Judith Collins delivers 'firm message' on burglaries

Police Minister Judith Collins says she has delivered a "very firm" message to the police commissioner that a greater proportion of burglaries must be solved.

However, she will not reveal what improvement she wants in resolution rates that have fallen into the single figures in many parts of the country.

Labour's police spokesman Stuart Nash asked Ms Collins about burglary rates in Parliament's question time today, specifically whether she had spoken to police commissioner Mike Bush about the low resolution rates that have been revealed in a Herald series this week.

Ms Collins said she had delivered a "very firm message".

Afterwards, she told media that she would never discuss exactly what was said in such a conversation, but her message was firm and she expected improvements.

"Burglaries have dropped significantly in the last few years ... there are now 10,000 fewer burglaries since 2001.

"But, still, I expect the resolution rates to go up, and it's the sort of offence that affects most people, and therefore it really needs to be a big priority. And the commissioner has agreed."

No target had been set, but "we want improvement", Ms Collins said.

Ms Collins' office later supplied figures that showed a 27.5 per cent reduction in burglaries nationally between 2000 and 2014.