City centres are viewed by many people as hotbeds of vice and crime. While this perception is not always accurate, Christchurch's Cathedral Square had a bad reputation after dark in the early 1980s and many people avoided it at night. A police kiosk was installed in 1986. The building and its fittings were almost entirely funded by community donations. Staffed by volunteers from the community, the kiosk helped increase the sense of security of people visiting the square.