Homicides plummet in lockdown

WELLINGTON: The number of homicide, robbery and sexual violence charges all sharply dropped during the nationwide lockdown.

By the end of the Level 4 lockdown, nearly 32,000 hearings in district courts had been adjourned as a result of Covid19.

Data released by the Ministry of Justice yesterday has revealed District Court trends under Level 4.

Courts were an essential service during the lockdown; hearing priority proceedings even at the peak of pandemic restrictions.

Overall, 22% fewer charges were laid in the District Court during the lockdown.

Homicide, robbery and fraud charges all dropped roughly 40% while the biggest change was a 65% drop in sexual violence charges.

Charges relating to family violence — expected to rise as households came under pressure in the pandemic — dropped 10%.

The number of applications filed in the Family Court more than halved during the lockdown with a 37% decrease in urgent protection order applications.

Before lockdown, the most common charges were failing to attend court while on bail and drink driving.

Under lockdown, the most common charges were assault on a family member and obstructing or hindering a Medical Officer of Health or someone assisting them.

More than 600 charges for breaching alert level restrictions were filed in every jurisdiction in the country.

The majority were for obstructing or hindering a Medical Officer of Health or someone assisting them under the Health Act, while a handful were for breaching the Civil Defence Emergency Management Act 2002.

The worst offending regions were the East Coast, South Auckland, Canterbury and Northern Wellington while the Manawatu/Wairarapa region had the lowest number of charges filed.

By the end of the lockdown, nearly 32,000 hearings in the District Court had been adjourned as a direct result of Covid19.