Is crime that bad?

[tmprince]

Well we are immigrating from South Africa ... you do the math !
I am looking forward to a time when we will have legal recourse and police assistance.

[Richard7666]

It all depends where you live. Places like Nelson, Invercargill, Dunedin are generally safer overall than their northern counterparts (though Dunedin can be bad in the CBD on weekends and Invercargill has a 'bad half of town'). Also rural areas, particularly in the South Island, have far lower crime rates.

[joules1000]

Many thanks for the replies.
Rather amusingly I am a Probation Officer and tend to continue in this field when I arrive! So crime is important!!!
I think I was just having a jittery day when I read the Herald article and just needed some rational people to put it all into perspective!

[RJLink]

I feel like the entire Wellington CBD is safe from personal threat or crime day and night, with the possible exception being late night around the bars. Boisterous youth can seem threatening, but usually it's just that. Add alcohol, however, and things can get ugly.

[Andy&Carol]

We've been in Whangarei for almost a year trouble-free. However, over the past couple of weeks someone tried (unsuccessfully) to take my son's scooter from the bike shed at polytech (screwdriver in the key barrel) and my husband has had the number plate taken from his scooter (parked outside work - the probation office!)