Don’t be alarmed, New Zealand: your house isn’t burning down. It’s always been on fire, but you’re just noticing the flames more.
That’s what the government wants you to believe, anyway. As crime soars across the country, the Labour Party are in steadfast denial. It’s not that crime has actually increased, it’s just that more people are reporting crime.
The house was always on fire, you’ve only just decided to call the fire brigade, see?
The bought-and-paid-for legacy media are only too willing to parrot the government’s narrative, of course. But those whose safety and livelihood, unlike the government and the media, are directly impacted by rising crime are under no such delusions.
Foodstuffs North Island did not mince their words on the state of retail crime in New Zealand. And their numbers are startling. They reported a 38 per cent increase in reported incidents of retail crime between February and April 2023 compared to the same period last year.
Incidents such as burglary, assault, robbery, and other aggressive, violent, and threatening behaviour are up 36 per cent for the same quarter, year on year. Shoplifting was up even higher – 57 per cent over the past 12 months.
“Our grocers have never seen retail crime at these levels. It’s an extremely concerning trend, and it’s unacceptable,” said Foodstuffs’ chief executive Chris Quin.
It’s not just retailers. New Zealanders used to be relatively unconcerned about crime: only three years ago, one in eight of you didn’t bother locking up your house or garage. Nearly half of you didn’t have locks on your windows.
Ah, what sunny, carefree days 2020 was.
New Zealanders felt safe back then. But things have changed dramatically, and not for the better.
New Zealanders believe that crime is a bigger issue now than five years ago, as per a recent poll for the New Zealand Herald. Two-thirds of Kiwis are more concerned that they may be a victim of crime today than they were five years ago. Only five per cent stated they were less worried about crime.
Oh, you silly Kiwis! Worrying so much about something which absolutely, positively, cross-the-government’s-heart-and-hope-to-get-reelected, isn’t true.
Just ignore piffling stuff like, y’know, facts.
In the 2022 calendar year, police recorded 516 ram raids. That is when offenders drive stolen vehicles into stores to rob them – often not gaining more than petty cash and a few cigarettes.
Among the offenders identified, only 12 per cent were adults. The majority were teenagers, and ten per cent were even younger than 13 years.
Membership of gangs also seems to have increased. In 2016, there were 4,420 gang members on the police National Gang List, which now stands at 8,875. Every year, that list has grown by about 1,000 gang members. That said, nobody has an accurate figure on gang membership. It is essentially a list the police maintain and populate themselves, but at least it indicates that organised crime is not a marginal feature in New Zealand.
Well, why wouldn’t gang numbers grow? Coddled by police, who organise helpful escorts when gangs decided to shut down a freeway or a neighbourhood street. Gifted millions by the government to “treat” people for the very drugs the gangs sell them. Join a gang and you might even get a nice little bit of koha from the Human Rights Commissioner.
And don’t worry about going to jail, or even getting arrested. They’ve got your back, there, too.
However, while the number of reported victims has been on the rise, the number of offenders arrested and convicted has been on a downward trend.
Arrests have decreased by 25 per cent, and convictions have fallen by 26 per cent over the same period. This suggests a widening gap between the number of crimes committed and the number of criminals brought to justice.
The number of people imprisoned has also seen a significant decrease, down by 45 per cent […]
Reported crime has surged by 33 per cent, yet police actions have decreased by 26 per cent. Convictions have also fallen by 25 per cent, and prison sentences have dropped by 38 per cent.
The Australian
Well, of course, they have. Because, y’know, arresting and jailing criminals is apparently “racist” and “colonisation”. Ask an academic: “It is a policy choice that the New Zealand prison population is so large”.
Because it has nothing to do with the poor choices of people who choose to commit crimes, of course.
