Serious crime rate up 16% last year

Press, 4 March 1987, Page 8

Serious crime rate up 16% last year

By

PETER LUKE

in Wellington Serious crimes of violence, sex, and drugs rose z. more than 16 per cent last tyear, according to the z 1986 crime statistics, released this morning, n- Reported crime in- . creased over all only 0.5 ■3 per cent — the lowest percentage rise in two decades. There were - 438,079 offences in 1986, compared with 435,640 in - 1985.

The biggest statistical i. influence on the small over-all increase was the lack of great change in r» crimes of dishonesty. z These rose only 0.2 per cent but made up two ■'■thirds of all reported crime.

The sharp rises in the more serious but less u numerous crime cate1 gories — including violence, drugs and sexual attacks — had little influz ence on over-all crime . trends. - The figures apply only to reported crimes. -• Serious violent offences 2 rose 16.5 per cent to 5951; . serious sexual offences rose 17.5 per cent to 636; . and serious drug offences rose 16.6 per cent to 1086. The police cleared 41.8

per cent of all reported crime, with the highest clearance rates being for violence, sexual attacks, drug offences, receiving, property abuse, and traffic offences.

Easily the lowest clearance rate was for crimes of dishonesty. Of the 81,937 burglaries last year only 17.1 per cent were cleared, and only a quarter of the 118,696 thefts were cleared. The clearance rate last year was similar to the 1985 figure. Nelson was one of seven police districts to report a decrease in overall crime. The others were Auckland, Dunedin, Napier, Whangarei, Wellington, and Wanganui. Hamilton had the biggest increase (11 per cent), followed by Greymouth (10.2 per cent), New Plymouth (7.6 per cent), Timaru (7.2 per cent), Palmerston North (5.7 per cent), Gisborne (5.1 per cent), Invercargill (4.2 per cent), Rotorua (1.6 per cent), and Christchurch (0.5 per cent). There were 53,228 offences in the Christchurch police district in 1986, compared with 52,952 in

Christchurch had the lowest police clearance rate in New Zealand at 37.7 per cent, but was closely followed by Auckland (37.8 per cent).

At the other end of the scale 56.9 per cent of crimes in Timaru were cleared, followed by Invercargill (53.6 per cent), Greymouth (51.5 per cent), and New Plymouth (50.6 per cent).

The clearance rate in Nelson was 44.9 per cent

The Minister of Police, Mrs Hercus, and the Commissioner of Police, Mr Mai Churches, said that the low over-all increase in reported crime was encouraging. Mr Churches also said that a 4 per cent decrease in thefts was promising and might have resulted from greater community awareness and more crime prevention schemes.

There was still room for concern in the increases in homicides (24.1 per cent), robberies (22.4 per cent), grievous assaults (46.5 per cent) and other serious assaults (12 per cent). Over all, violent crime increased only 2.4 per

cent last year. This was due to a 6.2 per cent decrease in minor assaults which make up about half of all violent offences. Homicides increased from 112 in 1985 to 139 last year. These included 67 murders (compared with 61 in 1985). At least one murder was recorded in each of the 16 police districts. The clearance rate for homicides on the files was 93.5 per cent. Every murder investigated by the police last year was cleared. The total clearance rate for violent crime was 77.8 per cent, with the police being least successful at solving robberies (43.1 per cent). Last year was the first complete year since the introduction of the new sexual violation offences, making it impossible to compare the number of rapes with the 1985 figure.

An 11.6 -per cent increase was recorded, however, in sexual attacks. All other categories of sexual offence decreased, leading to an over-all two per cent decrease in sexual offences. The clearance rate for

sexual offences was 63.3 per cent, with a 66.5 per cent rate for sexual, attacks.

Non-cannabis drug offences increased 52.7 per cent, from 868 in 1985 to 1326 last year, and cannabis offences increased 7.9 per cent to 16,002. There was a 92 per cent clearance for both categories.

The most crimes were those of dishonesty, with 290,231 offences, compared with 289,634 in 1985. The biggest increase was in fraud (9.2 per cent), and the vehicle category (4.2 per cent). Burglaries rose only 0.8 per cent to 81,937. The total increase in crimes of dishonesty was 0.2 per cent and the clearance rate was 24.3 per cent. The four other categories of crime were property damage, with a 0.9 per cent decrease in offences, property abuses, which decreased 10.3 per cent; administrative offences, which rose 20.4 per cent; and traffic offences, which rose 7.2 per cent.

By-law breaches accounted for half of the administrative offences.