Proactive policing in Southland is continuing to achieve results with an impressive 12.2% crime reduction for the 2010 calendar year and a 57.9% resolution rate, up from 54.3% in 2009.
The number of recorded offences dropped from 10,013 in 2009 to 8,790 in 2011.
Acting Area Commander Inspector Olaf Jensen says the crime reductions are great news for the Southland community.
The results come from a change of policing style for the Southland area implemented some eight months ago. The area has moved from a reactive to proactive policing model, incorporating a whole of policing approach in identifying and responding to hot locations of crime.
Inspector Jensen praised the work of his team in delivering these results for the Southland community.
"It has been very much a team effort which has included tireless work by the Invercargill Community Patrol and Maori Wardens working together with police. The results would not have been possible without the support of the community at large or the many community partnerships that exist with police across the province," he said.
For the Southland Area, the decrease in crime means 1223 fewer offences which equates to fewer victims and safer communities.
Theft and related offences - dropped by 17.2% (2752 down to 2279) while burglary offences also dropped by 13.3% (971 down to 842) from the previous year. These offences account for about 25% of all recorded crime in Southland.
Property damage decreased by 20.5% and public order offences such as disorderly or offensive conduct dropped by 7.2%.
Family violence assaults increased by only six offences compared with 2009. This increase is much lower than in recent years, which have seen strong rises in recorded family violence offences. This rise peaked in mid-2010. There were fewer recorded family violence offences in the second half of 2010 than in the same period the previous year.
The other area of increase was for illicit drug offences up 9.6% (591 up to 648) but the figure reflects a proactive approach to targeting drug dealers.
Inspector Jensen said the proactive policing focus will continue to be developed.
"It is all about reducing and preventing crime and making our communities safer," he said.
District results
Recorded offences in Southern District (Southland and Otago) dropped by 7.6% in 2010.
Southern District Commander, Superintendent Bob Burns, said the 7.6% drop in Southern is a pleasing result his staff should be proud of.
"Strategies and policies taken at a national, district and area level are continuing to make a positive difference in our communities. Southern District has made significant and ongoing changes which will make our communities even safer," he said.
These changes have included tasking staffing according to short, medium and long-term problems; improving flexible and proactive capability and using better intelligence to direct staff to locations where offences are likely to be committed.
Southern Police are also solving more crime. At a district level the resolution rate rose to 54.6% in 2010, up from 51.9% in 2009.
"This result is particularly pleasing because it shows that not only are we able to reduce crime in our communities, but we are also getting better at identifying those who are doing the offending," Superintendent Burns said.
Superintendent Burns said total recorded crime for Southern, per head of population, is the lowest it has been for 15 years.
At a national level, recorded offences dropped by 5.6% or 25,000 in total. New Zealand's resident population rose by just over 1% during the period, meaning recorded offences per head of population dropped nationally by 6.7%.
ENDS