Tauranga Police are preparing for a rise in public assaults as the months get warmer, says Western Bay of Plenty area commander Inspector Clifford Paxton.

Statistics showing a greater number of assaults take place in public areas during summer were discussed by Clifford in a report to Tauranga City Council's Projects and Monitoring Committee today.

WBOP area commander Inspector Clifford Paxton expects a rise in public assaults as the weather warms.

The figures show the number of assaults occurring in public places during February this year (40) was almost double the number that occurred in public in July (24). The number of assaults taking place did not drop with the colder weather, people just moved their violent behaviour indoors, says Clifford.

'As we move towards the warmer parts of the year, we expect to see a rise in public place assaults and a likely drop-off in dwelling assaults.”

Figures also show public safety orders, used to separate people for a ‘cooling off' period in domestic disputes, grew from about 25 to 35 a month between March and April, and have remained about the same level since.

Disorder arrests, which include arrests for trespass and unlawfully being on a property, have climbed steadily since April.

Clifford says the increases could be a result of increased police presence in local hot spots including Bayfair, Merivale, and Gate Pa. This increased presence is focussing on tackling disorderly and anti-social behaviour.

'We are putting quite a lot of resources into these areas, and they will be a focus for the foreseeable future.”

Clifford believes crime statistics are affected by periodic operations, such as Operation Spike and Operation Presence that focus on different criminal behaviours.

Operation Spike focussed on burglaries and included preventative actions such as second hand dealers, bail checks, check points and referrals to partner agencies.

Tauranga Police have seen significant outcomes from these operations, including a substantial drop in related crime figures, says Clifford. 'It's very positive for us.”