[Bergita]

Hi all

Forgive me for displaying my paranoia once again. I found an interesting site with New Zealand crime statistics. This really interests me as it's the main reason I want to leave this country. It has links to pdf documents that contain crime statistics per region, ie, Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury, etc. In the document you will find crimes listed by category, how many of each type was committed, how many of each resolved, for 2003, 2004 and 2005. So you can see whether crime is increasing or decreasing.

It's interesting if you're paranoid. :o I suppose it may seem scary to some, but look at it from my point of view: In Auckland in 2005, there were 11 homicides, 6 of which were resolved. In Cape Town, there are a few homicides each day, many of them involving the elderly and children. South Africa is not big on accurate statistics but I would guess about 20% of homicides are ever resolved, and prison sentences max out at about 5 years as prisons are so full.

Anyway, if you're interested, here's the link: http://www.police.govt.nz/service/statistics/ It may help you decide on an area.

[Diny]

Interesting reading. I'm sure there will be some varied posts on this thread. Once again I think it will largely depend on your previous experiences regarding where you are coming from (to live in NZ).

For me personally I find the level of crime here in NZ is certainly no better than what I experienced in the UK - we lived in a very small, quiet, rural community. Since moving here I've even been threatened with having my throat cut by a drugged up idiot who'd just nearly killed his mate in a car accident .... never had anything like that back home. However, I would presume a person coming to settle in NZ from a highly populated, inner city location will be refreshed and delighted by the level of crime over here.

It also largely depends on where you settle in NZ.

One thing to bear in mind, NZ is populated by the human race ... and they tend to be the same the world over.

Diny

[tigerlily]

But Diny, are they heavily armed with guns? Guns are so prevalent in America. The story you just told, scary as it is, would be ten times more scary had the man been holding a gun. That is what America (and I think South Africa too) really has in the way of crime.

[Diny]

But Diny, are they heavily armed with guns? Guns are so prevalent in America. The story you just told, scary as it is, would be ten times more scary had the man been holding a gun. That is what America (and I think South Africa too) really has in the way of crime.


No - didn't see any guns I have to admit. But that's exactly what I'm trying to say ... it's all relative. To a person who's used to facing crims who are heavily armed then maybe NZ will be alot better for you. For somebody who has managed to exist with none or very little 'in yourface' crime, NZ won't be any better.

Diny

[Bergita]

No - didn't see any guns I have to admit. But that's exactly what I'm trying to say ... it's all relative. To a person who's used to facing crims who are heavily armed then maybe NZ will be alot better for you. For somebody who has managed to exist with none or very little 'in yourface' crime, NZ won't be any better.

Diny

This is exactly what I was trying to say, it is all relative. The level of violent crime in NZ may seem higher to people coming from, say, rural UK, or perhaps somewhere like Norway, and for others coming from more violent cultures, may seem like a peaceful haven.

My husband and I tried to pick a country based on the crime levels, the disparity between the haves and the have-nots, and the type of politics in the country. From our perspective and experience, these are the most important aspects to look at when judging a country.

[toesonthenose]

11 murders in Auckland in 2005. When I did my internship at a large LA County hospital in 91-92, 11 young dead men was a regular friday or saturday night.
Definitely a relative statistic.

[pieeater]

Well we know 5 S.A.families over here now and from the tales they have told us it is way, way safer over here no question!.However I would say that having come from a reasonably good area 'personally' we feel marginally less safe.

[Diny]

This is exactly what I was trying to say, it is all relative. The level of violent crime in NZ may seem higher to people coming from, say, rural UK, or perhaps somewhere like Norway, and for others coming from more violent cultures, may seem like a peaceful haven.


.


I think we're both singing from the same song sheet then - I can see exactly where you're coming from.

Personally - I feel the same as Pie eater.

Diny

[montana]

Thanks Bergita for sending that on. I think having no guns makes such a difference. Can't speak for the rest of NZ but we just had a security system (for peace of mind really - to me it is worth it to prevent the feeling of knowing someone has been through my stuff) put in in Christchurch and the person that sold it to us was a former policemen. He said basically it is teenagers that burgle homes and they will knock on your door and if you're home they just leave! Don't want to give anyone a false sense of security but I've certainly never heard anything like that before.

Also, the amount of media coverage that assaults, rapes, murders get here is a testament to the "relatively" low crime rate. In 2 cities I've lived in before in America you'd be hard pressed to find a tiny blurb about anything thats happened in your neighbourhood in the paper. We regularly had helicopters flying around our house looking for people (for various crimes) and there was never any coverage on it. Thankfully I was never the victim of any crimes but they were around in far greater quantity than it seems like they are here.

A great thing about NZ! :)

[Bergita]

Speaking about helicopters Montana, we had a few circling overhead, quite low actually and lighting up our entire house. This was a few months back, so anyway I phoned the police and asked what was going on, and they told me, not to worry, there's been a prison break, just keep your doors locked. :confused: Also, no coverage in the news. Scary when a prison break is not newsworthy...

[browner_]

NZ is certainly not crime free.

Im concerned about some of what goes on here, but compared to South Africa and parts of the US and even the UK, NZ is a doddle.

I know South Africans who are so pleased to live in such a crime place as NZ, and they adore it here, but that says at least as much about South Africa as it does NZ.

I have to say I feel pretty safe here, chances of personal attacks are low if you take normal sensible precautions.

Im far more worried about being killed on the road than being murdered, what is laughingly called driving here is more like russian roulette with cars.