Crime in the Coromandel: Police tight-lipped on summer holiday crime stats

Police warned party-goers to celebrate New Year's Eve safely after bottles were thrown at them in Williamson Park in Whangamatā.

Police have been tight-lipped about further information on crime figures for the Coromandel during the recent summer holiday period.

The figures were part of a public report received by Thames-Coromandel District Council, but when the Hauraki-Coromandel Post asked police further questions, they advised it would be treated as an Official Information Act request.

Thames-Coromandel District Council was presented with the report, submitted by the district’s emergency and crisis manager Garry Towler, last week.

The report was prepared as part of the council’s peak summer season preparation and debrief project and included data around tourism and visitor spending, and correlating pressure on local infrastructure.

However, the report also included figures around the number of arrests during the summer peak period of December 25, 2023 to January 5, 2024.

In terms of arrests, the report stated that Whangamatā had been the “busiest by far”, with 55 arrested - 33 on New Year’s Eve alone - followed by Whitianga with nine arrests.

Whangamatā also topped the liquor ban breach and infringement statistics, with 251 infringements and 152 warnings issued.

Of the three road fatalities across the Coromandel during the peak period, one was on a local road, at Te Puru.

The report stated that during the 12 days, a daily “partners briefing” was held at the Whangamatā police station where Fire and Emergency New Zealand, Hato Hone St John, the medical centre and council staff met with police to discuss day/night activities and strategies for the next 24-hour period.

“This proved very worthwhile ensuring a clear plan was in place,” Towler said in the report.

Meanwhile, police reported a “well-behaved” peak period, the report stated.

The Hauraki-Coromandel Post approached Whangamatā sergeant in charge Will Hamilton for comment on this, who referred the publication to the police media centre.

The publication asked police media to elaborate on the description of the peak period as “well-behaved” and to provide historical corresponding figures for comparison.

The Hauraki-Coromandel Post also asked about the nature of arrests and outcomes, and about corresponding figures for liquor ban infringement notices and warnings.

A police spokesperson initially referred to a policing district data table and said they could answer questions about the partner’s briefing, how it worked, if it was a new thing, if there was any specific tactical approach, and if there were any changes to approaches from previous years.

The spokesperson said they could also provide a response about what police learned from the peak period activity, and if there would be any changes going forward to next year.

However, the remainder of the inquiry would need to be processed through an Official Information Act request, as it would take time to collate the data, the spokesperson said.

Stay up to date with the Waikato Herald

Get the latest Waikato headlines straight to your inbox Monday to Saturday. Register for free today - click here and choose Local News.