What’s In This Chapter?

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  • Perceptions of safety
  • Child safety
  • Injuries
  • Road safety
  • Workplace safety
  • Crime levels
For full details, graphs etc, refer to the chapter in pdf format »

Key Results - Safety

  • Perceptions of safety vary considerably by location, age, sex and ethnicity. City centres are perceived as the most unsafe location for most residents, particularly at night.
  • Fewer residents in the 12 cities thought their neighbourhood was safe for children compared to those living in the rest of New Zealand. Presence of strangers was the main reason identified for a perceived lack of safety.
  • There has been an increase in the rate of substantiated cases of child abuse and neglect nationally since 2004.
  • Between 2003 and 2005 the rate of intentional injuries to people aged 14 years and over increased from 50.1 per 100,000 to 58.5 per 100,000 in the 12 cities.
  • The number of falls requiring hospitalisation for those aged over 65 years is increasing nationally.
  • Nationally, the rate of serious and fatal road crash injuries has dropped from 7.5 per 10,000 in 2000 to 7.0 per 10,000 in 2006. Most rates of serious and fatal injuries in the 12 cities are less than the national rate.
  • The usage of safety belts in motor vehicles remains high across the 12 cities.
  • The 12 cities had a lower rate of workplace injuries than the rest of New Zealand.
  • The rate of total recorded crime declined in New Zealand over the period 2002/2003 to 2005/2006.
  • Recorded burglary, car and drugs and anti-social offence rates declined in the 12 cities over the period 2002/2003 to 2005/2006.
  • Recorded rates of sexual offending have remained stable (8.4 per 10,000 in 2002/2003 to 8.3 per 10,000 in 2005/2006) in the 12 cities. However, they were lower than the national rate (8.4 per 10,000) in 2005/2006.
  • The overall rate of recorded violence offences in the 12 cities increased from 116.2 per 10,000 in 2002/2003 to 122.2 per 10,000 in 2005/2006.

Safety

This chapter presents an overview of safety and law and order in the 12 cities and offers insights on how residents perceive their safety.

Why This Is Important

Feeling safe and secure in our homes, communities and urban areas is a basic human right. Feeling and being safe is a key to overall health in the community. Safety and perceptions of safety feature highly in people’s view of their living environment, their sense of well being and quality of life. As urban areas grow, the need for safe social and physical environments, where people are able to participate fully in their communities, becomes an increasing challenge.

Key Points

Many of the recorded offences rates presented are declining. The total number of offences has fallen and residents’ perceptions of safety in their city are generally high. The road safety message appears to be working in the 12 cities with a decline in the rate of serious and fatal road crash injuries and the high usage of safety belts. The 12 cities have a lower rate of workplace injuries than the rest of New Zealand.

There are, however, areas of concern. The rate of violent crime has increased in the 12 cities and fewer residents think that their neighbourhoods are safe for children to play in compared with the rest of New Zealand. The rate of substantiated cases of child abuse and neglect has increased nationally. The rate of hospitalisations for unintentional accidents has also increased.

Particular groups in the population are over-represented in offending and victim statistics. Maori are over-represented in youth offending statistics, making up over half of those young people apprehended. Males account for the majority of convictions and are more likely than females to be injured or killed in motor vehicle crashes.

 

Perceptions of Safety

  • Perceptions of safety differ depending on the location and time of day. Wellington residents are more likely to feel safer.
  • Dangerous driving is more likely to be perceived as a problem in the 12 cities than in the rest of New Zealand.

Child Safety

  • Since 2004 there has been a national increase in the rate of substantiated cases of child abuse and neglect.
  • Fewer residents in the 12 cities think of their neighbourhood as safe for children compared with those living in the rest of New Zealand, mainly because of the presence of strangers.

Injuries

  • The rate of hospitalisations due to unintentional accidents has increased.
  • The number of falls requiring hospitalisation of those over 65 years is increasing.

Road Safety

  • Nationally and in the 12 cities, the rate of serious and fatal road crash injuries has dropped.
  • The usage of safety belts remains high across the 12 cities.

Crime Levels

  • The overall rate of crime in the 12 cities and New Zealand overall has declined.
  • The rate of recorded burglaries in our cities is higher than the rest of New Zealand.
  • There has been an increase in the rate of recorded violence offences, both nationally and in the 12 cities.