The article goes on to say: New York Police Department leaders are working with the city's five district attorneys to devise comprehensive crime-fighting measures, build solid criminal cases and achieve meaningful consequences for crimes that tear at the fabric of the city.
I don't think our police are soft on crime, but whether the Government likes it or not, I think there is a growing public perception that our police are not on top of crime.
We are seeing a sharp rise in crime statistics. In the Auckland area alone, crime surged above pre-pandemic levels in the month to March. About 30 per cent higher, according to the Crime Prevention Group.
We know Covid has added to the normal heavy workload of our police officers; redeployment to cover MIQ duties, policing lockdown violations, responding to huge numbers of callouts to the motels used as temporary and emergency accommodation, and responding to the ever-present domestic violence incidences, that continue to increase and are a scourge on our communities.
And no city is immune from criminal activity.
Monday morning's early-hours ram-raid at two luxury shops in Auckland's Queen Street shows criminals are getting more brazen.
They must believe the risk of getting caught is fair to medium, so they chance it. And this lot must have been stealing to order or knew who they could offload their spoils to.
You don't see too many regular criminals with flash gear, dressing in the best of threads.
Of course, it's a mistake to think criminals come from only one side of the track. They don't.
But now it seems they are out there in full force all over the country, with the perception being the police are falling further and further behind in catching them.
In February this year, 160 cars were stolen in Rotorua. That must amount to full-time work if it's the same lot doing most of the stealing.
Police believe a lot of crime is opportunistic. That may be so but for those who lose property, it must be heartbreaking.
We know deportees from Australia, colloquially called 501s, both men and women, are making their presence felt, not only in Auckland but in other parts of the country.
In Australia, you know what you're in for when you break the law. Australians I talk to tell me, somewhat proudly, that you don't mess with their police and that they have a high success rate when they prosecute.
And gangs are not sitting back quietly taking it all in either. Instead, they're busy recruiting, looking for stupid, gullible youths to share their lifestyle. The lifestyle of a loser.
Police must have difficulty each day determining where to put their efforts, although I presume murders, assaults, threats of force and sexual offences will always get their attention.
But I believe burglaries, big and small, need attention too. I think New Zealanders want to support our police officers in their unenviable work.
When the one and possibly only time they need the police to respond to their callout, they don't want to be told "we don't have the manpower, you are not a priority, we don't have enough to go on".
This erodes the reputation of police within the community. The reasons may be valid but it sends a bad message.
All crime warrants attention.
We need to know what crime-fighting measures police have in place.
Otherwise, police run the risk of losing the faith of the community.
