By Peter de Graaf
Northland police are cracking down on burglaries in a bid to boost the number of cases solved from the current rate of just one in five.
The region's acting district commander, Inspector Mike Rusbatch, said burglary remained the "Achilles heel" of Northland police.
Latest crime statistics, published yesterday, showed overall crime in the North was down 8 percent on the previous year.
But burglary bucked the trend by increasing 12 percent to 2423 cases. Just 19 percent of those were solved.
"Our Achilles heel has been the area of burglaries - it's one of the few types of crime to have gone up over the past year, and we want to reverse that in coming months," Mr Rusbatch said.
Police aimed to boost the resolution rate to 25 percent by improving forensic skills, for example in fingerprinting and DNA sampling.
Strategies for cutting burglaries included a crackdown on organised crime, and closer scrutiny of repeat offenders and the sale of stolen items.
Youth crime would be targeted through programmes such as Big Brother, Big Sister, which paired at-risk youth with kaumatua or other community leaders, while a stronger focus on truancy would cut burglaries in school hours.
Within Whangarei, Otangarei and Raumanga had been identified as the worst burglary areas and would be getting extra attention.
Mr Rusbatch could not give a reason for the increase in burglaries, when most other dishonesty offences were on the way down.
However, many people were still failing to take basic precautions, allowing intruders to enter their homes through open doors or windows.
Burglars were usually reluctant to smash windows as it attracted too much attention, he said.
The crime figures also show that Northland - with 1000 crimes a year for every 10,000 people - has the fourth highest crime rate of the country's 12 police districts.
Only Auckland, Bay of Plenty and Eastern (Hawke's Bay/East Cape) were higher, with North Shore/Waitakere the lowest.
However, Northland's drop in total crime was also slightly faster than the national average.
Mr Rusbatch linked the above-average crime rate to Northland's "disproportionate share of deprivation". Apart from good policing, the key to turning those figures around was an improved economy and making sure people had meaningful jobs.
With tourism crucial to Northland's earnings, the police would work on making the region safe for tourists, in particular by reducing thefts from campervans.
* Anti-theft tips:
• Lock doors and windows even if you're out in the garden, when you're away, and at night.
• Don't leave a door key hidden outside.
• Keep garden sheds and garages secure and lock away tools and ladders.
• Install a peep-hole in your front door and ask unannounced visitors what they want before opening the door.
• If you've bought an expensive appliance, don't put the box out on rubbish day.
• If you've been burgled, don't assume it won't happen again. Burglars often return to the same house once expensive items have been replaced.
• If you see something suspicious, call 111. If you have information that could help solve a crime, call 0800 2 TIPOFF (0800 2 847 633).
Source: Neighbourhood Support
Burglars become focus in new push Northland
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