Do you recall at the time of Phillip Cottrell’s murder in Wellington that police were at great pains to emphasise what a safe place the city was? They said that street violence was rare in the city.

The day after Mr Cottrell died local newspaper, The Dominion Post,  whose offices are feet away from where Mr Cottrell was found, decided to take the bull by the horns and published data that proved that violence and serious assaults had increased by over 40% in the last year:

“Monthly police statistics show an increase of serious assaults resulting in injury, in either public or private places,  rose from 23 in October 2010 to 33 in October this year (2011)

The monthly reports also show an increase of public place assaults from 62 to 65 in the same time period…”

The report then went on to details other street attacks that had taken place over that weekend and quoted Acting Commander Detective Inspector Steve Vaughan saying the weekend attacks were “terrible and nasty“.

We suggested that showed that the city was anything but safe. Three days after Mr Cottrell was assaulted a woman was attacked in Newtown Avenue just 4 kms away, but news about the attack was withheld until almost two weeks later when police appealed for witnesses.

Now a local man has decided to do something to counter the threat on Wellington’s streets after his 50 year old wife was attacked by a “group” of youths in the city (the word group is often used as a euphemism for gang in New Zealand) Fortunately his wife has a second degree black belt in Karate and able to defend herself, but not everyone is so well prepared so Mr Jennings is offering to train people in self defence.

Reported on by the Dom Post:

“A Johnsonville karate master is offering a self-defence course for ”potential victims” after his wife was attacked by a group of youths in Wellington.

Kyokushin karate instructor, Peter Jennings – a fifth dan Shihan master – said he had become increasingly concerned with the level of serious assaults and other unprovoked attacks in central Wellington and the city’s suburbs.

Highly commendable, Mr Jennings may be doing more for safety on the streets than the law enforcement agencies who seem to prefer to create an illusion of safety. What better way to discourage muggings than to create a self aware populace who are prepared and able to defend themselves against street thugs?

“The risks for innocent people walking the Wellington streets at night “hit home” when a group of youths tried to mug his wife – a 50-year-old bank manager and second degree black-belt – in the CBD last year.

Mr Jennings said his wife was given a black eye in the attack, but was otherwise unharmed, while her assailants – one with a suspected broken jaw – fled empty-handed.

“I hate to consider what may have been the result if she had not known how to effectively respond to the situation.”

The course is open to those of high school age and older but applicants will be vetted.” more here

Two youths aged 17 and 19 were eventually arrested and charged in connection with the death of Mr Cottrell. Read Phillip Cottrell teens arrested at gunpoint .

Other recent Wellington Assault News Reports

19 January:  “The man charged with an assault in Wellington that left a Kapiti man on life support has been remanded until March for forensic tests to be completed.”