The latest crime statistics came out just before Easter and for those of us in Auckland they make appalling reading.
Across all three Police districts in Auckland, burglary was up by 15% over last year.Worse still, police resolution rates for burglary, dropped for the third year in a row.In Auckland Central, resolution of burglaries dropped to just over 11%, that is slightly more than a one in ten chance the person who burgled your home will be caught.But in Auckland East and West the figures are even more dismal, 6.1%for the East and 4.8% in the West.Auckland has by far the lowest clearance rate for burglaries in the country. It’s half what other areas are achieving.
Motor vehicle theft is up in Auckland as well; with a resolution rate of under 6%.These are high volume crimes, the ones that affect most of us.We keep hearing the same thing. It’s okay because crime rates are coming down. That’s hardly a consolation to those whose homes have been broken into or motor vehicle has been stolen.
In fact, it looks dangerously like complacency on the part of the government. They seem to think if crime is coming down they can cut funding for the Police. The Police Commissioner told us that, at the Law and Order Select Committee last month, that $300 million in rising costs had to be absorbed by the Police in recent years for government cuts.
In fact, it’s much more than that. Salary rises for Police staff, which haven’t been compensated for, are just under $300 million by themselves. When funding is cut, and demand for Police services is rising, something has to give.It looks like Police follow up and resolution of crime is where ordinary people in Auckland and elsewhere are paying the price.
The Police Commissioner didn’t really have an answer to the question I put to him about why less crime is being resolved. He seemed to be saying it was because the emphasis was being put on prevention first. I pointed out that the best way of preventing crime is to persuade the offender if he commits the crime, he will be caught and punished.
It’s hard to get that message across when the would-be criminal knows that he has just one chance in 20 of getting caught if he rips off your car or property from your house. I don’t particularly blame the Commissioner for his answer. As a public servant, he can’t simply say he is being starved of the resources he needs to make a difference. But essentially that is the reason.
The fundamental responsibility of any Government is to keep people safe and to ensure that we can live free from the fear of being victims of crime. Next month, the Finance Minister delivers his Budget. I don’t want excuses about his sixth attempt to achieve a surplus in the Finance as the reason for not having basic services delivered to ensure public safety. I reckon if the Government can spend $70 million on unbudgeted bridges to try to buy an election in Northland, then the money should be there to ensure we have an effective Police force.