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News
City may use undercover agents to enforce brothel regulations
Thursday, 21 December 2006
By NIC DALEY
• Howick and Pakuranga Times
PRIVATE investigators are likely to be hired by the council to enforce its brothel bylaw.
Manukau City Council’s community safety committee has recommended the authority spend $50,000 on a trial to test the effectiveness of the investigators in identifying bylaw breaches.
The council’s health enforcement and licensing team has previously been tasked with locating brothels that contravene the control bylaw.
But by its own admission, the group finds it difficult due to staff having to identify themselves as being from the council (
Times
, August 2, 2005).
Howick councillor Jami-Lee Ross, who sits on the committee, hopes the proposed trial will net better results.
“The council’s enforcement of the brothel control bylaw isn’t very effective because when council officers investigate complaints about brothels in residential areas they have to, by law, identify themselves.”
Private investigators would not have the same requirements, he says.
“They don’t have to identify themselves like council officers do, and that provides a more effective method for council to enforce the bylaw.”
He says there’s little point in having a bylaw if it can’t be enforced.
“Having brothels around churches or schools in residential areas is not something the community wants.”
A similar scheme has been trialled by the North Shore City Council, with positive results.
Mr Ross says there have been complaints about nine businesses that allegedly breach the bylaw, in the past year.
“We don’t get a huge amount of complaints, however when we do get a complaint we simply can’t enforce it very effectively. It’s an issue the community is very concerned about.”
The council plan committee and then full council will consider the recommendation in the New Year.
