Crime wave warrants no reform

Aggravated robberies continue to mount in Hamilton but the city’s mayor reckons it’s no greater than any other town in New Zealand.

Another community leader disagreed and said robberies were becoming the ‘‘crime du jour’’.

On average, there have been 9 aggravated robberies a month in 2017, compared to just five a month in 2016.

Hamilton Mayor Andrew King admits although the number of robberies is higher than expected, Hamilton does not have a problem with crime.

‘‘Our city’s crime rates are no greater than any other metropolitan city,’’ he said.

Auckland, which had a population of 1.3 million, had around 15 aggravated robberies per month, between January and July.

Wellington, population 203,800, had on average 4 aggravated robberies a month; 7 fewer than in 2016.

With only 156,800 residents in Hamilton, the city’s average of 9.42 is enough to warrant a special police operation.

Operation Chronos has been put into action by the Waikato police force to focus on aggravated robberies. They are also providing preventative training for businesses being targeted.

King said the police were doing a good job and were looking at the problem with urgency.

But Hamilton city councillor James Casson, aggravated robberies have become the ‘‘crime du jour’’.

‘‘I think it’s become a little bit of the norm,’’ he said.

Casson, a former community constable, said there needs to be a rethink over the closing of community police stations.

He said Hamilton police were ‘‘stretched to the limit’’.

‘‘The guys are going from job to job, chasing their own tails.’’

In 2014, community constables were centralised and community police stations were closed.

But at a meeting for residents in Hamilton West, Western Community Centre manager Neil Tolan said community police stations were a ‘‘greatly needed resource that our people could access’’.

Tolan said that 70 per cent of people at the meeting had either their house broken into, or knew of a neighbour’s house that had been burgaled.

‘‘Community constables can identify people a lot earlier. If you can get kids early on, you can lead them down the right path.’’

Tolan said blame couldn’t be put on police alone, but having strong communities could help.

The maximum penalty for aggravated robbery is 14 years imprisonment.

-Amelia Christensen-Rose is a Wintec journalism student.