Mellow Yellow approach to CBD safety

Mellow Yellow is a joint campaign between the New Plymouth Police, New Plymouth District Council, the Hospitality Association of New Zealand and inner-city bar owners. The programme improves communication between licensed premises and the police about potentially difficult patrons during the evenings, and raises the public’s awareness of safety features such as the CBD’s CCTV monitoring.

The most obvious feature of the campaign is the high-visibility yellow jackets being worn by door staff at licensed premises, along with two-way radios that enable them to communicate with each other and directly with the police.

Senior Sergeant, Selwyn Wansbrough, of New Plymouth Police believes the yellow jackets are symbolic of the collaborative nature of the project, reminding patrons that all of the city's licensed premises are working together to reduce violence among the public.

Police keep in close contact with the door staff via the two-way radios and will respond quickly to any incidents of violence. CCTV cameras support the project by focusing on reported incidents and collecting evidential information for later use by the police.

The higher visibility of door staff and the police, together with improved communications, are expected to reduce the number of alcohol-related violent incidents in the CBD.

This initiative is part of a broad partnership between the Council, the police, health groups and a range of community agencies which is developing a Community Safety Strategy for New Plymouth District.