Crime Reduction Strategy 4/5

Crime Reduction Strategy

PRIORITY AREAS AND GOALS

Reduce the incidence of family violence and child abuse
Family
violence and child abuse are recommended as a priority area for two reasons.
First, they are high volume crimes. In the 1997 Report on the Women's Safety
Survey, 15.3% of ever-partnered women reported that they had experienced one or
more types of violence by their partners in the twelve months leading up to the
survey. While family violence incidents attended by the police have stabilised
since the introduction of the Domestic Violence Act 1995 (DVA), they remain high
(over 21,000 in 1998). In the year to June 2000, 6,833 children were assessed by
the Department of Child, Youth and Family as abused or neglected (ie 6.9
children for every 1,000 under 17 years of age). Maori children are more likely
than non-Maori children to be assessed as abused and neglected. In 2000, the
rate per 1,000 was 12.0 for Maori and 5.3 for non-Maori.

Secondly, such crimes often have a disproportionate impact on victims. In
particular, children exposed to family violence are at greater risk of poor life
outcomes, including later offending 1, and often perpetuate a cycle of violence
and abuse.

Reduce other violence including sexual violence Reducing other
violence, including sexual violence, should also become a priority area because
of the high and increasing volume of offences, and their disproportionate impact
on victims and the general public (including increased fear of crime). Recorded
violent crime in New Zealand has increased by 77% in the last decade. The number
of violent offenders in the prison population is also increasing (60% of
sentenced inmates, due to both high imprisonment rates and long sentences). The
New Zealand National Survey of Crime Victims (1996) showed a high degree of
repeat victimisation in the twelve months leading up to the survey, 6.1% of the
victims of violence having been victimised more than five times and accounting
for 68.4% of total violent offences. Amongst such victims the average number of
offences was 12.

Reduce burglary
Burglary should be a priority area for three
reasons. First, it involves a large number of offences (74,490 reported in 1999
and 6.1% of total crime).

Secondly, burglary has a disproportionate impact on victims, particularly
where homes and/or personal property are affected, and low resolution rates
(while improved in the past 12 months) have contributed to an increased sense of
vulnerability within the community. The 1996 National Survey of Crime Victims
showed that over a third (37.8%) of New Zealanders had experienced a household
offence such as burglary or theft from a motor vehicle over the preceding 12
months.

The third reason for making reductions in burglary a priority is the
availability of cost-effective interventions. Well-defined situational crime
prevention initiatives such as target hardening (making targets of crime less
vulnerable) have worked in reducing burglary and repeat victimisation in the
short term.

Reduce theft of cars and from cars
The incidence of car theft is
high in NZ compared to overseas. New Zealand, along with England, Canada and
Australia, records high levels of car thefts (6.9% of respondents to a community
survey in 1991 having been victimised once or more over the preceding 12 months
in New Zealand, 7.1% in England, 7.2% in Canada and 6.7% in Australia, while
European countries average 5%)4. Taking and driving away offences constitute a
large proportion of offences in New Zealand (23,708 in 1999) and recidivism
rates are high.

Specific strategies to reduce theft of and from cars in Britain and Australia
are considered to be effective and this suggests that we have scope to achieve
improvement here. International experience indicates that there is potential to
reduce such thefts particularly through situational crime prevention
initiatives6, which have been tested here by Police and Safer Community
Councils.

Reduce organised criminal activity
Organised crime occurs when 'a
continuing association of persons have as its object, or as one of its objects,
the acquisition of substantial income or assets by means of a continuing course
of criminal conduct.'7 There are likely to be between 330 and 660 organised
crime groups in New Zealand, including outlaw motorcycle gangs and gangs of New
Zealand origin, local street gangs, career criminal groups and family crime
groups, some organised on an ethnic basis; and secret societies, such as
paedophiles. Through such groups, a significant proportion of serious offences
involving theft and burglary, the importation, production and sale of drugs, the
theft of motor vehicles and violent crime are committed by a relatively small
number of offenders8. There is increased concern at the link between organised
crime and the growth in illegal drugs trafficking, manufacture and distribution,
and money laundering in New Zealand. There is scope to make a significant impact
on overall levels of crime through co-ordinated efforts by Police and other
enforcement agencies to effectively tackle organised crime. An Organised Crime
Strategy has been developed by Police for this purpose and will feed into the
action plans and targets under this Crime Reduction Strategy. Further research
is needed to identify the best strategies to do so.

Reduce Serious Traffic Offending
Serious traffic offending
includes dangerous driving causing death or injury, drunk driving, and driving
while disqualified. This area should be included as a priority for three
reasons. First, these offences are committed in large numbers and with
disproportionate impacts on victims. In 1999 New Zealand had a rate of 13.4
deaths per 100,000 population; an improvement on the previous year but still
much higher than the rate of 6.1 in the United Kingdom.

Secondly, the increase in such offences is imposing significant costs on
society and the criminal justice system. In 1999, 1,829 traffic cases resulted
in a custodial sentence (the highest number since 1992), most commonly as a
result of driving causing death and driving while disqualified. Although only
15% of convictions for driving whilst disqualified result in imprisonment, this
represents 1,124 cases in 1999 and 70% of the demand for prison space from
traffic offences.

Thirdly, alternative interventions that are likely to be cost-effective are
available to reduce serious traffic offending. The MODS programme developed by
Corrections is based on research indicating that offences amongst participants
can be reduced by 10%.

Strategies to address road safety are primarily being addressed in the
transport sector, working with Police. However, cross sector coordination is
also needed over issues such as penalties enforcement and programmes for
offenders. Including this priority in the Crime Reduction Strategy will ensure
that this dimension of road safety strategy is addressed within the justice
sector, but will not duplicate other actions in the development of the 2010 road
safety strategy.

Reduce youth offending and reoffending
Youth offending is
recommended as a priority area because of the potential for cost-effective
intervention. Because those who begin offending early are more likely to become
persistent adult offenders9, it is likely to be cost-effective to target youth
offenders at a formative stage when their behaviours are amenable to change. The
fiscal and social costs of high risk persistent adult offending are extremely
high. The average number of convictions for this group is 51, cost to taxpayers
$3.1 million per offender, and the top 10% cost the taxpayer $6 million each.

The Ministerial Taskforce on Youth Crime led by Chief District Court Judge
Carruthers is currently engaged in developing a specific strategy for youth
offending which will become a subset of the Crime Reduction Strategy.