BPS results show 3,000 fewer violent crimes

Justice Minister Judith Collins today released the first results against the Better Public Services (BPS) targets for the justice sector which show almost 3,000 fewer violent crimes over the past year.

Better Public Services targets for the justice sector are to reduce the total recorded crime rate by 15 per cent, the recorded violent crime rate by 20 per cent, the youth crime rate by 5 per cent and the reoffending rate by 25 per cent by 2017.

“I am extremely pleased that over the past year, the total violent crime rate fell by 7 per cent. That’s almost 3,000 fewer crimes – and thousands fewer victims.”
The rate of homicide and related offences (such as attempted murder and manslaughter) has dropped by 22 per cent, and the rate of serious assaults resulting in injury has dropped by 8 per cent.

“These types of crime are at the worst end of violent offending. New Zealanders deserve to be safe from all crime, but these categories need an especially strong focus because of their seriousness and the terrible impact they have on victims,” Ms Collins says.

The justice sector Better Public Services results are measured from June 2011, which had the lowest crime rate in 30 years. The results for the year to 30 June 2012 show the total reported crime rate has fallen almost 6 per cent (or 21,337 fewer crimes), youth crime by 4 per cent, and re-offending by nearly 6 per cent.

“Results show we had around 1,000 fewer offenders coming back into the system this year, which is fantastic – if we can move people away from a life of crime, we’re making society safer and relieving the burden on the taxpayer.”

Ms Collins says that although the first results are extremely pleasing, continuing these trends will require a sustained effort.

“Better Public Services is about delivering on what’s important to New Zealanders. Reducing crime is a critical area of focus for us and these results show our approach is working.

“We know that reducing crime will get more difficult each year. So, we’ve combined the initiatives we know work – and we’re seeing those results now -with new initiatives, and have developed a comprehensive plan to meet our targets.

“We’re going to stay tough on criminals, keep providing strong support for victims, and keep working across government to address the factors that lead to crime. Our smart, integrated approach to addressing the drivers of crime is working,” Ms Collins says.

The comprehensive plan to achieve the targets, Better Public Services Reducing Crime and Re-Offending Result Action Plan, is available from the Ministry of Justice website.

Full results are available on the State Services Commission website www.ssc.govt.nz/bps-reducing-crime.