Police boost Featherston resources

File photo

A spike in burglaries has driven police to boost resources in Featherston.

Last year saw the number of recorded burglaries in Wairarapa rise to 711, a 10.5 per cent increase on the previous year.

Acting district commander Senior Sergeant Mike Sutton said although the numbers were not dramatic, the rise in recorded burglaries last year was a concern.

"We did notice an increase in South Wairarapa, particularly around Featherston, and our tactical crime unit did spend a considerable amount of time down in Featherston investigating and working on those in the latter part of last year and we've always got the ability to do that again.

"We've put a lot of resources through our tactical crime unit down in that area. There was a lot of targeting of known offenders in that area. It has dropped off in the last couple of months so we'll just have to keep an eye on what those numbers continue to tell us."

Burglary would continue to be a focus for police, Mr Sutton said.

South Wairarapa community leaders said burglaries had decreased since last year.

Neighbourhood Support team leader Sue Tennent said that in recent months there had even been a period of three weeks where there had been no recorded burglaries in Featherston.

Police were doing the best they could with the resources they had, she said.

"It's always very difficult for the police because they are essentially caught between a rock and a hard place. They have a limited budget as well."

Featherston Community Board chairwoman Lee Carter said neighbourhood support groups, the graffiti working party and a change of attitude among the community were helping to reduce crime in the town.

"There was a shift in how people are reacting - the community are dealing with crime in a different way - how we react to it and how we respond to it."

People were talking to each other more, being less tolerant of crime and actively trying to help youth in the town, she said.

"I actually believe that the community itself in Featherston has changed around, becoming more engaged and doing more for themselves and the youth."

The burglary figures are part of the recorded offence statistics released annually by police, which showed total crime in Wairarapa increased 6.4 per cent when adjusted for population.

There were 269 more crimes recorded than the previous year.

Thefts rose 11 per cent and assaults 14.7 per cent compared to the previous year.

Sexual assaults, drug offences and public order offences decreased in Wairarapa during 2014.