Bad behaviour prompts new rules for Ashburton’s library

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from The Press

By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:

Two people are being trespassed from Ashburton's new library and civic centre per month on average due to bad behaviour.

The problem has prompted the council to bring in new rules for its community facilities.

Te Whare Whakatere opened in January, and already 16 people have been trespassed in the first eight months – equating to one every two weeks.

It’s understood the causes included violent behaviour and wilful damage and that other facilities have had problems with visitor behaviour.

The threat to other user's safety and experience has forced the Ashburton District Council to introduce a new visitor code of conduct, which was adopted on Wednesday.

Councillor Carolyn Cameron said it was a shame the council had to take the step of formalising a code of conduct.

The code sets the behavioural expectations for visitors to the council’s public facilities and includes a range of lesser consequences up to and including trespassing.

The code states that extreme or repeated nuisance behaviour can result in a trespass of up to two years.

Extreme behaviour included threatening behaviour, assault, sexual harassment, theft, possession or use of weapons, drugs or alcohol, and using abusive or offensive language.

People and facilities general manager Sarah Mosley said the majority of the code is how things already operated.

“We see this document as a positive because it links a number of current practices in one document," she said.

“The code of conduct consolidates all aspects, and lets everyone know what behaviour is expected from visitors and staff within our core council facilities and what actions may be taken if any behaviour falls below our expectations.

“It sets our expectations, it provides us with the flexibility to deal and address behaviour in a positive way that doesn’t always mean a two-year sanction.”

Sport and recreation manager Richard Wood said he had witnessed a range of behaviours at EA Networks Centre and had trespassed people in the past.

There are measures to deal with some bad behaviours, but when they escalate to inappropriate, abusive, violent, or disruptive, “we can pull the other levers” outlined in the code, he said.

The code of conduct came into effect as soon as it was adopted by the council.

Mosely said the code does not specifically reference the new Gangs Legislation that came into effect on Thursday, making it an offence to display gang insignia in a public place.

“This is because the police, not staff, are responsible for enforcing any breach of the law.

“We don’t envisage any issues within our facilities as there have not been any recent occasions where gang insignia has been worn within them.”