Less Crime In Safer Auckland City

There were 11.9 per cent fewer crimes recorded in the Auckland City District in 2004 than there were in 2003 - representing a drop of 7,214 offences across all crime categories.

The district resolved 34.2 per cent of those, slightly fewer than in 2003 when 35.8 per cent of recorded offences were resolved.

Acting District Commander, Detective Superintendent Gavin Jones, said there were 12.2 percent fewer violent offences recorded in the district last year, dropping the recorded number of those crimes to 4,527. Of those, 72 per cent have already been resolved.

"While I'm obviously proud of the work my staff do every day to achieve these results - with the invaluable assistance of the general public, the City Council, volunteer organisations and other government departments - I'm also fully aware of the need to keep the pressure on criminals," Mr Jones said.

"I'm in no doubt that a number of initiatives undertaken by Auckland City Police over the years are still getting results in the form of reduced levels of crime in the Auckland City District.

"I refer here to things like the numerous liquor accords we have in place with licenced premise operators, the liquor bans that now exist in various parts of the city, the work that is done in the Downtown area by Maori Wardens and our own youth focused staff.

"It seems also that visitors to and residents of the city have become better behaved over the past few years. That all translates to Auckland City being a safer place than perhaps it was."

The number of recorded sexual offences in the city (292) is down by 16.3 per cent on the corresponding 2003 figure. However fewer were resolved in 2004 - 42.6 per cent - than was the case in 2003 when 57.9 per cent were.

Drugs and antisocial offences are down by 19.2 per cent on the 2003 figure, while the number of dishonesty offences dropped by 9.8 per cent in 2004.

Administrative offences - which include things like bail breaches - are down by 37.3 per cent on the 2003 figure of 1,547.

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