奥克兰盗窃频发但犯罪解决率低靡
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工党国会议员 菲尔∙高夫 奥克兰事务发言人
复活节前，最新的一份犯罪统计出炉。对我们这些在奥克兰来说，读起来确实骇人听闻。
在奥克兰的所有三个警区，入室盗窃案比去年同期上升了15％。更糟糕的是，警方入室盗窃办案解决率，连续第三年下降。在奥克兰，盗窃案的解决率下降到11％之多，也就是一位入室盗窃者行使偷窃时，仅有十分之一的机会被抓获。同样，在奥克兰东区和西区的数据更是不令人乐观，西区为6.1％，而东区仅为4.8％。在全国，奥克兰是迄今为止保持最低的入室盗窃案解决清除率。还有一大半需要在其他方面做出努力。
在奥克兰，摩托车盗窃也很盛行，却仅有6％解决率。这些都是高频犯的罪行，影响着我们中的大多数普通民众。我们不断听到同样的事情。但似乎没关系，因为犯罪率正在下降，而这对于那些房屋被盗窃或摩托车辆已经被撬走的人们来说，却难以抚慰。
事实上，它看起来很危险的就像自满政府的一部分。他们似乎认为，如果犯罪率下降他们就此可以削减警方经费。在上个月的法律和秩序委员会上，警察局长告诉我们，即警方最近几年有$3亿纽币的成本上涨必须由政府削减经费。
事实上，它还远不止于此。警方的工作人员自己工资上涨（不包括补贴费用）就上涨了$3亿纽币。当经费被切断而警察服务的需求呈上升趋势，一些事情就需要补上。似乎警方跟进和犯罪的解决率却要由在奥克兰普罗大众和其他地方付出代价。
我向警察局长提出，为什么那么多的犯罪案悬而未决。警察局长却并没有给出真正的答案，他轻描淡写的回复说是因为重点放在以预防为主。我指出，预防犯罪的最佳途径是说服罪犯，如果他犯了罪，他将被逮捕甚至是严惩。
这很难不被传到很多有犯罪倾向的人的那里，如果撬走您的车辆或入室盗窃而被抓获的机会仅为1/20。我并不特别责怪专员的答案，因为作为一名公务人员，他不能简单地说他是缺乏信息和资源做出决策，但本质上这就是原因所在。
任何政府的基本责任是让国民安全，以确保我们可以免受犯罪受害者的恐惧。下个月，财政部长宣布他的财政预算案。我不想听到这样的借口：是因为第六次未实现财政盈余，所以无法确保公众的安全基础服务。我认为如果政府能花$7千万纽币试图架构一条通往北岛却未列入预算的桥梁，来赢取北岛的选票。那同样也应该有一笔钱以确保我们有一个有效的警察部队。
(English version for reference)
Auckland Hit by Higher burglary and Dismal Crime Resolution Rate
The latest crime statistics came out just before Easter and for those of us in Auckland they make appalling reading.
Across all three Police districts in Auckland, burglary was up by 15% over last year. Worse still, police resolution rates for burglary, dropped for the third year in a row. In Auckland Central, resolution of burglaries dropped to just over 11%, that is slightly more than a one in ten chance the person who burgled your home will be caught. But in Auckland East and West the figures are even more dismal, 6.1% for the East and 4.8% in the West. Auckland has by far the lowest clearance rate for burglaries in the country. It’s half what other areas are achieving.
Motor vehicle theft is up in Auckland as well, with a resolution rate of under 6%. These are high volume crimes, the ones that affect most of us. We keep hearing the same thing. It’s okay because crime rates are coming down. That’s hardly a consolation to those whose homes have been broken into or motor vehicle has been stolen.
In fact, it looks dangerously like complacency on the part of the government. They seem to think if crime is coming down they can cut funding for the Police. The Police Commissioner told us that, at the Law and Order Select Committee last month, that $300 million in rising costs had to be absorbed by the Police in recent years for government cuts.
In fact, it’s much more than that. Salary rises for Police staff, which haven’t been compensated for, are just under $300 million by themselves. When funding is cut, and demand for Police services is rising, something has to give. It looks like Police follow up and resolution of crime is where ordinary people in Auckland and elsewhere are paying the price.
The Police Commissioner didn’t really have an answer to the question I put to him about why less crime is being resolved. He seemed to be saying it was because the emphasis was being put on prevention first. I pointed out that the best way of preventing crime is to persuade the offender if he commits the crime, he will be caught and punished.
It’s hard to get that message across when the would-be criminal knows that he has just one chance in 20 of getting caught if he rips off your car or property from your house. I don’t particularly blame the Commissioner for his answer. As a public servant, he can’t simply say he is being starved of the resources he needs to make a difference. But essentially that is the reason.
The fundamental responsibility of any Government is to keep people safe and to ensure that we can live free from the fear of being victims of crime. Next month, the Finance Minister delivers his Budget. I don’t want excuses about his sixth attempt to achieve a surplus in the Finance as the reason for not having basic services delivered to ensure public safety. I reckon if the Government can spend $70 million on unbudgeted bridges to try to buy an election in Northland, then the money should be there to ensure we have an effective Police force.
