Hon Judith Collins

Minister of Police

30 September 2016

Official crime stats for August 2016 released today

Official crime statistics for August 2016 released by Statistics New Zealand today, show that Police recorded 12,529 more victimisations in the twelve months ending August 2016 than in the same period last year, which equates to a 4.8 per cent increase.

Burglaries continue to be the single largest driving factor behind the increased crime victimisations with 9,559 more victimisations recorded than for the same time last year.

“Police are continuing to place a significant focus on burglaries with the new policy of full attendance at dwelling burglaries so the public can now expect either a constabulary or scene of crime officer to attend within a reasonable time.

“This shows that Police are serious about tackling burglary and also sends a clear message to offenders. However, as the policy only went live on 29 August, it will likely take until December to see what change this policy will have.”

While burglaries remain a focus, two crime areas have seen a reduction in numbers with abduction, harassment and other related offences falling by 4.1 per cent, while theft and related offences have fallen by 1.1 per cent or 1,526 victimisations.

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