Many South Auckland crimes hot investigated
PA Auckland Most burglaries, car thefts, and benefit frauds in South Auckland are nbt investigated because the police are short-staffed, says the Police Association. Six of every 10 burglaries ’are not looked at after the initial complaint is taken, a spokesman said. Cases of property thefts involving less than $20,000 are merely filed — there are no officers to do the work.? - \ At least eight out of 10 car thefts ate also filed, without attempts being’ made to catch the offender. * Warrants for the arrest of criminals who do < not: pay fines are filed and ... forgotten, unless the per-? son is caught again. The southern division Auckland’s police district
from Mount Wellington to Mercer, is short about 30 officers on its staff ceiling of 353. The South Auckland Police Association says the staff ceiling would allow critical manning. It claims 100 more police are needed to meet the workload. The crime rate in South Auckland for the first quarter of this year was up 38 per cent on the same period in 1985. A total of 2031 offences was reported in January, February and March. They included four killings, 32 robberies, 183 serious assaults, 615 burglaries and, the theft of 918 motor-vehicles. Each southern division officer handled at least 25 criminal investigations in that time. compared /with a national average of- less than 18. In spite of the booming
crime rate the Minister of Police, Mrs Hercus, and the Commissioner of Police, Mr . Ken Thompson, have rejected police requests for reinforcements.
The Police Association wants a full training wing of 100 men and women recruited in South Auckland for posting in the southern division similar to the 120 recruited for central Auckland in 1974.
“That is the only way we will be able to provide policing in South Auckland at the level people in other parts of the country expect and receive,” says the association’s southern division chairman, Detective Sergeant Stu Mangnall.
■ ;Mrs Hercus told the ’’Sunday-Star” that an investigation -of crimes of dishonesty in South Auckland was no different from anywhere else.
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Press, 13 August 1986, Page 14
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348Many South Auckland crimes hot investigated Press, 13 August 1986, Page 14
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