Auckland City Police resolved more offences in the 12 months ended 31 December 2008, than the previous year, increasing the crime resolution rate from 37% to 39%.
The district also achieved a four percent reduction in recorded crime for the year, with the number of recorded offences dropping from 57,187 to 54,928.
Auckland City experienced reductions in all offence categories except violence which was up by 0.4%.
Tougher enforcement of liquor ban breaches resulted in a greater number of them being recorded - up by 362 offences on the 2007 calendar year figures in the drugs and antisocial offence category.
However, this was offset by a 14.4% reduction in disorder offences (down 468 offences), resulting in a reduction of 1.4% overall in the drugs and antisocial offence category. It is likely the liquor ban added to the decline in this category.
Dishonesty offences also fell over the same 12-month period. These offences include car conversion, which fell 14% and theft, which fell 11%. However, burglary increased by 9%, and fraud was up 20%. Theft ex cars is at its lowest level in four years and the second lowest in nine years.
The increase in the number of recorded violence offences has, in the main, been driven by an increase in recorded family violence assaults. Auckland City's results are consistent with the national picture, where there have been significant increases in recorded family violence offences following the national roll-out of training to all front-line staff in family violence investigation and risk assessment.
Also, Police and partner agency media campaigns over recent years have encouraged reduced tolerance of family violence. Many people may now be reporting to Police family violence offences which in the past may not have come to Police attention at all.
Improved reporting enables the Police, along with its key partners, to direct its resources into reducing crime.
ENDS