Bay's crime rate declines

Hawke's Bay police believe their "strong focus" on prevention initiatives is behind a 4.6 per cent reduction in reported crime across the region last year.

The reduction from 15,487 crimes recorded in 2013 to 14,781 in 2014 for the area compared to a 2.8 per cent drop across the whole country.

The resolution rate for crimes in Hawke's Bay increased last year - from 45.6 per cent to 47.7 per cent - and compared favourably with the national rate of 41.5 per cent.

Hawke's Bay area commander Inspector Tania Kura said the local figures were pleasing and put the region's police on a sound footing to reduce crime even further.

"We have worked very hard on several initiatives to bring crime down over the past few years and, hopefully, those efforts are now paying off," Ms Kura said.

"Our staff have done extremely well and these results are a credit to them."

While Police National Headquarters yesterday said a 3.5 per cent nationwide increase in sexual assault and related offences was a "major concern," offences in that category in Hawke's Bay fell 5.6 per cent, from 179 in 2013 to 169 last year.

Ms Kura said reductions in the number of acts intended to cause injury, sex offences and dangerous or negligent acts endangering persons last year were particularly pleasing for local police.

"Violence has been an ongoing issue in Hawke's Bay for quite some time, so it is heartening to see these offences coming down,"
she said.

"It's also a reflection of how the community no longer considers violence to be acceptable. Hopefully that will continue."

A 14.5 per cent drop in public order offences - from 1659 in 2013 to 1418 last year - was likely to be due to a more visible police presence in central Napier and Hastings at night, she said.

However, the fall in public order offences in Hawke's Bay was smaller than the national drop for the category, which was 25.4 per cent.

Tukituki National MP Craig Foss said the overall reductions in crime in Hawke's Bay - and the increase in resolution rates - was welcome and was due to a re-focusing of resources by the region's police.

Local police management faced criticism last year for resourcing decisions including reducing back office staff and closing the front counter of the Napier police station overnight.

But Mr Foss said the statistics showed that the police's overriding focus of putting victims' needs first appeared to be working in the region.