Chch residents more at risk

Press, 26 November 1982, Page 6

Chch residents more at risk

Parliamentary reporter

The people of Christchurch are 20 per cent more at risk from violence than Auckland residents, and 50 per cent more at risk than the people of Wellington, says the Minister of Police, Mr Couch. He has published crime statistics for Christchurch for the first nine months of this year, and compared them with the Auckland and Wellington statistics. In sexual offences, Wellington and Auckland residents faced a 14 per cent greater risk than those in Christchurch.

In burglary offences, there was a 5 per cent greater risk in Auckland compared with Christchurch, but Christchurch had a 45 per cent greater risk than Wellington.

In car conversion offences, Christchurch faced the same ■risk as Auckland and both had a 60 per cent greater risk than Wellington. In theft, the risk for Christchurch people was the same as for Auckland, but 16 per cent greater than Wellington’s. Mr Couch said the percentages had been based on the

statistics of reported crimes per 100.000 of population. He had been promoted to make the comparison after a newspaper article (“The Press,” November 13) and questions in Parliament by Mr M. K. Moore (Labour, Papanui). Reported robberies in the Christchurch police district had increased 42.5 per cent in the nine-month period, from 54 last year to 77 this year.

There had been a 3.8 per cent increase in reported rapep in 1980 and the pro-' jected figure for 1982 (from 26 to 27); an increase of 44.5 per cent in reported violence (from 1943 to 2803); an increase of 25 per cent in reported burglary (from 7817 to 9791); an increase of 27 per cent in reported car conversions (3036 to 3856); and reported thefts had risen 10 per cent (12,768 to 14,127).

Mr Couch said that the increase in reported crime in Christchurch ' was a. matter for concern. In spite of the increased volume, the clearance rate for serious offences in Christchurch had been maintained.