More Crime Resolved In City District

2 October 2006

Auckland City District police are pleased that the latest crime statistics show the district has detected and solved more crime in the last financial year.

Just over 55,000 offences were recorded in the district in 05/06, compared to about 52,000 in the corresponding 04/05 period.

Crime resolution is up by three percent in the district to just over 37 per cent.

Acting District Commander Detective Superintendent Gavin Jones says the increased resolution rate is significant given there has also been an increase in the number of offences.

A new police system of recording offences has also contributed to the increase in crime figures. The change is the biggest system and practice change affecting recorded crime statistics since the introduction of the Wanganui Computer in the late 1970s.

Much of the increase in recorded offences has come from five categories - car crime, crimes against justice including bail breaches, willful damage, intimidation and threats and new drugs.

"The increase in these areas is not unexpected as this is where we have targeted our resources in an effort to improve the safety of the community," Mr Jones said.

"Effective patrolling methods at peak times, deploying resources to actively look for intimidating or threatening behaviour and a crack down on car crime have meant more arrests in all these areas.

"We have been working hard to address car conversions and unlawful takings with our community partners including the City Council and Safer Auckland City.

"I acknowledge the support from these agencies and others that assist us to meet the challenges of policing part of New Zealand's largest metropolitan area.

"There's been a lot of good work done in the Balmoral, Mt Eden and Newmarket suburbs, and we're rolling over a successful prevention and detection programme run by a community constable there, for another year."

The introduction of a Family Safety Team in the eastern district is one of the police-led initiatives in place to address family violence.

"Police remain committed to supporting this community's intolerance of family violence.

"The Family Safety Team is identifying gaps in services to victims, gaps in knowledge about offenders, and is establishing MOUs and relationships with relevant organisations in the community."

One of the team's responsibilities is to educate frontline staff on how to more accurately record incidences of family violence. Such offences account for 40.4 per cent of all violent offences in the eastern area of the City District.

"The team is working alongside the groups that share information about family violence and is learning about how we can do things better, how to enhance the systems and processes that are already in place to respond to family violence and where the gaps need to be plugged." Mr Jones said.

Full details of the 05/06 crime statistics are available at www.stats.govt.nz

ENDS

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