A strong focus on preventing crime and community partnerships has resulted in a 7.8 per cent drop in Tairawhiti crime, police say.
Crimes statistics released for the financial year 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014 show that Gisborne, Wairoa and the East Coast recorded 7501 offences this year, compared to 8137 the year before.
There were three homicides in the area this year, compared to five the year before. Acts intended to cause injury rose from 1375 last year to 1486 this year.
Dangerous or negligent acts endangering persons dropped from 31 last year to 28 this year, while sex offences rose from 87 to 101.
Abduction, harassment and related offences increased slightly from 401 last year to 407 this year. Robberies fell slightly from 33 last year to 32 this year.
There was a significant 21.7 per cent drop in burglaries and breaking and entering, with 811 offences recorded this year compared to 1036 the previous year.
Drug offences also recorded a good 17.9 per cent decrease, with 570 recorded this year, compared to 694 the year before.
There was a major 27.7 per cent drop in public order offences, which fell from 1055 last year to 763 this year. Thefts also dropped from 1776 last year to 1648 this year.
Tairawhiti Area Commander Inspector Sam Aberahama said he was pleased with the decrease in crime, but there was no room for complacency.
“This is a great result for both our community and our staff, who have worked extremely hard to keep crime down in the area. But we will not be sitting back on our laurels – our goals to prevent crime before it happens and responding to it effectively will continue,” Mr Aberahama said.
The drops in public order offences and burglaries were especially pleasing and were the result of higher police visibility and good relationships with the community.
“The use of mobile devices has enabled us to get out from behind our desks and be more visible in the community. A higher police presence is a proven crime deterrent so the public will be seeing more of us out and about in the future.”
Mr Aberahama said there had been a strong police focus on burglaries in the area in recent times. The community had played its part by reporting suspicious activity to police and providing useful information that could be used to find burglars and receivers.
Police had continued to work closely with iwi and other agencies to focus on alternatives to prosecution. That included looking at what was driving offending and developing plans with whanau to help offenders achieve their goals.
“There is also a lot of work being done with victims of family violence. We have a great network of agencies throughout Tairawhiti that are all contributing to these results. It’s important that we celebrate our successes and continue to connect with each other and our communities going forward,” Mr Aberahama said.