Counties Manukau District Commander Superintendent Steve Shortland says overall he is pleased with the results achieved over the last year and praises the efforts of the staff in dealing with the challenging job of reducing crime and crashes.
"The six-month comparison between July to December in 2005 and 2006 show the initiatives we have in place are keeping us on an even keel. This comparison shows our resolution rate is up and reported crime has decreased."
Mr Shortland says 2006 was similar to previous years - very busy but with notable highlights including the speedy resolution of a number of serious crimes, additional staff arriving in the District and building the new Manukau Police station.
There are some areas where reported offending has increased but that increase may not be indicative of an actual increase. The six month comparison shows reported sexual attacks, for example, have increased by 30 (129 to 159). Analysis reveals most of the rise can be attributed to offences committed involving children less than 16 years of age and are linked to an increase in reported family violence. As people feel more comfortable about reporting family violence, sexual offending sometimes linked to family violence is also being reported.
The six month comparison shows an increase of 157 (127 to 284) in receiving offences and is a reflection of the effort being put into targeting those who deal in stolen property as police target receivers in the fight to combat burglary.
Armed robberies have increased in the six month comparison. There were 48 offences relating to 32 robberies in the second half of 2006, however, more than half (19) of these files have been resolved with arrests. Two police operations were launched when links were identified with some of the armed robberies, five people were arrested and 13 robberies were cleared.
"In 2007 we will continue to focus on behaviour that compromises community and individual safety. Street disorder and violence, issues around youth and alcohol and Family Violence will remain high on our list of 'things to do now'
The District has created two Youth Action teams that are specifically aimed at preventing and reducing youth disorder and street violence. These teams are producing very good results.
"The 13 non-sworn Crime Scene Attendants, who were allocated to Counties Manukau from the first tranche of the 1250 new staff promised Police by Government are now well established in the District and the response from the public has been favourable. Their primary focus is to improve customer service and evidence gathering at burglary scenes of crime", says Mr Shortland.
"Over this year we want to work on community reassurance. We'll do this by joining forces with our local councils to tackle graffiti, reducing and defusing public disorder and enforcing liquor bans. "
Mr Shortland says with the new initiatives, additional staff and Stage 2 of the Manukau Police station to be built over the next year the Counties Manukau Police District will continue moving forward.
"There is a lot of energy and commitment going into addressing the challenges Police and the community face together. The partnership approach is the only way we can make in-roads into finding solutions to the crime issues affecting our community. Despite the pressures officers face when policing in Counties Manukau they remain dedicated to reducing crime and crashes," says Mr Shortland.
Full details of the 2006 calendar year statistics are available on http://www.stats.govt.nz/products-and-services/table-builder/crime-tables/
Released by Angeline Barlow
Communications Manager
Counties Manukau Police