Crime Results For Wellington

Thursday 29 Aug 2002

Wellington Police District Commander Superintendent John Kelly is quite right to draw attention to Wellington's position as one of the safest regions in New Zealand, ACT Justice Spokesman and Wellington-based MP Stephen Franks said today.

"We could capitalise on our good fortune to attract people to Wellington - in particular the kind of highly qualified life style immigrants who come to New Zealand looking for a safe, clean, green place to raise their children.

"But if we make a feature of Wellington's success we just surprise people who otherwise wouldn't know about the high risks of being a victim of violent crime in this country. Ordinary people in many parts of New Zealand are more at risk of robbery or mugging than most US citizens. Our safety from crime is not a good point to draw to general attention.

"One disadvantage for other New Zealanders of the Wellington performance is that it may encourage the kind of smugness we've seen from politicians who spend most of their time safely in Wellington and away from the risks facing their local constituents," Mr Franks said.

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