KEY POINTS:
Move over superhackers and white collar crims - wrinkly skinned wrongdoers are the new phenomenon facing police.
National crime figures released this week reveal more of our elders than ever are being arrested for all forms of offences.
The number of people aged between 51 and 99 apprehended by police last year was 7100, a rise of more than 13 per cent on the previous year. In the past decade, the number has shot up by almost 50 per cent.
The biggest increases last year were for sexual offences (27 per cent), violence (20 per cent) and drug and antisocial offences (12 per cent).
There were also increases in cases of property damage and abuse and dishonesty.
University of Canterbury criminologist Greg Newbold said reasons included the ageing population and people committing crimes over a longer period.
He believed older criminals were more calculated in their lawbreaking than younger offenders, who tended to commit crimes on the spur-of-the-moment, often under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.
"What you find with older people is that the types of crimes become more practical, more pragmatic and more acquisitive."
The Canterbury police district witnessed one of the largest increases in "grey crime", with almost 20 per cent more arrests than other areas.
Christchurch central police area commander Inspector Gary Knowles, said his staff still locked up a lot of young guys but from time to time saw "a lot more older people coming through". He said officers might find it hard to arrest people the age of their parents but had to be firm.
Age Concern New Zealand chief executive Ann Martin believed the increases were solely due to the ageing population.
