Burglars, robbers drive crime rate up

A surge in people falling victim to burglaries, robbery and assaults are behind an increase in reported crime in New Zealand over the past year.

The official crime statistics for the year ending August released yesterday showed 12,529 more victims than the year before. The increase equates to a 4.8 per cent rise in crime.

It’s more bad news for Police Minister Judith Collins after last month’s crime statistics showed a 2.3 per cent increase in crime in the year to July.

Collins — who recently admitted there aren’t enough police officers and that needed to change — said burglaries was the driving factor behind the worsening crime rate.

Prime Minister John Key has indicated police numbers will increase.

“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,” Collins said yesterday.

“However, as the policy only went live on August 29, it will likely take until December to see what change this policy will have.”

The Statistics New Zealand crime figures released yesterday show:

There were 71,439 victimisations related to burglaries — a 15.4 per cent increase from the year prior. Robbery, extortion and related offences surged by 15.4 per cent, assault victimisations by 8.5 per cent, and sexual assault by 2.6 per cent. Victimisations related to abduction and kidnapping fell by 5 per cent, and theft and related offences dropped by 1 per cent.

A victimisation is defined as “one person experiencing one t ype of crime”.

Polling indicates New Zealand First could hold the balance of power at next year’s election and leader Winston Peters has said a sizeable increase in police numbers will be a bottom line.