Increased security locks out public

Citizens and ratepayers wanting to gain access to public meetings at council chambers will now have to ask permission as part of increased security at the council.

The ground floor glass doors that formerly gave access to the lift and stairwell are now locked. The internal door past the public area receptionist's desk is now also locked on CEO Garry Poole's orders.


Tauranga CEO Garry Poole.


Access to council chambers is now through the main reception entrance

The public meetings, council meetings committee meetings are all held in the Tauranga city Council chambers on the second floor. By law, The Local Government Official Information and Meeting Act 1987, every meeting of a Local Authority shall be open to the public.

'Those doors were locked but the building is open to the public as you came in the main entrance,” says Garry.

'We're just wanting to make sure we know who is in the building. There is no suggestion we are stopping people from coming into the building, it's just so we can screen people that are in the building and if anyone appears, ah, unusual, we can just be alerted to that.”

As a member of the public, Garry says they're entitled to be in the building but we just have a heads up that someone unusual is in the building.

The security camera is not monitored on a live basis, and having someone letting people in provides an informal monitoring procedure, says Garry.

'The building is open to the public.”

The doors were first locked during the height of the mould scare when the council offices were being cleared of stachybotrys contaminated carpets. Now most of the council staff work elsewhere leaving large areas of the building locked off to non-card-key carrying members of the public.

In the wider environment there is a feeling there is an increased need to be aware of what is going on in your building, says Garry.

'The most notable unfortunate example of that is what happened in Ashburton.”

On September 1, 2014, Russell John Tully walked into the Ashburton Winz office with a shotgun and murdered two women and seriously injured another.

'There was some discussion about two weeks ago a point made about an increase in tension in some public buildings. Not ours, but we just want to make sure that we have got a very light handed awareness of the people that are walking around our public buildings and that is what you experienced this mornings.”

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9 comments

Ashburton Winz

Posted on 28-03-2015 15:01 | By YOGI BEAR

There are many opinions about this, in end result it oils down to two things, first: the incidents certainly should not have happened. But on the other side of it, if people are pushed to far as is the now standard modes-operandi at WINZ then sometimes the people push back, that is sadly what we have seen there. The link to TCC is not a good look as my take from that is that TCC is going to take the same path as WINZ, that is not good.


Security Guards

Posted on 28-03-2015 15:03 | By YOGI BEAR

That is what will be next, yet another reason for more staff, more costs and more rates. If the TCC staff did their job in a fair and reasonable way, were unbiased and were able to be realistic then many a problem would be solved on a number of fronts.


Double Talk

Posted on 28-03-2015 21:02 | By FunandGames

the way Garry has phrased his justification reminds me of how some dictators explain away their decisions.


Lock out?

Posted on 28-03-2015 22:58 | By YOGI BEAR

So this is like a reverse of normal, here the ratepayers employees and servants are locking out their employer. What an odd world we live in these days, it was not so long ago that only the reverse was ever possible.


Another Idea?

Posted on 29-03-2015 08:45 | By The author of this comment has been removed.

Since security is such a concern, put a camera on and go online at public times. I don't imagine it would be a thriller, but access is available to the public.


Thats

Posted on 29-03-2015 10:10 | By Capt_Kaveman

the look of a person who has a shot of whiskey for breakfast


Spare Me

Posted on 29-03-2015 10:55 | By Dazed and Confused

One councillor thinks the place is as bad as Chernobyl and the CEO now thinks it needs protecting from crazed gunman....This is our Town you rosters it's our council and it time we started Phyc testing anyone that wants to be involved.Realy is this is the calibre of people we are attracting.


Someone unusual

Posted on 29-03-2015 18:16 | By Murray.Guy

Ah Gary, it may come as a surprise to you but the 'unusual folk' you need to be concerned about, that many in the community are concerned about, are actually on the payroll. Tell us, where is this leading other than one more subtle message that ratepayers and residents are subservient to staff, tolerated at best only as a requirement of the law? Libraries next, all Council managed and staffed facilities?


Murray

Posted on 30-03-2015 13:55 | By YOGI BEAR

You are right, the risky ones are already inside the place, perhaps it is a sneaky way of saying that he wants to keep them all locked inside?


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