Data reveals our burglary rate

There have been more than 1200 burglaries in Wairarapa over a year and a half. PHOTO/FILE

A burglar strikes in Wairarapa every 11 hours, crime statistics reveal.

Over the past year and a half there have been more than 1200 burglaries in the region, according to data obtained by the NZ Herald and analysed by the Wairarapa Times-Age.

There is one burglary every 8 minutes in New Zealand, one every 18 hours in Masterton, one every 48 hours in South Wairarapa, and one every 64 hours in Carterton.

Masterton East is the most frequently burgled area in Wairarapa, with one burglary every three and a half days, or a total of 160 over the year and a half.

Featherston and urban Carterton follow close behind, clocking up more than 120 burglaries each over the same time.

In terms of burglaries per 100 residents, in the past year and a half Masterton Central has had the highest rate at 15, followed by Masterton Railway, largely industrial (11) and Featherston (10).

Statistics also show the areas with the highest rate of burglaries for its population tend to have a high socioeconomic deprivation index with Masterton Central, Masterton Railway and Featherston each having an index of 9.

The index is based on factors from the 2013 Census such as the number of people dependent on benefits, unemployment, low-threshold household income, and the proportions of people without access to a telephone or a car.

Masterton East, the area with the highest index of socioeconomic deprivation in Wairarapa (10), has the fifth-highest rate of about five burglaries per 100 residents.

Masterton East, Masterton Railway and Masterton Central also have the highest unemployment rates in Wairarapa.

In contrast Featherston, which also has a high burglary rate, has low unemployment.

The least frequently burgled areas in relation to its residential population in Wairarapa are Kopuaranga, Martinborough and Ngamutawa which have averages of one or two instances per month, and a rate of less than two burglaries per 100 residents.