The police and justice ministers say this indicates the effectiveness of the government's approach
The government has reported that violent crime dropped by 2% in 2024 – the first time rates have fallen since 2018.
Police Minister Mark Mitchell and Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith said that the outcome shows the effectiveness of the government’s “tough-on-crime and victims-first” approach.
“After year-on-year increases in violent crime since 2018, it is encouraging to see a reversal of this rise with a 2% drop in the numbers for 2024. It is especially encouraging when you consider that violent crime increased by 51% between 2018 and 2023”, Mitchell said.
He added that as per police statistics, total victimisations fell 2%. Assault and serious assault rates declined by 1%.
The country’s prison population had peaked in 2018.
“This is good to see, and what it shows is that after six years of emptying our prisons, and a soft-on-crime approach, the government's approach of restoring consequences for crime, and backing police with new powers, is beginning to yield results”, Mitchell said.
He cited new legislation cracking down on gangs, as well as the 40% increase in police foot patrols that has led to aggravated robberies falling by 8%. Retail theft has also begun to ease.
“With theft in retail premises up 11% there is still more work to do but I am pleased to note that the violent element of that has plateaued, and the upward trend overall is slowing – which will be welcome relief for our small retail business owners across the country”, Mitchell said.
Goldsmith added that according to the New Zealand Crime and Victims Survey, the number of victims in the year ending October 2024 dropped by 24,000 compared to June 2024.
He reiterated the government’s goal of reducing the number of serious violent crime victims by 20,000 by 2029.