Crime in Eastern District was stable this fiscal year, with a marginal 0.1 percent increase in recorded offences.
There were 25,644 offences recorded in Napier, Hastings and Gisborne for the year ending 30 June – up 35 offences on last year. Police solved 53.1 per cent of crime this year, compared to 51.4 percent the previous fiscal year.
When taking the national 1.2 percent increase in New Zealand’s resident population into account, recorded crime per head of population in the district fell 0.9 percent.
One murder was recorded during the year compared with six in the previous 12 months.
There were good reductions in several other key areas of crime. Robberies fell by 7.1 percent, thefts fell by 3.4 percent and public order offences fell by 8 percent. Drug offences fell by 13.7 percent.
Burglary continues to be a major area of focus for police throughout the district, with a 7.4 percent increase in offences this year. There has also been a 14.5 percent increase in recorded family violence offences.
Eastern District Commander Superintendent Sam Hoyle says those two areas of crime have been identified as a major focus for police.
"We have put in place a number of strategies that target burglars in addition to crime prevention messaging.
"We have often said that burglary is not just a police problem and we rely heavily on the public to report any suspicious behaviour in their community and alert us to anything that seems out of place or unusual. It's also incumbent on people to take responsibility for their home security and make sure their doors and windows are locked when they are out," Mr Hoyle said.
An increase in reported family violence offences indicated more victims were reporting crime to police, and that’s to be encouraged. But it also identified a significant issue for the community.
"We have done a lot of work in this area, including the introduction of Family Violence Teams which focus solely on these offences. We have also forged strong links with our community partners and together we are working extremely hard to address these problems," Mr Hoyle said.
An increase in proactive police work had helped reduce crime in several areas such as robberies, thefts and public order. A higher visible presence in the community and stronger enforcement of crimes such as breaching liquor bans and disorderly behaviour had sent a strong message to the public about community safety, Mr Hoyle said.
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