Hon Judith Collins

Minister of Police
30 June 2016 Media Statement
Official crime stats released today

Police are committed to improving resolution rates and reducing the number of burglaries, says Police Minister Judith Collins.

Ms Collins was commenting on the official crime statistics for the month of May, released by Statistics New Zealand today, which show the national burglary rate increased by 11.9 per cent for the 2015/16 financial year to May 2016 when compared to the same period last year.

“Burglary continues to be a significant focus for Police. This month, Police launched Operation Focus, aimed at reducing the number of house break-ins which have been steadily increasing since July 2015.

“This follows on from Operation Resolve which was established by Auckland City Police and is already having some success.

“There was an 11.5 per cent reduction in the burglary rate in Auckland when comparing the 2014/15 and 2015/16 financial years to date.

“In addition, the Police Commissioner announced this week that Police will raise the priority level of house break-ins, moving it from the ‘volume crime’ category to the ‘priority offence’ category.

“Having your house burgled is one of the most invasive crimes for New Zealanders and it’s great to see Police placing more of a focus on this.

“Operation Focus is being carried out in every city and town in the country and I know that Police are determined to both reduce the number of burglaries and improve the resolution rates,” Ms Collins says.

ENDS

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