Less crime but do people feel safe?

Strategies get results

Porirua is a safe city, so why don’t we feel safe?

As crime rates plunge in the Kapiti-Mana police district, Porirua is still seen as crime-ridden, not least by the city’s own residents.

Only two-thirds of residents feel safe walking alone in their neighbourhood at night, and only 42 per cent feel safe in the CBD after dark, according to a 2012 survey.

The paradox is a source of frustration for the district’s area commander, Detective Inspector Paul Basham.

‘‘Porirua is as safe in some respects, if not safer than, other parts of the country,’’ he says. ‘‘It’s really encouraging but I think the frustration the police have is it’s not reflected in the perception of the community.’’

The idea of Porirua as a highcrime city is a ‘‘regrettable and unjustifiable’’ legacy of the 1980s, Mr Basham says.

But times have changed – crime has been reducing since the late 1990s, and since 2008 alone has dropped by a quarter.

The downward trend has been more dramatic recently – since last July overall crime has dropped by 12 per cent, and the most common crimes, such as burglaries and car thefts, have reduced by a fifth.

Even the 17.3 per cent increase in disorderly behaviour is good news, Mr Basham says.

It’s what cops call ‘‘good cholesterol’’. Police have been making more arrests for minor crimes, to try and nip criminal behaviour in the bud and reduce more serious offending.

‘‘If we’re in the right place at the right time, we’re preventing that stuff from escalating,’’ Mr Basham says.

Young criminals are identified and are put on the road to work or education.

‘‘We’re trying to invest heavily in those offenders.’’

Porirua police have begun to allocate resources based on analysis of the city’s crime hotspots, dangerous roads, usual criminal suspects and even repeat victims.

‘‘ Crime is not random,’’ Mr Basham says. ‘‘I want an almost surgical idea of what our crime looks like, so we can best allocate our resources.’’

In practice this has meant foot patrols have more than doubled since last year, at targeted places and times, such as Cannons Creek and Waitangirua on summer evenings.

Vehicle checks have gone up by a third and visits to licensed bars and restaurants have jumped 80 per cent, Mr Basham says.

More cops on the beat also helps with people’s perception of safety, he says.