Southland crime figures drop 13%

Southland recorded the largest decrease in crime of any policing area in New Zealand over the last fiscal year.

Total reported crime across Southland and Otago was down 3.6% compared with 2008-09, boosted by a 13% decrease in recorded crime in Southland, the latest crime statistics show.

Over the same period, the level of crime increased in the two other policing areas within the Southern police district.

Southland police put their crime reduction down to a new proactive policing approach in which they analyse their intelligence on who is committing crimes, how, where, when and why, and target known offenders and problem areas.

Nationally, seven of the 12 police districts showed a drop in crime, although the total crime rate only decreased 1.3%.

Acting Southland police area commander Inspector Lane Todd said Southland police were working more closely with Maori wardens and community patrols in Invercargill's CBD, where there was a 32% drop in crime in the last fiscal year.

Across Southland, there were fewer thefts, burglaries and stolen cars, overall fewer violence and property-damage offences and significantly less drug and antisocial offending, with a drop from 942 cannabis offences in 2008-09 to 586.

The number of injury road crashes (367) in Southland was the lowest since 2000.

Dunedin's student population featured significantly in Dunedin-Clutha police area commander Insp Dave Campbell's comments about the area's statistics.

The slight increase in crime was a disappointing reversal from the last fiscal year's 5.8% drop, he said.

However, more crimes were resolved in the last fiscal year (50.4% compared with 48.8% the year before).

The main increases were in burglaries and thefts from dwellings and cars.

Thieves had clearly targeted North Dunedin student flats, many of which were left unlocked day and night, and there was a new trend of targeting cars parked in driveways.

Cannabis offending was up 17%, largely due to the operation targeting South Dunedin business Switched on Gardener.

Sexual offences were down.

Property damage in North Dunedin dropped, but remained static in other parts of the city, which was a clear indicator student behaviour had improved.

The amount of crime in the Otago-Rural police area increased 4.1%, while the level of crime resolved fell 1% to 55%, although that was still well above the national average resolution rate of 48%.

Violent incidents were up slightly, burglary was down and theft was up. The level of drug offending and disorderly behaviour increased significantly, which area commander Inspector Mike Cook said was the result of several drug operations and a proactive policing approach which was leading to the discovery of more crimes.

Police Minister Judith Collins said reductions in crime were encouraging, but the Government and police would not relax the pressure on criminals.

The number of reported violent crimes nationally was up 3%, although the rate of increase slowed compared with previous years.

An "abnormal spike" of 12 unrelated murders in August 2009 contributed to a higher-than-usual number of murders during the year. However, over a 25-year period, the murder rate remained flat, Ms Collins said.

Labour law and order spokesman Clayton Cosgrove called the increase in murders "dramatic and alarming".

"Does she [Ms Collins] actually think the families of the victims will feel better because the tragedies were part of an abnormal spike, or that the murders were unrelated? Most murders are unrelated, but they are happening more and more regularly despite National's promises to make our communities safer."

The figures showed an 11.8% increase, from 48,389 family violence offences recorded in 2008-09 to 54,104 in 2009-10.

The Families Commission said that was more good news than bad, because it resulted from a greater awareness of family violence.

Commission chief executive Paul Curry said 45 of the 65 murders in New Zealand in the last year were classified as family violence.

- debbie.porteous@odt.co.nz

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