Maori commit 75 per cent of solved crimes in Bay of Plenty

Crime figures collected by Bay of Plenty police show Maori are to blame for 75 per cent of crime solved in the district last year.

Census figures from 2001 show just over a quarter of Bay of Plenty residents identify as Maori.

According to the police report, just under half of all offenders in the Western Bay of Plenty last year were Maori.

In Taupo, the figure was 60 per cent, while in Rotorua it was 76 per cent. In the Eastern Bay of Plenty, Maori represented 82 per cent of those arrested.

In all cases, by far the biggest group of offenders was males aged 17 to 30.

With the blessing of local Maori, police have also begun collecting data about tribal and hapu affiliation.

Only a quarter of all Maori processed by police identified with a particular tribe.

Of those, around 1200 were from Te Arawa and Tuwharetoa. Nearly 600 were of Tuhoe descent and more than 300 were from Ngapuhi in Northland.

The report shows that Maori were arrested for more than 90 per cent of all thefts in Rotorua last year, and 88 per cent of all burglaries. They were also responsible for 81 per cent of all family violence cases.

The figures were even more alarming in the Eastern Bay of Plenty, but lower in the Western Bay and Taupo.

To help address the issue, Bay of Plenty police have signed an agreement to work with the District Maori Advisory Board, which includes key Maori figures and iwi representatives from throughout the region to solve the problem.

Bay of Plenty police district manager Superintendent Gary Smith said local solutions were needed. He said the report had not been intended for release.

"This is not about singling out one race of people but looking at ways of reducing crime in our area by providing the organisations and people with these statistics."

Maori leaders said they were saddened Maori featured so highly in the report and several claimed unemployment was a factor.

However Rotorua's deputy mayor, Trevor Maxwell, disputed that.

"We can't keep ... playing the same old record that it's because of unemployment. Unemployment is at its lowest level in years and everyone has to do their bit."

Te Arawa Maori Trust Board chairman Anaru Rangiheuea said answers had to be found.

"Hapu and iwi trust boards need to help ... to support initiatives for better training for our unemployed to bring about change."

Eastern Bay of Plenty Tuhoe-Waikaremoana Maori Trust Board trust manager Tama Nikora said he was angry "but very saddened" by the statistics.

WORRYING FIGURES

Eastern Bay of Plenty: Maori represented 82 per cent of those arrested in the last year.

Western Bay of Plenty: Just under half of all offenders were Maori.

Taupo: 60 per cent of offenders Maori.

Rotorua: 76 per cent.

A quarter of Bay of Plenty residents identify as Maori.

- NZPA