Police Minister encouraged by latest crime stats

Police Minister Annette King is welcoming the almost zero increase in recorded offences for the 2006/07 fiscal year and the increased resolution of offences, but says there is still much more to be done to bring down the level of violence in New Zealand society.

Recorded offences increased 0.03 percent (115 offences) in the year, while the resolution rate increased 0.5 percent to 44.7 percent (2194 more offences resolved).

Ms King said: “That latter statistic is really encouraging. Police staff have done a great job in resolving more crime, and in focusing on specific crimes in specific areas to bring down the number of recorded offences.

“There has been an actual reduction in recorded offences in seven of the 12 police districts, and police staff serving in those districts will feel specially proud of what they have achieved. Police are too often easy targets for criticism, but by and large New Zealanders know the truth --- that we have an efficient and hard-working police service that is committed to making our communities safer places to live in.”

Ms King says that while no firm evidence exists to show that providing more frontline police is contributing to a reduction in recorded offences, it is “interesting, to say the least, that there has been a reduction in recorded offences in all three Auckland police districts.

“Those three districts have become home to most of the first tranche of the 1000 extra frontline police, pledged under Labour’s confidence and supply agreement with New Zealand First, and for those three districts all to report significant reductions in recorded offences is a considerable achievement.”

Ms King says the campaign to encourage New Zealanders to report domestic violence will continue. “Of course, no one likes to see the number of recorded offences in this area going up, but I would far rather that continues to happen than that domestic violence remains the hidden evil in our society that NZ Police suspects it has been in the past.”

Contact: John Harvey (04) 471 9305; John Saunders (04) 470 6851.