More cars are broken into in Rotorua between 9am and 10am on a Saturday than any other hour. Photo / File
More cars are broken into in Rotorua between 9am and 10am on a Saturday than any other hour. Photo / File
Every day for the past two and half years, there have been an average of four victims of theft in Rotorua.
At least twice a day a car is broken into or stolen, three and a half unlawful break-ins occur, and one person is assaulted - every single day.
The figures come from the most in-depth look at crime data ever undertaken in New Zealand, led by Herald Insights.
These figures are what police call "victimisations", meaning the number of individual victims. Some incidents, for example assault, may have more than one victim.
Central Rotorua - from Old Taupo Rd down Amohau St, up to Lake Rd in the north and running out to Motutara Golf Course at the Government Gardens - has had 217 assault victims since July 2014.
One part of that, the small block running from Ranolf St to Rangiuru St, north of Queens Dr and south of Lake Rd, had 28 of these.
The vast majority are down to the P epidemic... we're not talking about the smart burglars here.
The police data was so in-depth it was able to show more cars were stolen between 9am and 10am on a Saturday than any other one hour period any time of the week.
The Kuirau area had the highest number of car thefts (166), followed by Victoria (80).
Retail stores were most likely to be stolen from in broad daylight, between 1pm and 2pm on a Monday.
The publication of this in-depth insights package comes just days after police announced the placement of the first tranche of extra officers around the country.
Earlier this year, Police Minister Paula Bennett announced 880 extra police officers would be allocated around the country under the Government's four year Safer Communities Package.
Last week, Commissioner Mike Bush announced Rotorua will receive three extra officers in the first year of the plan, and 15 in the wider Bay of Plenty.
Rotorua police prevention manager inspector Stuart Nightingale said in the past few weeks there had been a "noticeable increase" in car thefts - and the extra officers would come as a big help.
He said the first injection of new staff taking place over the next year would focus on "volume crime".
"That is the crime you and I see every day - when a car gets broken into or a house gets interfered with. We will have an increased capacity to detect and apprehended offenders," he said.
"I feel quite positive - we're on the cusp of turning a corner, which will be tremendous. There's a lot of positive stuff happening."
Officer Stu Nightingale and Bruce Quedley from Neighbourhood Support with a special screw to make it harder to tamper with number plates. Photo / File
Neighbourhood Support Rotorua co-ordinator Bruce Quedley said the extra police staff would go some way to alleviating the largest fear he hears of in the community - burglary.
"It should make a difference to have more people available on duty. Particularly on shifts when they only have a limited number of cars out, and they could be called to a major incident and they don't have the personnel available.
"There would be a better chance of them responding within a suitable time for them."
Mr Quedley said he believes one of the largest factors driving crime volume was drug use and the resulting need for cash to feed a habit.
"One of the things that needs to be knocked on the head is the misuse of drugs and the organised crime groups behind them. That's a national [area of focus], and that has close attention in the Bay of Plenty."
Labour's police spokesperson Stuart Nash agreed that hard drugs, including methamphetamine, was driving petty theft.
"The vast majority are down to the P epidemic. They're opportunistic, we're not talking about the smart burglars here."
He said more police on the ground would be extremely helpful for the "understaffed" units around the country, but it must happen as soon as possible.
"It's a matter of urgency, we can't wait four years.
Labour Police spokesman Stuart Nash. Photo / File
"More police has got to be good, but it depends where the officers are, they're not going to be effective if they're pushing paper."
Sociologist and gang expert Dr Jarrod Gilbert firmly agreed with increasing police numbers in order to reduce crime.
"There's no better solution to good honest policing when it comes to solving crime."
He said the fear of a harsh sentence as a deterrent hadn't worked and left jails stuffed full. A more effective disincentive, he said, was a higher likelihood of getting caught in the first place.
"What we know works absolutely best is certainty of getting caught. The higher degree, the less likely there is to be a crime.
"If you've got cops on the street, they can investigate even small matters which are ignored when resources are tight, then chances are you will decrease offending."
However, Dr Gilbert said a more holistic approach to crime would be needed long-term. He said preventing crime by reducing inequality and drug use and increasing employment was preferable.
"The communities that are riddled with crime are riddled with vast social and economic problems. Those drivers of crime are where we would best solve their problems long-term, without question."
Inspector Stephen Bullock, Bay of Plenty District prevention manager, said police were always working with and in communities to reduce offending and the impact of crime.
"However, police cannot do this work alone, and rely on members of the public and communities to assist us in being our eyes and ears.
"If you see anything that looks suspicious or concerning, we strongly encourage you to report it to police."
