Burglaries on the rise

An increase in reported burglaries has prompted police to remind residents to report any suspicious behaviour in their neighbourhood. File photo.

Burglaries in the Western Bay of Plenty were up 43 per cent last year, following a national trend which saw police make the crime a priority offence last year.

The latest crime statistics show there were 2263 burglaries in the Western Bay of Plenty to November 2016, compared to 1582 burglaries in the year ending November 2015.

In August last year police announced a policy of attending all reported house break-ins in a move to show they are serious about tackling burglary.

A police spokesperson says it's difficult to determine a particular reason for the increase in reported burglaries in the region.

'Insecure premises can contribute, as opportunistic thieves take their chances; and we know that burglaries can fuel other crimes such as drug offending.

'Everyone is responsible for helping prevent burglaries and other crime, by ensuring they report any suspicious or concerning behaviour to police.

"Look out for your neighbours, and if you see someone committing an offence or suspicious behaviour unfolding, call 111 immediately with as much detail as possible.”

Sexual assaults in the region also increased markedly last year, with the number of assaults up 45 from 164 in 2015 to 209 in 2016.

Police say any increase in reports of a crime such as sexual assault is a concern, given the distressing nature of these crimes to the victim.

'Police does treat these reports very seriously and do encourage anyone to come to police with any concerns or reports of this nature, so these can be followed up with our staff."

Overall, the estimates of victims of crime in the Western Bay of Plenty increased by nine per cent from 8705 victimisations to 9528.

There were fewer car thefts – down slightly from 1463 to 1412 – and less illegal use of property.

The reporting of crime statistics shifted from Statistics New Zealand to police in September last year. Statistics now focus on individual victims of crime, and the number of offenders apprehended for a criminal offence.

The figures exclude types of crime that have no direct victim, such as drug offences and drink driving.

They also do not include crimes resulting in death, such as murder and manslaughter.

Due to the often longer length of time involved in investigating these offences, these figures are reported separately.

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3 comments

Comment . . .

Posted on 20-02-2017 13:04 | By Makkas1313

Why what's the point, Those who have the power to make a difference don't give a toss! They don't want to rattle their cage for fare of losing a bloody good income . . . Perhaps Simon Bridges can make some suggestions to fix this . . Like his his well thought out and researched answer to the Tauranga traffic problems . . . On Ya Bike Sonny!


Bring back more Crime fighters not woolly academics

Posted on 20-02-2017 19:58 | By stokey

Blaming householders for people breaking into their homes is nonsense. Attention Police: Try solving the crimes and see how that impacts on crime reduction. Just condescendingly agreeing to TURN UP to crimes and recording the details won't make any difference. Also for your information, Burglaries DON'T contribute to drug offending, drug users resort to Burglaries to support their habit! Go back to the old tried and tested system of allocating crime files to individual investigators so there is some degree of accountability for results. If the copper can't sole crimes, give him another role better suited to his skills. Crime fighting and detection is an art - not another item in a CV for promotion. Bring back REAL crime fighters - not woolly academics, problem solved!


Burglaries

Posted on 03-03-2017 22:33 | By Theodorus

Solve the unemployment curse, started by Robby Muldoon, former National Priminister and Burglaries will decline dramatically! (bY Theodorus )


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