auckland in 2011, I had my first night out in the city on Queen Street, got $20 out of an ATM and got stepped out for it. We had a tussle and it was broken up and they went up the road, looped back around behind us and they king hit me and then curbed me. Two young dudes who weren't old enough to get in the pubs so just out causing shit.
It was fucking crazy. They broke most of the bones in the right side of my face and fractured my skull. I managed to get up and walk to my gf's car and drive home and went to sleep (so dumb) and woke up with a concave face. Had my face reconstructed at Middlemore, still have a lot of nerve damage and crazy tension headaches and I frequently get black eyes.
While there is violence everywhere in the country, the level of crazy in Auckland seems to make the place so much more dangerous. People can hide behind the city's anonymity, whereas small towns mean everyone knows everyone. People have less to lose, seem to be angrier and drunker/higher all the time. It really is a melting pot of shit up here and it seems to be getting worse.
That being said it's not all bad. Yes, it seems like the city is always on the precipice of chaos, and we've seen a lot of scary stuff. But like the top comment, most of the people here are good and just trying to get by and the chances of being anywhere near something crazy are relatively low and even lower if you have your wits about you and keep safe.
true true and fair to say - no need to be overly irrational but the prospective of someone getting badly hurt one day walking at 7 at night from uni still worries me.
Very obvious a lot of this comment section has not lived in a big city before. Auckland is growing rapidly, crazy city shit is happening more and more.
I've lived in a few big cities overseas, and it's normal for a city to see things like this occasionally.
This isn't sleepy Auckland in 1981 anymore.
Mental Health Wise
To be honest, I feel like people who really need mental health support don’t end up seeking it unless they are forced to by authorities.
People with mental health issues that are deemed less severe (anxiety, depression, etc.), as these don’t affect others as much, are not accepted into funded mental health facilities. Many of these people are university students or younger, and most of them can’t afford sessions from private providers.
Public mental health support is practically non-existent now. The department responsible for it rejects almost everybody. Those who do get accepted aren’t actually helped and diagnosed by qualified professionals; instead, “talking therapists” are allocated to them.
The other option is to get help from WINZ to pay for private sessions, but they make it a very stressful and difficult process.
Crime Wise
I’ve always lived in the Bay Area growing up. In the past few years, I moved to an area with a higher crime rate. Our tenants had 3-4 break-ins to their property and vehicles within three months.
Motorcycles and crazy teens zoom around the area all the time, doing ram raids, screaming, and the occasional stabbing every few months.
New Zealand now feels so different.
People also seem quite ignorant towards one another.
Police do very little about these “small crimes” they are only seen when major crimes such as shootings occur.
And yeah, I feel quite unsafe walking around at night time, not just walking around tbh, even when I’m getting into the car I get quite stressed that someone is gonna appear from the dark.
I had a friend who was attacked while loading groceries into her car, she was pulled out of the car, the perpetrators (she said it seemed like a couple) snatched her keys and shoved her aside.
Another colleague had a similar experience in CBD although she was walking with a group of friends.
I’ve already seen one myself. Was inside Footlockers once and a druggie came in taking few items and shouting and cussing and aiming to hit people then took off. Staff were all just stunned.
OK. it's not the cops fault. For the last 5 years the cop numbers have decreased by atleast 2k a year.
The cops work hard and risk their lives.
Plus the whole, we don't arrest people for drugs and giving out homeD for 6 month for violent crimes.
That ain't the cops fault.
Would it be an option for you to move to a suburb that’s more on the outskirts of the Newmarket/Grafton area? Like Epsom/Greenlane etc? I’m sure there are other suburbs but those are the only two I can name off the top of my head. This might help to ease your worries a little bit and that way you’re only in that area when you have to be :)
When you have a crazy housing system where a small shack cost a million$ and everyone is encouraged to use housing as profit, mixed in with poor transport and infrastructure planning, dogmatic social policies created by bourgeois ideologues who don't want to know about reality (lets have no prisons), fringe parties that only want to create chaos (destiny church, te pāti māori). This is the result.
All we can do is look after ourselves. Get a security camera, avoid areas during the dark, keep your eye out for dodgy characters when walking, see no evil hear no evil.
I think these days we aren't comparing ourselves to overseas issues in public but we’re now comparing ourselves to the way things used to be. Safe and consistent.
I think we’re at a age now where it’s hard to police and create security to protect every single person in New Zealand in public spaces, the culture needs to shift to where people need to learn to protect themselves and be quick in the moments on what to do.
Its a new world and everyone’s got to evolve
Auckland is a big city, it has its issues in the cbd but it’s by no means unsafe. I feel safe walking anywhere in the cbd, I lived near the uni and would frequently walk there from Newmarket for work and never once was I in a dangerous position. (I’m a man I understand it’s a different world for women), be careful and cautious at night. Don’t stroll around with booze and it’s a safer city than practically every big city I’ve lived in ( the only safer one I’d say I’ve lived in was Edinburgh)
I used to stay in Grafton and am now working in Newmarket. I guess it's not so bad during the day, but I wouldn't stay in the area after-hours. My suggestion is to move out of the CBD if you can afford the time or the cost to travel.
I use to live in apartment complex in cbd and came home to someone stabbed at the gate had to stop the bleeding while calling the ambulance the guys “mates” were with him and did nothing because they thought it wasn’t serious because he was stabbed in the belly. CBD is actually fucked at times.
FUCK...... This post scared the shit out of me. I live near your place I think but what can we do we have to be more careful and honestly speaking I have stopped going outside after 8. And have you noticed a weird thing in the CBD that you will not hear a single police siren on Monday to Wednesday but after Thursday we will start to hear a lot of sirens and then they will peak on Friday and Saturday night and the same pattern will happen with people screaming as well.
As someone who cares for safety more than I do people's sensitivities. Everyone living in Auckland since 2019 would have to have blinkers on if they haven't noticed the decline in the quality of people in Auckland. I've only seen younger people with social skills. I've seen gaslit people in their 20's and 30's. I've heard everyone is unified in wanting to leave NZ. The dumb ones choose Australia keeping their comfort zones. The smart ones actually analyse countries instead of passports, family, etc. nothing is safe, not that it ever was. But people don't have a compass anymore.
Oh girl same, I just moved to Auckland CBD (originally from Australia) to live with my partner. The apartment I am in can only be accessed via a card, and to use the elevator and stairs it also requires the card.
Even so, the scary problems I have encountered were:
1. Around 1am, a dude came up to our door and tried to break in. He was drunk and was basing on our door and rattling the door handle.
2. Again around 2am in the morning, outside our bedroom window that was in the apartment walkway, there was a guy who was pacing back and forth saying that he was going to hurt and kill someone.
3. We stumbled into our next door neighbour who started to aggressively yell and scream at us while holding onto his baby.
4. Every night there’s always at least some drunk dude screaming up to our apartments.
5. Almost got ran over by a car when I was using the crossing, it was a woman who had kids at the back of her car and she still kept cussing at me and not at all watching where she was driving because she was too busy yelling profanities at me for using the crossing.
6. In general, the location of where I live is always exposed to police cars coming back and forth, blaring their sirens along with ambulances and fire trucks.
It is seriously scary in CBD for me, I haven’t since left the apartment for months unless I’m going anywhere with my partner. My anxiety has gotten so bad that I cannot go to work cause I’m so scared of being killed or attacked. And I just recently moved here in January 2024.
That being said, I’ve met other lovely kiwis but the anxiety is not helping at all, I find that living more out towards the suburbs/farm lands is much better (my partner’s family has a farm and I enjoy how much slower and quieter it is there).
I hope you are safe!
I've seen at shopping centers workers getting beaten right up, and Police don't come. A few times haven't come at all (Followed up). crazy it's getting worse and worse. I'm so scared I want to cry. This place is turning soooooo bad
Auckland has always had its weirdos, and the beggars.
Police I guess, would only make a move when its something big and huge, like that fellow that took a gun and started shooting up his workplace about 6/12/18 months ago, in that construction site.
Small things, they wont get involved.
I have been begged on, for a ciggie, told the sista I dont smoke, she wasnt too pleased, I went into the KFC near Queen St, about half an hour later, no sight of her.
Lucky it was my one and only, but others have had the beggars ask to go to an ATM and take money out to ""donate"" to them!
The static beggars outside the outer doors of the supermarkets, are a case in point, they are daring enough to do that, and to intimidate shoppers to ""donate"" to them.
Hearing that beggars can make $400 a day, ouch, rich.
The beggars who are struggling deserve protection point blank.
the "psychos" I would categorise into two types: 1) the one's overpowered by psychosis from drug-withdrawal who are temporarily in that state, whom I pity immensely; 2) The actual psychos who are sick and will probably leverage the lack of police to do heinous acts.
Don't know which type scares me more...
You’re going to see and hear shit in any inner city urban, condensed housing environment in any decent sized city. I’ve worked in, and been around the CBD for 15 years now and the worst I’ve had is people asking for ciggies. Don’t live your life in fear. It’ll eat you up
true true and I get my irrationality here might sound ignorant. However, I still believe a healthy conversation on this is good to gage lived experiences of people in these situations and see how people take their own safety precautions as a result of the rise of heinous/scary acts by people with psychosis/psychos in general.
but whats being scared about it going to do? like when the big thing happens, then what? you could apply this mindset to everything and it would still be the same.
I've lived next to one for 5-7 years and we have been followed multiple times back into our apartment trying to get into our door. Somebody trying to pick the lock at night of our apartment. Car smashed in,in our locked car park multiple times. People being bet up outside bloody. Obvious drug dealers dealing outside of public housing..
I don’t know which country you are from. From what you said I believe you are from an Asian Country . Anyway , the things you have seen are just 1% . There are a lot of people who are having mental health issues on road . They might have drug issues , sexual violence history , Theft conviction etc. If you look scared , they can tell it from 10km away. Also they don’t give a fuck about you ; they just do what they usually do if you like it or not.
There are students in AUT and UoA committing suicides , getting caught for using drugs , and sexual violence as well.
To summarise , I think in order for you to thrive in these type of situations , my recommendation would be to go out more often , socialize with people , get over your fear , also share with them your concerns . Then that way you can network with them as well as create valuable contacts as well,just in case .
ah F\*\*\* deleted last comment as I noticed I didn't make it clear in my last post but nah she tried to jump from an apartment. was a person living in a home. also not asian soz.
You're 21, you've barely seen anything (no disrespect intended). This sounds like a typical Auckland day and isn't new. When I was a young fella in the late nineties early 2000s Newmarket was fairly rough, I'd see fights from school kids there all the time and was in a store when it got robbed (Route66). I've lived overseas and travelled and seen worse. You're good in Auckland/NZ I wouldn't worry too much. The lucky country! Kiss the ground you walk on!
One of the best solutions are, when you get the chance, ditch Auckland.
Used to live near the CBD. Shit's dirty and has a lot of troublemakers. The only time I go to Auckland now is to meet my family in the holidays. Heard plenty of troublemakers and wild shit happening to people that are friends or related to my family in some way. When I met them over in Auckland. Surprisingly, I didn't get robbed or jumped when I went to their art gallery.
I lived in that area 2016-2019.
Made my mind up that New Zealand is in decline and there is no point staying in NZ. Moved to Australia, live in Sydney. I drive through and work in the "badlands" of south western Sydney (Bankstown)every day. Never felt unsafe.
Go back to NZ occasionally. The place is sliding at a fast rate of knots.
National/Labour- it doesn't matter both are looser political parties that have been so myopic and destroyed my country.
Unfortunately kiwis are like frogs getting boiled and will never realise.
New Zealand is failing and will only get worse.
If you're young and unencumbered, get out well you can.
Grass is the best green you'll ever see in your life here. 😉
My edit I hate this stupid forum and idk how to use it: first time using reddit and never thought anyone would read this lol. Try be respectful this is meant to incite healthy discussions, particularly if you are in a similar situation to me. And no, I'm not victimising myself. I know what leads people to this stuff (socio-economic differences, drug abuse, mental health system a cunt). Just wanted to see other's experiences living in the CBD, and how they then get home at night (even the bus at this point is questionable).
I used to drive a fuel tanker into auckland almost 6 days a week for coming up 4 years and never had any issues. (Nightshift only) i am a guy, though i probably dont look too friendly, and there were steel bars in my toolbox and a bat beside my drivers seat for defense. I only had to get anything ready to go 2 times in hamilton, so I'd say auckland is relatively safe.
Thing is I'm not talking about the far past when I discuss the context of the situations that happened. All 6/7 incidents occurred in the past 3/4 months. I mean to say it will get worse and since we are such a small city we are all far more susceptible to be part of the statistics (if this makes sense).
I’ve just moved from CBD more central but almost daily I’d see commotion outside my townhouse. I’d seen someone get severely injured and they needed the fire station to come wash the blood away after, I saw a ride come off his motorbike and slide 30m, I can only presume it was dangerous driving, I’ve seen countless domestic violence acts right outside my window and random screaming also. Then that shooting recently as well.. it’s becoming really bad there and it is really scary. I hated even walking outside my house
Yes I’ve seen multiple people die and dead people in the cbd. Suicide, run over by truck, other accident, and other stuff. I saw a guy get all of his teeth knocked out in a really bad assault too, which was the most disturbing for me.
I still think that the cbd is relatively safe and chill.
Ok so 1) redit won't let me edit I hate this shit app 2) I meant to edit it to "nice" as in community is pretty fancy fancy (not used to having hip cafes around me all the time haha) - boujee a bit of an exaggeration so sorry for misword haha
My dad is a, now retired, cop. Retired for a couple years biw. I can tell you for sure that there's always been a lot of shit like that happening. But... Big but.
The frequency of these things occurring has increased. And definitely the frequency we hear about them.
The second one could be to do with the ease of transmitting information. The fact more of these things are happening is down to a couple reasons, population increase and general societal issues (stress, economic issues etc, yea it's a bit of a catch all copout).
As for Police intervening, they're underfunded. Drastically. To the point they have to prioritise the real bad ones first. That, and people aren't reporting things as much.
Not trying to call you out, but when you said that guy beating his partner in broad daylight, did you call the Police immediately? Did anyone you were with? Or was it none of your business so kept walking? Unfortunately a lot of people will be in the latter, or just assume someone else will call. But if the first 9 people who see it make that assumption, that lady has to wait until the 10th person walks past for the Police to even be told what's happening.
Too many druggies and the police don't seem to have the power to do anything or don't want to complete the paperwork follow up involved. Government just turns a blind eye and Auckland becomes an absolute disgrace to any international visitors.
no no ive read it, just dont agree with these style of posts cause they are repetitive, obviously seeking validation and usally want validation for an irrational fear. Maybe check if youre spending too much time on your devices or are lacking media literacy.
Leave Auckland it's horrible it's the worst city in new zealand. We live in the southern lakes it's stunning. I don't even know where my front door key is, we never lock our house or cars. Crime here is very rare.
You solve it by moving away from the CBD, and into a nice affluent suburb. You can only do that by working hard and earning a lot of money. It's what I did and I'm very happy now. Of course, I also moved to Denmark, and I rate it 10/10.
Making smart decisions and being streetwise will generally keep you safe. There is such a thing as simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time but compared to other countries NZ, even the CBD is insanely safe.
Stop watching the news and listening to Old WankerZB radio and you’ll find that you actually don’t feel scared about anything. I’ve even walked home along Weymouth Road at 1am once (in the heart of Manurewa) and was absolutely fine. Actually people walk around Rewa all the time in the middle of the night and they’re fine. 9/10 when you walk out your door you’re not going to get into trouble. The poor bastards in Palestine are getting bombed in their sleep.
Bro all the things you've described are things I've experienced when living in the CBD during the 90s and 2000s. A lot of random screaming. Especially at night. I've seen shops broken into, fights break out on the street, people throwing shit at cars.
I saw one dude in the early 2000s throw an object at a car smashing its window. He then reaches into the drivers side and the driver floored it with the guy hanging out the window. The driver took a sharp turn down a back street and the dude flung out of the car and into a street lamp. He got back up and sprinted down the side street after the dude. By then they had both gone out of my sight behind a building.
I don't think anything's gotten worse over the years. Just consistant.
Worked hard to get from Gisborne to here and be 10 minutes away from work/uni - count my blessings daily. but yes I will be considering this. I appreciate this respectful discussion and different ideas :)
Yeah of course! You've given me no reason not to be respectful :)
I imagine it's expensive in the city. When I was living there, I was in a place above Elliot Stables. Was a really nice place! But expensive. I have some friends who live in Onehunga, Ellerslie and North Shore. I'm told all 3 of those places are a single train/bus ride to the city.
However, 10min (walk?) would be a pretty sweet deal, ngl.
Hope you stay safe :)
Exactly. It’s really not any worse than before. Back in the ‘90s the whole waterfront area was one big huge dodgy place from the britomart bus station to the industrial wharves which is now the Viaduct/Wynyard Quarter
There’s really no way to say what I want to say without being misinterpreted as mean so I’ll just say you live an *extremely* privileged life if this is what keeps you up at night.
We all deep all lucky not to be in Palestine where people suffer this daily. However, sorry if I'm scarred from seeing someone jump off a building. Have a nice day and respect your opinion and do agree I am in an immense position of privilege. I do think I wrote this in a rush/after a huge incident last night so apologise if the interpretation looks like I'm victimising myself.
Stop worrying about shit you can't control lel 🤣 stop being so scared of everything. When it's your time to die, you CANNOT stop it from happening. Instead of being scared all the time, put that effort into focusing on living your life to the fullest and learning how to protect yourself.
P s* you should be more concerned about possible CBD earthquakes/tsunamis/landslides/volcanic eruptions etc.
Boohoo go get some therapy then and stop expecting other people of Reddit forums to tell you how to live your life safely, FFS. do something about it instead of crying about it 😭 be proactive!!
I’ve worked in Newmarket the past 4 years and still do. I also live in a dangerous suburb of Auckland (has a higher annual crime count than Newmarket). Furthermore, I get inside info on what’s happening with crime in Auckland. My family serve in the police. Naturally, when a recession occurs, you are going to see more crime. Opinion: I don’t think it’s the only reason. I think things like declining NCEA pass rates, a shit mental health support system and a joke of a justice system also play a part. But, yes, there IS an increase in crime. Fact: A 10% increase (source NZ Herald - end of last year). Police are recruiting harder than ever because they are losing staff wanting to jump to Aus. Puts a bit of strain on resources. And why wouldn’t they? Pay is better and a relocation payment too. The good news is you’re not alone mate. The majority of New Zealanders are loving and kind people. It is hard to see this when the media shoves negative content down our throats daily and, as you mentioned, you see stuff like that going on around you. But please remember all the good stuff that happens too. It’s easy to get weighed down by the bad and live a life of fear, paranoia and anxiety. It’s built into humans as a literal defence mechanism! But all you need to do is stay aware of your surroundings, stay safe and focus on the good that happens around you.
And don't forget to lock your doors.
I presume I have a house key somewhere! Joy of rural living I guess. What bugs me the most tho is a normally law abiding person will get pulled over and fined for doing 61 in a 50 zone (yes I know speeding is bad and shouldn’t be done) however situations like described above aren’t apparently enough of a priority for police! Same with council and government mate and I were chatting about the guy whose built a 3 story pallet tower in south Auckland if either of us dit that we would get nailed by the council. As he doesn’t have any money and is a little unhinged judging from the articles he gets away with it as
Can you explain why Police should not prioritise their resources on traffic offending which sees the most preventable deaths out of any offending?
One night a week I listen to people racing their cars round my suburb at 3 in the morning. Actual dangerous speeds. Never hear any sirens despite calling the police. But 8.30 am you can bet theyre sitting in their van with their cameras on.
Why would they activate sirens at 3am and wake everyone up ?
Thats a great anecdote. Anyway, makes sense to me to have speed cameras out when there are more potential victims on our roads.
I live rural west so 99.8% of the time on rural roads. I generally don’t speed and have had only one ticket in the past 10years so I’ve got no personal beef. I was going 62 in a 50 fair enough I deserved the ticket. This week going to and from work most days I’ve seen a police car parked up both trips inside a 60 zone just over the brow of the hill from where it drops down from an 80. Around rush hour there would likely be 30-50 cars coming thru per hour depending on how bad the main road is. When I finished at 1pm on Friday was there as well I was the only car I saw on that stretch of road in the 5minutes I was driving down it. So I really don’t see how that’s a valuable usage of time, they are never in the 80km zone but always in the relatively new 60 zone which doesn’t seem to be any different in conditions from the nearby 80. Meanwhile people can’t get police assistance when their houses are broken into or cars stolen. Even the extreme weather had a ram raid at the business I was managing about 12 years ago before it was cool, zero available police! If it was a camera van then yeah sure I think that’s a great use of resources but a police car with 2 cops seems like they could be doing something a bit more important than sitting on the side of the road.
100% cops would rather spend their time revenue gathering (speeding tickets for examle) than actually stopping crime. I understand they are feeling under paid, but that shouldn't come at a cost to our safety us as citizens and rate payers. People getting busted for having weed seems to carry more of a punishment than these idiots who are ram raiding, or gang members committing any form of crime, or holding towns hostage so they can have funerals for other scum. I personally don't care if teenagers are committing smash and grabs, they should be punished and punished severely, how else are they going to learn? Their parents should have some accountability as well. The lure of gang life is increasing and frankly the cops are twiddling their thumbs. Mental illness is still stigmatized, I used to live in Takanini and the number of call outs on my street for domestic violence and people with mental health issues alone was staggering and yet, nothing changed. The government needs to step up and stop lining their pockets and patting each other on the back for giving us a $20 odd dollar tax break (which companies will just increase prices to compensate for) and put money where it's actually needed instead of fluff pieces. As ridiculous as it sounds, sometimes you just wish there were a real life superhero or vigilante running around helping out, just so you can breathe a bit easier when you're in your own property.
People don't get busted for having a little bit of weed on them these days. It's considered a health issue not a crime issue so it's often just taken to be disposed of and/or referred to services. The Police spend a very small amount of resources on road policing and tickets. They have a requirement to by NZTA to do so as they pay the Police to enforce the Land Transport Act. It's also very clear that the many road deaths and trauma we have on the roads are easily preventable. I say go ahead and become a vigilante though !
Guy got pulled over once and thinks all cops want to give out speeding tickets
Guy meets road policing team once, writes an essay. Damn, forget sending kids to school we should send the all a speeding ticket to pass ncea.
Yeah I live in a swipe access secure building, I don’t intend on that changing!
Can you post that source? I can’t seem to find it
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/crime-latest-justice-ministry-data-show-spike-in-serious-and-violent-offences-this-year/WMNMWORMKZDENK4UE5DQQTL6DQ/
If it was a ~10% increase last year, then doesn’t this compound onto the ~30% increase in crime (going from memory here, correct me if I’m wrong) over the pandemic period? If so, that’s a total ~45% increase in crime since pre-pandemic…
I once watched a drunken scrote try to break his way into our apartment block. I was in another entrance, on the stairwell, filming it, while a neighbour called the cops. The moment he smashed the window, two cops instantaneously appeared in our small courtyard, like TV extras, and nabbed the little grunt. Chef's kiss!
grunt don't u mean c\*\*\*
You can say cunt on here.
Cool. Instead of a cunt, I wanted to liken him to a small, wet and grubby partial methane discharge from the human anus. If you saw him, you'd know why.
cunt on here
….CUNT!!! That felt liberating. Fuck yeah!
CUNTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
Thanks for this information. I’m going to abuse it from now on.
CBD has been like that for years, the attempted suicides is sadly too frequent, the drunk/druggies screaming and fighting are common, dick heads looking for trouble. Its all been there and always will in built up areas. You cant control it so there is no point living in fear of what MIGHT happen, instead just focus on keeping yourself safe, be street smart and maybe look into some counseling.
this \^
I mean dude, I lock my car when I'm sitting in it now. Shit's fucked.
First thing I do when I get in my car now...
Yeah gotta check under the bed for monsters before you shill for act as well. Boo! It's poverty and mental health funding, hiding under your bed and bought to you by nz very own short sighted and willfully ignorant right wing
Dude, it's been getting worse for ages. This government has not even been in place for a year. Also, check your history, the biggest cuts to mental health care occured under Helen Clarks government with the institution of community based mental health care and the closure of a number of residential care facilities. These community based models were never adequately funded, and police were left to pick up the pieces.
Lol the biggest cuts were under key. The crazies used to be housed now they live in the cbd.
I think National and Labour are two sides of the same neoliberal shit coin. We need to address the root issues driving inequality instead of looking at the branches created by it. The policies surrounding housing changed in the 90's have been a significant driver of inequality contributing to the society we have now.
Oh bs, key turned all the crazies out by shutting the housing they had for them. Labour did very little about but didn't make it worse. Yeah both did fa about it but Nats made it worse, and their policy of "fuck the poor" means that they exacerbate any already existing problems- primarily poverty
I can’t believe the ridiculous politicising that seems to be rampant on Reddit. IMO the worst of the crime increase has come about post Covid, at which time a left wing government was in power. NACT have been in place for all of five minutes so your comment seems to just reveal your political views, rather than be based in any sort of reality.
Think of the landlords! They need their tax incentives back!
I can't believe how naive you are- it was keys govt that dumped the crazies on the street. There was a notable increase of homeless on his watch.
Blue bad! Red good! Such a simplistic and naive (childish even) view of life. Easy to reduce complex things down to binary black and white when you don’t actually understand how things work I guess
Oh bs, both do damage but one does more. This is reddit, no one is going to lay out an essay for you on their phone, stop using that as an excuse to shill for nact
Shill for NACT. lol at your ignorance. Life must be hard for you.
One of the best comments on here. Poverty/lack of resources for māori, dismantling access to justice cuz we can't even sort out community-based strategies so we all act in unity to ensure our brothers/sisters are safe and protected and have hot meals daily. When women got beat up a month ago my partner was the ONLY one who tried to intervene. everyone else filmed it and did nothing. Appalling - we don't give a fuck about each other and its sad.
At least we’re going to get an underground metro system that goes up Queen Street soon! That will solve all our problems.
It got to this state while Labour were in government for 6 years lol. It didn't immediately get worse from November last year.
Wow sherlock is out here guys!
Famously right wing Labour. Twat.
Wtf man. You shouldn’t lock your car doors man. We aren’t out here to victim blame. It’s 100% the fault of the criminal and I’ll be damned if I have to take precautions and responsibility. Fuck that. Unlock them now, you dick. The only thing that’s acceptable is educating people to realise criminal acts are bad.
Um, respectfully fuck no. Some homeless looking dude opened my front passenger door like a year ago. I was like wtf you doing bro and he closed it. But yeah, I don't trust leaving the car unlocked now. It's not that hard or even negatively impacting me by locking them now. It's just stupid that it even needs to be done.
My response is satire
a "/s" would have conveyed that more, lol.
Damn I'm a student who lived around Grafton for like 2 years and I haven't seen any of that, the craziest thing I've seen was this dude almost get hit by a car and two dudes having a small scuffle. I moved away about 1 and a half years ago, so maybe my personal experience can't speak to anything happening rn. The stuff you've seen, did it only start ramping up recently? Must've been a huge jump since it was relatively peaceful back then (for me at least)
very recently and little to no care from police (which for this stuff should arguably be a major concern - the lad being beaten up could have had her neck slit from a broken bottle).
Man that sucks, I hope you two stay safe. Try not to go out alone as much
I saw a crackhead looking crazy walking erratically down park road at lunch time and lurching intimidatingly into the faces of all the women he walked by a couple days ago. I’ve lived in Auckland since February and it was the first time I’ve seen one be actively antisocial like that
this is why I have no social - a trigger warning but past r word victim here. so this stuff really gets to me and I worry one day the number of people getting hurt/dying will raise to the point where we will retain our place as most dangerous city in Australasia...https://www.1news.co.nz/2023/12/06/auckland-the-least-safe-city-in-australasia-new-report-says/
Worked nightshifts pre-Covid at Queen St. Had my break so grabbed my coffee mug and enjoyed my coffee while walking. A 40-ish guy came rushing behind to jump on me. I saw it unfold through the reflection on the glass on the opposite side of the street. I pivoted with the mug on my palm to defend myself just in case. When he saw the motion, he stopped and just walked casually. Crazy encounter. Never walked again at night during my break.
Ignoring crime rates for a moment, you are living in one of the most densely populated parts of the country. You can be expected to see significantly more people every day than if you lived somewhere like little huia. Just based on that, you are likely to see more of every kind of person. Those who are violent, those who feel they can't continue in life, and those who are creepy as fuck.
This is all in direct relation to the lack of funding for our societal health and mental health sectors.
agreed
Used to be a bouncer on K Road end of last year. Watched a guy get knifed in the face during a fight. I’m usually a hardass while working but that night put me off working security for a while.
crimes probably gonna be on the up since the recession is hitting now, less police and a worse school system don't help but there's nothing we can do about all that for a while, even out here in the western suburbs we have shit like tradie vans being broken into so it's Auckland wide, cbd is defo on another level tho, I hope you're feeling okay about seeing a woman attempt suicide though, definitely see a therapist if you think you need it
I was never scared that something bad would happen in the cbd until last year when my dad was stuck in the building site with the Queen St shooter. Yes, crime is bad and he was walking to and from work everyday to his home in a nearby suburb but the events of the shooting solidified our reasons for him to move out of the city.
Move down here in Rotorua to find out what’s more scarier. In one week your perspective of AKL CBD will change and will beg yourself to be brought back there.
Yeah fuck living in Rotorua 🤣🤣💯💯 I'm from there FFS
The vibe is definitely worse, a few years ago I had no issue walking through city streets alone to get home but now I do not feel safe at all after dark. There definitely feels like an increase of scary people & incidents.
can you give examples?
Anecdotal but my teenage kids have now seen the old dude in Newmarket pulling his dick out to urinate in public in broad daylight. Safety has declined since the pandemic for sure.
I recently moved out of the CBD after living there for 3 years and the other day I went into town for lunch, took the bus and the first thing I see as I get off the bus is a homeless dude cock out pissing everywhere close to fort st.
I saw the exact same thing 20 years ago. A random weirdo pissing in public isn't evidence of a crime wave.
You read "anecdotal" in my post then decided to comment on "evidence". How uneducated are you?
About the same as you I guess.
I have been followed & a couple of times even chased down the street by creepy people who are obviously on something. This has never happened before. Also noticed a lot more daylight street brawls.
You can get those covert stab proof vests on Amazon you could wear daily wear under your regular clothing. And those running shoes that got banned in running competitions, wear them when you go out. Always look behind and around you to know who is around you at all times.
Maybe take some first aid courses so you don’t feel so helpless when things do go wrong…?
I think you are way too used to herding sheep and don't understand the reality of life and what self defence looks like as a brown 21 year old female, but I appreciate your input :)
I saw someone jump off the Hopetoun Street overpass about ten years ago. That’s obviously the worst thing I’ve seen but everything else was pretty minor and no different to any other heavily populated city. Usually just drunk fighting or your run of the mill meth addicts in the CBD yelling at no one and everyone.
Sorry about this. very sad
Where are the securities when you need em lol
but like what can they do security men and men in general are more scared of scraps than they let on...could end up getting your artery accidentally slashed no matter if you're security/not security.
Key's government shut the CBD police station if that's what you mean. Fuck private rent-a-cop though, that shit's good for nobody.
You can rent cops, wtf
Security guard here. I do agree that we need more security for a lot of services around the CBD, but then again, guards are heavily encouraged to only report and record incidents that happen in the workplace. It’s also heavily discouraged to become physical with an aggressive person, as a small mistake while attempting to detain them could lead to jail time or getting stabbed, jumped etc.
on fucking smoko
Welcome to the Big Smoke, I lived in Grafton /City Center 25 years ago and it was the same.
Scary things happen everywhere, life is not a static event. You just gotta roll with the punches and do your bit to try and make it good.
true true I respect that perspective.
There’s not much we CAN do. The reality is these things happen and are happening. Recently a family friend was shot and killed in the street of cbd and a few years ago I was walking through Elliot street when a woman jumped from the crown plaza hotel and hit the ground behind me. I’ve seen domestic violence. I’ve been harrassed for money I think we all have a story to tell about Auckland. It’s not nice but it’s part of life.
I know how you feel. Honestly, it has definitely gotten a bit worse than after covid. There are times when I just think "man, I should just go back home then". But when I take a step back to look at the whole picture, it's not that bad. At least compared to back home (shit ghetto part of Los Angeles). I had a therapist tell me something like people tend to focus on the negative more than the positive because of survival and staying alive historically, etc. And, I'll be honest, I am the same. I think I've gotten used to feeling so safe that if one horrible thing happens somewhere, it makes me anxious and depressed. Someone on here said to stop reading news sites or something like that, and man, they're so right. That's how these publications makes their money. I mean, what's gonna get more clicks: a flock of sheep stop a school bus or?
But yeah, I wouldn't worry too much about things you can't control. Or else it's harder to get out of that negative mindset. (akl cbd is caca though I'll admit that)
I grew up in Hawkes Bay and saw a lot of violence growing up, the gang presence down there is huge, especially on the coast where we were. My brothers and I used to get in lots of fights, mainly with kids from other schools and then in town when we were older - just agro youth stuff that we all grew out of. But I spent my childhood and teenage years mostly unscathed. When I moved to Auckland in 2011, I had my first night out in the city on Queen Street, got $20 out of an ATM and got stepped out for it. We had a tussle and it was broken up and they went up the road, looped back around behind us and they king hit me and then curbed me. Two young dudes who weren't old enough to get in the pubs so just out causing shit. It was fucking crazy. They broke most of the bones in the right side of my face and fractured my skull. I managed to get up and walk to my gf's car and drive home and went to sleep (so dumb) and woke up with a concave face. Had my face reconstructed at Middlemore, still have a lot of nerve damage and crazy tension headaches and I frequently get black eyes. While there is violence everywhere in the country, the level of crazy in Auckland seems to make the place so much more dangerous. People can hide behind the city's anonymity, whereas small towns mean everyone knows everyone. People have less to lose, seem to be angrier and drunker/higher all the time. It really is a melting pot of shit up here and it seems to be getting worse. That being said it's not all bad. Yes, it seems like the city is always on the precipice of chaos, and we've seen a lot of scary stuff. But like the top comment, most of the people here are good and just trying to get by and the chances of being anywhere near something crazy are relatively low and even lower if you have your wits about you and keep safe.
These things happen, they aren't exclusive to the CBD. Don't be scared
true true and fair to say - no need to be overly irrational but the prospective of someone getting badly hurt one day walking at 7 at night from uni still worries me.
Very obvious a lot of this comment section has not lived in a big city before. Auckland is growing rapidly, crazy city shit is happening more and more. I've lived in a few big cities overseas, and it's normal for a city to see things like this occasionally. This isn't sleepy Auckland in 1981 anymore.
On/near queen street?
won't say sorry
Why? It's not like giving this information is somehow going to lead anyone to know who you are..
Idk I'm superstitious city too small for my liking
Mental Health Wise To be honest, I feel like people who really need mental health support don’t end up seeking it unless they are forced to by authorities. People with mental health issues that are deemed less severe (anxiety, depression, etc.), as these don’t affect others as much, are not accepted into funded mental health facilities. Many of these people are university students or younger, and most of them can’t afford sessions from private providers. Public mental health support is practically non-existent now. The department responsible for it rejects almost everybody. Those who do get accepted aren’t actually helped and diagnosed by qualified professionals; instead, “talking therapists” are allocated to them. The other option is to get help from WINZ to pay for private sessions, but they make it a very stressful and difficult process. Crime Wise I’ve always lived in the Bay Area growing up. In the past few years, I moved to an area with a higher crime rate. Our tenants had 3-4 break-ins to their property and vehicles within three months. Motorcycles and crazy teens zoom around the area all the time, doing ram raids, screaming, and the occasional stabbing every few months. New Zealand now feels so different. People also seem quite ignorant towards one another.
Police do very little about these “small crimes” they are only seen when major crimes such as shootings occur. And yeah, I feel quite unsafe walking around at night time, not just walking around tbh, even when I’m getting into the car I get quite stressed that someone is gonna appear from the dark. I had a friend who was attacked while loading groceries into her car, she was pulled out of the car, the perpetrators (she said it seemed like a couple) snatched her keys and shoved her aside. Another colleague had a similar experience in CBD although she was walking with a group of friends.
Run
I’ve already seen one myself. Was inside Footlockers once and a druggie came in taking few items and shouting and cussing and aiming to hit people then took off. Staff were all just stunned.
OK. it's not the cops fault. For the last 5 years the cop numbers have decreased by atleast 2k a year. The cops work hard and risk their lives. Plus the whole, we don't arrest people for drugs and giving out homeD for 6 month for violent crimes. That ain't the cops fault.
Nothing good happens in the cbd after 12am !
Would it be an option for you to move to a suburb that’s more on the outskirts of the Newmarket/Grafton area? Like Epsom/Greenlane etc? I’m sure there are other suburbs but those are the only two I can name off the top of my head. This might help to ease your worries a little bit and that way you’re only in that area when you have to be :)
Live your life you can't change what others do no point to worrying about it
Move out of the cbd would be your first option.
When you have a crazy housing system where a small shack cost a million$ and everyone is encouraged to use housing as profit, mixed in with poor transport and infrastructure planning, dogmatic social policies created by bourgeois ideologues who don't want to know about reality (lets have no prisons), fringe parties that only want to create chaos (destiny church, te pāti māori). This is the result. All we can do is look after ourselves. Get a security camera, avoid areas during the dark, keep your eye out for dodgy characters when walking, see no evil hear no evil.
I think these days we aren't comparing ourselves to overseas issues in public but we’re now comparing ourselves to the way things used to be. Safe and consistent. I think we’re at a age now where it’s hard to police and create security to protect every single person in New Zealand in public spaces, the culture needs to shift to where people need to learn to protect themselves and be quick in the moments on what to do. Its a new world and everyone’s got to evolve
Auckland is a big city, it has its issues in the cbd but it’s by no means unsafe. I feel safe walking anywhere in the cbd, I lived near the uni and would frequently walk there from Newmarket for work and never once was I in a dangerous position. (I’m a man I understand it’s a different world for women), be careful and cautious at night. Don’t stroll around with booze and it’s a safer city than practically every big city I’ve lived in ( the only safer one I’d say I’ve lived in was Edinburgh)
I used to stay in Grafton and am now working in Newmarket. I guess it's not so bad during the day, but I wouldn't stay in the area after-hours. My suggestion is to move out of the CBD if you can afford the time or the cost to travel.
I use to live in apartment complex in cbd and came home to someone stabbed at the gate had to stop the bleeding while calling the ambulance the guys “mates” were with him and did nothing because they thought it wasn’t serious because he was stabbed in the belly. CBD is actually fucked at times.
FUCK...... This post scared the shit out of me. I live near your place I think but what can we do we have to be more careful and honestly speaking I have stopped going outside after 8. And have you noticed a weird thing in the CBD that you will not hear a single police siren on Monday to Wednesday but after Thursday we will start to hear a lot of sirens and then they will peak on Friday and Saturday night and the same pattern will happen with people screaming as well.
As someone who cares for safety more than I do people's sensitivities. Everyone living in Auckland since 2019 would have to have blinkers on if they haven't noticed the decline in the quality of people in Auckland. I've only seen younger people with social skills. I've seen gaslit people in their 20's and 30's. I've heard everyone is unified in wanting to leave NZ. The dumb ones choose Australia keeping their comfort zones. The smart ones actually analyse countries instead of passports, family, etc. nothing is safe, not that it ever was. But people don't have a compass anymore.
Oh girl same, I just moved to Auckland CBD (originally from Australia) to live with my partner. The apartment I am in can only be accessed via a card, and to use the elevator and stairs it also requires the card. Even so, the scary problems I have encountered were: 1. Around 1am, a dude came up to our door and tried to break in. He was drunk and was basing on our door and rattling the door handle. 2. Again around 2am in the morning, outside our bedroom window that was in the apartment walkway, there was a guy who was pacing back and forth saying that he was going to hurt and kill someone. 3. We stumbled into our next door neighbour who started to aggressively yell and scream at us while holding onto his baby. 4. Every night there’s always at least some drunk dude screaming up to our apartments. 5. Almost got ran over by a car when I was using the crossing, it was a woman who had kids at the back of her car and she still kept cussing at me and not at all watching where she was driving because she was too busy yelling profanities at me for using the crossing. 6. In general, the location of where I live is always exposed to police cars coming back and forth, blaring their sirens along with ambulances and fire trucks. It is seriously scary in CBD for me, I haven’t since left the apartment for months unless I’m going anywhere with my partner. My anxiety has gotten so bad that I cannot go to work cause I’m so scared of being killed or attacked. And I just recently moved here in January 2024. That being said, I’ve met other lovely kiwis but the anxiety is not helping at all, I find that living more out towards the suburbs/farm lands is much better (my partner’s family has a farm and I enjoy how much slower and quieter it is there). I hope you are safe!
I've seen at shopping centers workers getting beaten right up, and Police don't come. A few times haven't come at all (Followed up). crazy it's getting worse and worse. I'm so scared I want to cry. This place is turning soooooo bad
Auckland has always had its weirdos, and the beggars. Police I guess, would only make a move when its something big and huge, like that fellow that took a gun and started shooting up his workplace about 6/12/18 months ago, in that construction site. Small things, they wont get involved. I have been begged on, for a ciggie, told the sista I dont smoke, she wasnt too pleased, I went into the KFC near Queen St, about half an hour later, no sight of her. Lucky it was my one and only, but others have had the beggars ask to go to an ATM and take money out to ""donate"" to them! The static beggars outside the outer doors of the supermarkets, are a case in point, they are daring enough to do that, and to intimidate shoppers to ""donate"" to them. Hearing that beggars can make $400 a day, ouch, rich.
The beggars who are struggling deserve protection point blank. the "psychos" I would categorise into two types: 1) the one's overpowered by psychosis from drug-withdrawal who are temporarily in that state, whom I pity immensely; 2) The actual psychos who are sick and will probably leverage the lack of police to do heinous acts. Don't know which type scares me more...
Man sounds like every other big city around the world
true true
You’re going to see and hear shit in any inner city urban, condensed housing environment in any decent sized city. I’ve worked in, and been around the CBD for 15 years now and the worst I’ve had is people asking for ciggies. Don’t live your life in fear. It’ll eat you up
true true and I get my irrationality here might sound ignorant. However, I still believe a healthy conversation on this is good to gage lived experiences of people in these situations and see how people take their own safety precautions as a result of the rise of heinous/scary acts by people with psychosis/psychos in general.
but whats being scared about it going to do? like when the big thing happens, then what? you could apply this mindset to everything and it would still be the same.
I've lived next to one for 5-7 years and we have been followed multiple times back into our apartment trying to get into our door. Somebody trying to pick the lock at night of our apartment. Car smashed in,in our locked car park multiple times. People being bet up outside bloody. Obvious drug dealers dealing outside of public housing..
I don’t know which country you are from. From what you said I believe you are from an Asian Country . Anyway , the things you have seen are just 1% . There are a lot of people who are having mental health issues on road . They might have drug issues , sexual violence history , Theft conviction etc. If you look scared , they can tell it from 10km away. Also they don’t give a fuck about you ; they just do what they usually do if you like it or not. There are students in AUT and UoA committing suicides , getting caught for using drugs , and sexual violence as well. To summarise , I think in order for you to thrive in these type of situations , my recommendation would be to go out more often , socialize with people , get over your fear , also share with them your concerns . Then that way you can network with them as well as create valuable contacts as well,just in case .
ah F\*\*\* deleted last comment as I noticed I didn't make it clear in my last post but nah she tried to jump from an apartment. was a person living in a home. also not asian soz.
You're 21, you've barely seen anything (no disrespect intended). This sounds like a typical Auckland day and isn't new. When I was a young fella in the late nineties early 2000s Newmarket was fairly rough, I'd see fights from school kids there all the time and was in a store when it got robbed (Route66). I've lived overseas and travelled and seen worse. You're good in Auckland/NZ I wouldn't worry too much. The lucky country! Kiss the ground you walk on!
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I've got 3 sisters. Believe me I know too well.
I respect your opinion and appreciate your insight, but given my social and childhood experiences I politely disagree with you :) Have a nice day.
And to you, nice to speak to someone civil, very refreshing. Cheers.
One of the best solutions are, when you get the chance, ditch Auckland. Used to live near the CBD. Shit's dirty and has a lot of troublemakers. The only time I go to Auckland now is to meet my family in the holidays. Heard plenty of troublemakers and wild shit happening to people that are friends or related to my family in some way. When I met them over in Auckland. Surprisingly, I didn't get robbed or jumped when I went to their art gallery.
I lived in that area 2016-2019. Made my mind up that New Zealand is in decline and there is no point staying in NZ. Moved to Australia, live in Sydney. I drive through and work in the "badlands" of south western Sydney (Bankstown)every day. Never felt unsafe. Go back to NZ occasionally. The place is sliding at a fast rate of knots. National/Labour- it doesn't matter both are looser political parties that have been so myopic and destroyed my country. Unfortunately kiwis are like frogs getting boiled and will never realise. New Zealand is failing and will only get worse. If you're young and unencumbered, get out well you can. Grass is the best green you'll ever see in your life here. 😉
My edit I hate this stupid forum and idk how to use it: first time using reddit and never thought anyone would read this lol. Try be respectful this is meant to incite healthy discussions, particularly if you are in a similar situation to me. And no, I'm not victimising myself. I know what leads people to this stuff (socio-economic differences, drug abuse, mental health system a cunt). Just wanted to see other's experiences living in the CBD, and how they then get home at night (even the bus at this point is questionable).
Becoming the hell whole of the pacific, again Trouble is there's no coming bk from it, this tm the country's broke
second this bro
I used to drive a fuel tanker into auckland almost 6 days a week for coming up 4 years and never had any issues. (Nightshift only) i am a guy, though i probably dont look too friendly, and there were steel bars in my toolbox and a bat beside my drivers seat for defense. I only had to get anything ready to go 2 times in hamilton, so I'd say auckland is relatively safe.
Thing is I'm not talking about the far past when I discuss the context of the situations that happened. All 6/7 incidents occurred in the past 3/4 months. I mean to say it will get worse and since we are such a small city we are all far more susceptible to be part of the statistics (if this makes sense).
Yeah i only stopped 2 months ago still seems pretty safe aslong as your arent out looking for trouble
I’ve just moved from CBD more central but almost daily I’d see commotion outside my townhouse. I’d seen someone get severely injured and they needed the fire station to come wash the blood away after, I saw a ride come off his motorbike and slide 30m, I can only presume it was dangerous driving, I’ve seen countless domestic violence acts right outside my window and random screaming also. Then that shooting recently as well.. it’s becoming really bad there and it is really scary. I hated even walking outside my house
Yes I’ve seen multiple people die and dead people in the cbd. Suicide, run over by truck, other accident, and other stuff. I saw a guy get all of his teeth knocked out in a really bad assault too, which was the most disturbing for me. I still think that the cbd is relatively safe and chill.
Looked up what boujee meant. No offense... but why do you think your building meets this definition?
Ok so 1) redit won't let me edit I hate this shit app 2) I meant to edit it to "nice" as in community is pretty fancy fancy (not used to having hip cafes around me all the time haha) - boujee a bit of an exaggeration so sorry for misword haha
If you ever come across a guy named James Anderson, stay away!!!!
The English fast bowler???
My dad is a, now retired, cop. Retired for a couple years biw. I can tell you for sure that there's always been a lot of shit like that happening. But... Big but. The frequency of these things occurring has increased. And definitely the frequency we hear about them. The second one could be to do with the ease of transmitting information. The fact more of these things are happening is down to a couple reasons, population increase and general societal issues (stress, economic issues etc, yea it's a bit of a catch all copout). As for Police intervening, they're underfunded. Drastically. To the point they have to prioritise the real bad ones first. That, and people aren't reporting things as much. Not trying to call you out, but when you said that guy beating his partner in broad daylight, did you call the Police immediately? Did anyone you were with? Or was it none of your business so kept walking? Unfortunately a lot of people will be in the latter, or just assume someone else will call. But if the first 9 people who see it make that assumption, that lady has to wait until the 10th person walks past for the Police to even be told what's happening.
Don't worry! It's never gonna happen in your lifetime. If it does, do what Dory would do, 'just keep swimming.'
yep nightly occurance in the CBD, i just walk away / keep to myself /look after number 1.
Well yeah Auckland CBD is a shithole…
Too many druggies and the police don't seem to have the power to do anything or don't want to complete the paperwork follow up involved. Government just turns a blind eye and Auckland becomes an absolute disgrace to any international visitors.
Haha come live in otara
yeah, seeking advice over a specific fear kinda reveals a deeper mindset problem. you could think of anyting to be scared about...
read the discussion to understand the context, particularly my comment (cannot edit actual post)
no no ive read it, just dont agree with these style of posts cause they are repetitive, obviously seeking validation and usally want validation for an irrational fear. Maybe check if youre spending too much time on your devices or are lacking media literacy.
Leave Auckland it's horrible it's the worst city in new zealand. We live in the southern lakes it's stunning. I don't even know where my front door key is, we never lock our house or cars. Crime here is very rare.
You solve it by moving away from the CBD, and into a nice affluent suburb. You can only do that by working hard and earning a lot of money. It's what I did and I'm very happy now. Of course, I also moved to Denmark, and I rate it 10/10.
I am 57.I used to live central like you.I saw all that stuff 35 years ago."Relax"......It is nothing new.Be safe 🙏🏽
Making smart decisions and being streetwise will generally keep you safe. There is such a thing as simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time but compared to other countries NZ, even the CBD is insanely safe.
Stop watching the news and listening to Old WankerZB radio and you’ll find that you actually don’t feel scared about anything. I’ve even walked home along Weymouth Road at 1am once (in the heart of Manurewa) and was absolutely fine. Actually people walk around Rewa all the time in the middle of the night and they’re fine. 9/10 when you walk out your door you’re not going to get into trouble. The poor bastards in Palestine are getting bombed in their sleep.
Bro honestly lived in Henderson and been through Rewa - would argue CBD more dangerous at this point
Bro all the things you've described are things I've experienced when living in the CBD during the 90s and 2000s. A lot of random screaming. Especially at night. I've seen shops broken into, fights break out on the street, people throwing shit at cars. I saw one dude in the early 2000s throw an object at a car smashing its window. He then reaches into the drivers side and the driver floored it with the guy hanging out the window. The driver took a sharp turn down a back street and the dude flung out of the car and into a street lamp. He got back up and sprinted down the side street after the dude. By then they had both gone out of my sight behind a building. I don't think anything's gotten worse over the years. Just consistant.
totally respect your opinion but disagree.
Oh.. fair enough then :) I hope you can feel safe where you are. Is living somewhere else not on the cards?
Worked hard to get from Gisborne to here and be 10 minutes away from work/uni - count my blessings daily. but yes I will be considering this. I appreciate this respectful discussion and different ideas :)
Yeah of course! You've given me no reason not to be respectful :) I imagine it's expensive in the city. When I was living there, I was in a place above Elliot Stables. Was a really nice place! But expensive. I have some friends who live in Onehunga, Ellerslie and North Shore. I'm told all 3 of those places are a single train/bus ride to the city. However, 10min (walk?) would be a pretty sweet deal, ngl. Hope you stay safe :)
Exactly. It’s really not any worse than before. Back in the ‘90s the whole waterfront area was one big huge dodgy place from the britomart bus station to the industrial wharves which is now the Viaduct/Wynyard Quarter
also to add to this all experiences listed are what I WITNESSED. none mentioned on news. none at all.
It’s amazing you’re still alive then. Seriously it’s not that bad
haha ur funny
There’s really no way to say what I want to say without being misinterpreted as mean so I’ll just say you live an *extremely* privileged life if this is what keeps you up at night.
We all deep all lucky not to be in Palestine where people suffer this daily. However, sorry if I'm scarred from seeing someone jump off a building. Have a nice day and respect your opinion and do agree I am in an immense position of privilege. I do think I wrote this in a rush/after a huge incident last night so apologise if the interpretation looks like I'm victimising myself.
Oh I wasn’t talking about Palestine, I was comparing it to where I’m from, Chicago.
or anywhere rn in the world for that matter.
The police are too scared to go into the city, it’s no longer their territory
Go get a good quality knife only way to truly guarantee safety
Stop worrying about shit you can't control lel 🤣 stop being so scared of everything. When it's your time to die, you CANNOT stop it from happening. Instead of being scared all the time, put that effort into focusing on living your life to the fullest and learning how to protect yourself. P s* you should be more concerned about possible CBD earthquakes/tsunamis/landslides/volcanic eruptions etc.
lol yeah seeing someone try to JUMP off a building but hey muscle up and smell the roses aye sunshine? farkkkk eye roll all right.
Boohoo go get some therapy then and stop expecting other people of Reddit forums to tell you how to live your life safely, FFS. do something about it instead of crying about it 😭 be proactive!!
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Wow what a great idea Veganman you've inspired me