Burwood residents gathered together at the Burwood Scout Hall on Travis Road to address the issue of increasing crime in their community.

Organised by the Burwood East Residents Association, the meeting was hosted by Burwood Councillor Kelly Barber and Burwood Community Board Member Greg Mitchell.

Concerned residents attended the meeting to share their experiences of being victims of crime.

The rise in crime, mostly caused by youth, has been a pressing issue for the residents of Burwood and greater Christchurch for several years.

The meeting had scheduled a local police officer to speak in an informal capacity, but he cancelled his appearance when he heard that the media would be present, according to Barber.

Nevertheless, residents were able to hear from a representative of Community Watch, who reassured them that their organization was doing their best to address the situation but emphasized that they were not an anti-vigilante group.

During a discussion about Community Watch, a resident raised doubts about the group’s effectiveness, pointing out that its members may not be able to promptly respond to crimes as they could be asleep when an incident occurs.

Residents shared their experiences of having their cars vandalised, property stolen, and being subjected to anti-social behavior.

One resident expressed disappointment in the “lack of response by police” following multiple thefts in the area.

Another resident spoke about feeling violated after her car was broken into just minutes after she had been in her garage.

During the meeting, a resident said, “kids were getting away with crime because there are no consequences.”

Another resident responded and said police had their hands tied by legislation, and to change it, “we do that by voting for people who will change legislation.”

Greg Mitchell said police told him youth crime was increasing across Christchurch, and offenders were getting younger and younger.

Kelly Barber said it was hard to know what to do about the issue, but hoped the public meeting was a start in the right direction.

Barber said, “We can put gates up around our houses, but who wants to live like that.”

Another resident said the crime in the area seemed “relentless” and the youths simply didn’t care.

At one point during the meeting, a resident walked out, saying it was clear there were going to be no solutions.

The meeting was live-streamed to Facebook by community advocate Stephen McPaike.

Another resident urged Kelly Barber to pass on the community’s concerns to outgoing local MP Poto Williams.